The Gates of Africa: Death, Discovery and the Search for Timbuktu

History

Sattin, Anthony

Africa

Harpercollins

The history of the African Association, the world's first geographical society, dedicated to the exploration of the interior of a continent known only through legend and vague report. Africa was once seen as an El Dorado - a gold-encrusted continent of hope and prosperity, where the ancient civilisations of the Phoenicians and the Egyptians might have survived intact. The African Association, the world's first geographical society, set itself the task of revealing the mysteries of the interior of Africa. Founded in 1788 by a group of London-based gentlemen, made famous by the amazing exploits of its adventurers, for forty-three years it was engaged in a quest for geographical knowledge, personal glory, immense wealth and the fulfilment of national ambitions. There are two strands to the narrative. First there are the people who planned and paid for expeditions, the geographers, scholars, politicians, humanitarian activists and sharp-eyed traders, the richest commoner in England and two former prime ministers among them. Theirs is a lively tale of tavern meetings, court lobbying and salon intrigue during one of the most dramatic periods of world history. Then there are the adventurers, a mixed group of ex-cons and social outcasts - British, French, Germans and Americans among them - who went to the magical continent in search of glory and the unknown. They included Mungo Park, whose account of his travels was a bestseller for more than a century, and Jean Louis Burckhardt, discoverer of Petra and Abu Simbel. Each of their journeys was extraordinary, packed with drama and excitement, made notable by geographical discoveries and, with very few exceptions, ending in death. An outstanding account of a unique period characterised by the passion, ambition, courage and sheer sense of adventure of its participants.

The Gates of Africa: Death, Discovery and the Search for Timbuktu. Anthony Sattin

Travel

Harperperennial

This book includes an eye-witness account of the siege of Delhi, in 1857, a most crucial encounter of the Indian Mutiny, where the author was "the only lady" present and during which she gave birth to a son. Her memoirs, which are accompanied by some of the photographs of India taken by the Tytlers in 1858, were never published in full during her life. The author was born into an army family in India. She traces her development from childhood to marriage in India and England, recounting the experiences which helped mould her personality. This is a personal story of one woman's life as well as illustrating the attitudes and assumptions of the British in India during the 19th century.

An Englishwoman in India: The Memoirs of Harriet Tytler, 1828-1858

Tytler, Harriet

Asia

Oxford Univ. Pr.

Shooting the Breeze

Literature & Fiction

Contemporary

Vintage/Ebury (A Division of Random House Group)

London, 1788: a group of British gentlemen---geographers, scholars, politicians, humanitarians, and traders---decide it is time to solve the mysteries of Africa's unknown interior regions. Inspired by the Enlightenment quest for knowledge, they consider it a slur on the age that the interior of Africa still remains a mystery, that maps of the "dark continent" are populated with mythical beasts, imaginary landmarks, and fabled empires. As well, they hoped that more accurate knowledge of Africa would aid in the abolition of the slave trade. These men, a mixed group of soldiers and gentlemen, ex-convicts, and social outcasts, form the African Association, the world's first geographical society, and over several decades send hardened, grizzled adventurers to replace speculation with facts and remove the beasts from the maps. The explorers who ventured forth included Mungo Park, whose account of his travels would be a bestseller for more than a century; American John Ledyard; and Jean Louis Burckhardt, the discoverer of Petra and Abu Simbel. Their exploits would include grueling crossings of the Sahara, the exploration of the Nile, and---most dramatically---the search for the great River Niger and its legendary city of gold: Timbuktu. Anthony Sattin weaves the plotting of the London gentlemen and the experiences of their extraordinary explorers into a gripping account of high adventure, international intrigue, and geographical discovery. The Gates of Africa is a story of human courage and fatal ambition, a groundbreaking insight into the struggle to reveal the secrets of Africa.

The Gates of Africa: Death, Discovery, and the Search for Timbuktu

St.Martin's Press

An intimate biography of the years that turned T. E. Lawrence into Lawrence of Arabia.
Lawrence of Arabia's heroism during the Arab revolt and his disgust at the subsequent betrayal of the Arabs in the postwar negotiations have become the stuff of legend. But T. E. Lawrence’s adventures in the Levant began long before the outbreak of war. This intimate biography is the first to focus on Lawrence in his twenties, the untold story of the awkward archaeologist from Oxford who, on first visiting "The East," fell in love with Arab culture and found his life's mission.
Few people realize that Lawrence’s classic autobiography, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, was not the first book to carry that iconic title. Lawrence himself burned his original draft. Anthony Sattin here uncovers the story Lawrence wanted to conceal: the truth of his birth, his tortuous relationship with a dominant mother, his deep affection for an Arab boy, and the personal reasons that drove him from student to spy.
Drawing on surviving letters, diaries, and accounts from close confidantes, Sattin brings a biographer’s eye for detail and a travel writer's verve to Lawrence's extraordinary journeys through the region with which his name is forever connected. In a masterful parallel narrative, The Young T. E. Lawrence charts the maturation of the man and the incipient countries he treasured, both coming of age at a time when the world’s foundations were coming undone. 16 pages of illustrations; 3 maps

The Young T. E. Lawrence

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

W.W.Norton&Company

From James Bruce’s intrepid journey up the Nile to the departure of the last British troops from Suez, Lifting the Veil portrays the shifting interests, dreams and failures, passions and intrigues of an extraordinary cast of characters. From Napoleon Bonaparte with his schemes to control the overland route to India, to tomb raiders such as Giovanni Belzoni; from scholars such as hieroglyph-decoder Champollion to Thomas Cook and his wide-eyed tourists and Cromer and his bureaucrats, this fast-paced and richly described narrative illuminates a bygone world and charts the end of imperialism and the advent of Egyptian independence

Lifting the Veil: British Society in Egypt, 1768-1956

Americas

J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd.

In a ruined temple along the Nile, Anthony Sattin came across a woman praying to the gods of ancient Egypt to bless her with a child. Later the same day, a policeman stopped his taxi to ask if he had a mobile phone - he wanted to call his mother. These encounters encapsulated the Egyptian experience: while undoubtedly forward-looking, Egyptians are obsessed with their long and well-documented past. Europeans, Turks, Mamelukes, Arabs, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Jews, Christians and Muslims have all left their mark; but older than them all are the surviving customs of Ancient Egypt, from fertility rituals and funerary rites to the cult of saints, snake-charmers and magicians.

The Pharaoh's Shadow : Travels in Ancient and Modern Epypt

Indigo Paperbacks

This informative text, complemented by colou r photographs and AA maps, provides the traveller with essen tial travel information and practical advice on accommodatio n, shopping and eating out. It also provides an extensive "W hat to See" section. '

Essential Istanbul (Essential Travel Guides) (AA Essential)

Franquet, Sylvie

AA Publishing

A pocket-sized city guide with a large-scale street map. "AA CityPacks" are specially designed for the short break city visitor. Organise your time with recommended day itineraries, walks and excursions. The Top 25 sights, arranged from west to east across the city, are highlighted and give you all the accompanying detail you need such as prices and opening times. The best features of the city are all described - galleries, museums, parks and much more. Information is presented in easy-reference lists - restaurants, pubs, bars, cafes, different types of shop, all kinds of nightlife - concerts, opera, cinemas, theatres, and places to stay to suit all budgets. Every guide comes with a separate street map and a protective plastic wallet.

AA CityPack Brussels & Bruges (AA CityPack Guides)

Europe

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