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Mary Kingsley
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Travels in West Africa Paperback – September 3, 2013

by Mary H. Kingsley (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 178 ratings
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Mary Kingsley's "Travels in West Africa" has become a classic, and deservedly so. Her story is remarkable. In the 1890s, unmarried and no longer having to care for her parents, Kingsley decides she should travel in "the tropics" and sets off for "West Africa" (i.e., the West coast of Central Africa). She travels as a scientist, collecting fish specimens, and finances her travels by trading along the way--but mostly she travels for the love of adventure and to satisfy an appetite for the unknown. "Travels in West Africa" is a treasure trove of information about Atlantic-coast Central Africa in the late 1800s. The last third of "Travels in West Africa" consists of three long chapters on fetish customs. Although she lacks a systematic view of the role of fetishes and other spiritual tokens in the cultures she met, her depiction of their impact on everyday life and on funeral customs is enlightening. She delves into the afterlife beliefs of the peoples she encountered; in many of these cultures today, the beliefs she relates are still expressed in a form of syncretistic Christianity. But beyond its historic and sociological value, the book is just wonderful. Mary Kingsley's descriptions are vivid, her insights interesting, and her understated humor is a joy. Anyone with a love of exploration and a good story would enjoy "Travels in West Africa." Mary Kingsley's account of her experiences, suffused with an infectious good humor, was published to immediate success in 1897 and remains a compelling tale of adventure.
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  1. Print length
    354 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    September 3, 2013
  4. Dimensions
    5.98 x 0.74 x 9.02 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1492322571
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1492322573
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mary Henrietta Kingsley (1862-1900) was an English writer and explorer who greatly influenced European ideas about Africa and African people. Kingsley was born in Islington. She was the daughter of George Kingsley (himself a travel writer) and Mary Bailey, and the niece of Charles Kingsley. Her father was a doctor and worked for George Herbert, 13th Earl of Pembroke. Her mother was an invalid and Mary was expected to stay at home and look after her. Mary had little formal schooling but she did have access to her father's large library and loved to hear her father's stories of foreign countries. Her father died in February 1878. Her mother also died just five weeks later. Freed from her family responsibilities, and with an income of £500 a year, Mary was now able to travel. Mary decided to visit Africa to collect the material she would need to finish off a book that her father had started on the culture of the people of Africa.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 3, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 354 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1492322571
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1492322573
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.04 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 0.74 x 9.02 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 178 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
178 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Marie McC
5.0 out of 5 stars Tales of the Dark Continent When Travel Was Not For the Faint of Heart
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2009
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Mary H. Kingsley, British writer and explorer, 1862-1900, was born in London, the daughter of a medical doctor. After both parents died in 1892, she suddenly found herself at odds over what to do with her life, as heretofore she had lived mainly in service to her sick mother and to her father as a research assistant. In August of 1893, unmarried and alone, she traveled to West Africa at the age of 30 to gather fish specimens for the British Museum and to study fetish in order to complete her father's research on primitive religion. In her time, that created quite a stir.

Travels in West Africa, the first book recounting her adventures, was first published in 1895 and became a best seller. It is as engaging a travelogue in the 21st century as it was then. Kingsley's finely detailed descriptions of the people and the terrain bring to life the harsh and frequently fatal conditions of West Africa at the time with seemingly effortless skill, as if she is telling the tales of her exploits to an old friend by the fireside. The writing is liberally infused with humor, which lovers of dry British wit will find appealing. Her affection for West Africa, despite the dangers and difficulties, will be puzzling only to those who have never traveled there. It's a captivating read. I wish her other two books were also available on Kindle.

Kingsley died on her third trip to the African continent on June 3, 1900, of enteric fever at the age of 37 while working as a volunteer for the medical services at Simon's Town, South Africa, during the Boer War.
29 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer in NC
5.0 out of 5 stars Social anthropology c1893 and witty in her travels
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2020
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Opinionated based on Kingsley's experience, the reader gets her insights into culture, trade and European presence in West Africa circa 1893.

In regard to her travels, both on foot and boat, she offers her views of the countryside and waterways sometimes of the beauty and oftentimes with wit and wry humor on the challenges.

She is respectful of people. Certainly there can be gripes about her perspective but she is writing in her time with a liberality of her period. She has points to make that were not translated into public nor church policy though she did public appearances upon publication of the book.

So this is only partly an adventure travel book. It is a book that can be used as a basis of anthropological and sociological study. Thus this book is not for beach reading. Well written, lucid and thought provoking
2 people found this helpful
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GalacticMousse
4.0 out of 5 stars Adventure, Travel and a Memoir
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2012
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I didn't expect much from this book, and simply downloaded it to my Kindle because it was a)free and b)looked like a passably interesting travel memoir.

