Burton, Richard F.

The Lake Regions of Central Africa, A Picture of Exploration

New York: Harper and Brothers, 1860.

First American Edition. Hardcover. Very Good-. xvi, 572 pp, plus publisher's ads. Indexed, with 25 illustrations and a folding map. Bound in brown pebbled cloth with bright gilt lettering on spine. Very mild rubbing to corners, a bit of fraying to the spine tips, small darkened spot on lower spine. Library discard, but still a sound and handsome copy, with no external markings and only a few internal. Bookplate and stamp on front pastedown, label on rear pastedown, else unmarked; clean and tight. Burton's account of his grueling 1856-59 expedition with John Hanning Speke to explore the unknown lake regions of central Africa and search for the source of the Nile. The two explorers ultimately disagreed about the source of the Nile, and in the preface Burton denounces Speke for writing and speaking on his own views before the ailing Burton was able to return to England.