The Albert N’Yanza · Samuel Baker · 1866 · First Edition · Two Volumes · Maps

First edition of Samuel Baker’s account of the exploration of the Nile sources, complete in two volumes with maps, plates, and illustrations, including the discovery of Lake Albert.

Victorian African Exploration · Nile Sources · Folding Map · Abolitionist Narrative

Bibliographic Details

Author: Samuel White Baker
Title: The Albert N'Yanza, Great Basin of the Nile, and Exploration of the Nile Sources
Place of Publication: London
Publisher: Macmillan and Co.
Date: 1866
Pagination: Vol. I: xxx, 371 pp.; Vol. II: x, [1], 372 pp.
Illustrations: Engraved and lithographic frontispieces; 2 colour maps (one folding); 13 full-page plates; 20 text illustrations
Binding: Black half leather over marbled boards, gilt lettering and ruling to spines
Size: 22.5 × 14.5 cm
Provenance: —

Condition

Good only. Complete and collated. Bindings worn with rubbing to boards, edges, and corners, and abrasion to leather. Vol. I spine splitting along edges with some lean; front hinge starting and some gatherings pulling. Fold-out map in Vol. I with closed tear (old repair), creasing and browning to folds. Second map with scattered foxing and slight detachment at top edge. Title pages foxed, more pronounced in Vol. I. Light scattered foxing and handling marks throughout. Vol. I more worn than Vol. II. A complete but well-used set, priced accordingly.

Description

An important work of nineteenth-century African exploration, recording Samuel Baker’s expedition to the Upper Nile and his discovery of Lake Albert in 1864. Published in 1866, this first edition provides a detailed narrative of the journey undertaken in the service of the Egyptian government, combining geographical observation with personal account.

The work is illustrated with maps, plates, and text figures, including a folding map tracing the Nile basin and routes of exploration. Baker’s narrative blends scientific observation with descriptions of landscape, peoples, and the conditions encountered during travel in central Africa.

It was widely read on publication and helped to establish Baker’s reputation alongside other Victorian explorers, while also reflecting contemporary efforts to suppress the slave trade and extend geographical knowledge of the region.

Notes

A complete first edition of a key work in the literature of Nile exploration, notable for its maps and illustrative material despite its well-used condition.

A desirable set for collectors of African exploration, Nile history, Victorian travel, and nineteenth-century geography.

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