Lucky for me, this actually turned out to be a fascinating read. The author -- a very likable and well traveled Englishwoman exploring in the 1890's -- does a fine job of bringing her audience in to West Africa of the late 19th century. Readers will be entertained while learning a great deal about the landscape, people and wildlife of Africa at the time. The true life stories of the author are entertaining and often humorous. Of course, some of the observations are colored from a somewhat Victorian standpoint, which can admittedly be grating for the more enlightened modern reader. Some of the descriptions of the landscape can be a little long winded, and at times the prose is a little stilted.

Over all, an excellent read. Beautifully entertaining and enlightening, and a wonderful glimpse in to the past.
12 people found this helpful
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Bear
5.0 out of 5 stars KIngsley Hard to Believe
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2022
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Mary Kingsley made some amazing journeys, all in heavy British clothing. She must not have sweated a lot, maybe the right metabolism. Her choice of clothing is the most unbelievable thing about her travels.
One person found this helpful
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Antonina S
3.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2021
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bianca preusker
5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful Victorian exploration of West Africa
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2014
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I was delighted by this fresh and humorous description of an adventurous young lady's explarations in West Africa. What a pleasure to read about her experiences as told in her witty, irreverant and humorous fashion. Her descriptions of the fetishes and beliefs of the tribes she meets are remarkably objective and not nearly as coloured by the Christian/European background that tints so many of the travelogues from this time.
One person found this helpful
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Heather Foxman
2.0 out of 5 stars Great story but weird print
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2023
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I bought this for my wife after she read it for her book club. She had checked it out from our library and loved the book. So I thought she would enjoy her own copy. Unfortunately, the format, layout and font of this book is very different from the original. I think I should have forked out the money to look for an original.
One person found this helpful
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Peter Gorman
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and entertaining, provides valuable observations of the way ...
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2016
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Fascinating and entertaining, provides valuable observations of the way people live and the beliefs of the West African people of this time.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Carl Abensperg-Traun
5.0 out of 5 stars Westafrika im 19. Jahrhundert, eine Frau reist alleine....
Reviewed in Germany on July 8, 2023
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Mit großem Beobachtungstalent und Witz diese zu dieser Zeit undenkbaren Alleinunternehmungen dieser Frau zu lesen ein großes Vergnügen...
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Ettore Tavolini
5.0 out of 5 stars La Signora fu una donna eccezionale, come alcune altre del mondo anglosassone dell'epoca.
Reviewed in Italy on October 27, 2021
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Salve, è un libro che io leggo con l'uso del vocabolario. Molto interessante per capire l'intervento della autrice nel mondo maschile della sua epoca, senza velleità di genere; con grande Classe. Fa parte di un modo e mondo femminile anglosassone di grande valore. Posso citarene altra, Florence Nightingale (1820-1910). A tale proposito rimando al libro di Masolino D'Amico (L'infermiera inglese; ediz. SKIRA), in italiano.
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Joyce M. Krmer
5.0 out of 5 stars Mary Kingsley - a victorain anthropologist in Africa
Reviewed in Canada on September 5, 2016
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Mary Kingsley was an adventurous anthropologist who accomplished serious ethnography before other non-Africa women dared to travel alone in Africa.
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Buick79
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Educational
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2013
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I heard of Mary Kingsley when reading The Book of The Dead, from the QI researchers, and decided to have a look at her book.
This book is a delight to read, being written in a humorous style including asides and anecdotes that can often be reread without palling. Even today a 30 year old woman would hesitate to go wandering alone in West Africa, collecting fish specimens from dangerous rivers, accompanied only by local natives, many of whom at the time were still cannibals. Mary learned to handle native canoes by herself.
Her descriptions of the country and it's people are superb, bringing them to life in a way lacking in most narrators. She had no illusions about the dangers, yet trusted men from local tribes to guide her through jungles and swamps, past friendly and unfriendly inhabitants.
Get past the rather wordy introduction and you will love this book, from the first river steamer journey onwards.
I'm sorry for anyone who finds racism in this work; there isn't any. This is a book of it's time, there's class and race separation everywhere, but Mary clearly considers all men equal, and generally superior to women! That's a fault in her Victorian upbringing.
She died in South Africa during the Boer war, helping in a hospital. Otherwise she may have become a famous authoress of her time.
4 people found this helpful
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Tam
4.0 out of 5 stars Kindle
Reviewed in Italy on January 25, 2023
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Testo ridotto dall’originale
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