Exploration & History of Africa

This section focuses on the books of African history and the exploration of the African continent in the WVRHC Rare Book Room. The extended collection includes fifty-four books that document travel and research from the entire continent of Africa.

Title: A History of Egypt From The Earliest Times to The Persian Conquest
Creator: James Henry Breasted
Date Created: 1905
Abstract: James Henry Breasted was an Egyptologist and historian. He was the first American to earn a doctorate in Egyptology and the subject’s first documented teacher in America. In 1901, he joined the University of Chicago faculty and ultimately held the first chair in Egyptology in the U.S. This volume is a compilation of his research on the history of Egypt spanning from the earliest records of Egyptian civilization, referred to as Predynastic Egypt, that started around 6000 B.C., to the Persian conquest in 525 B.C.. This source would be useful for research on the History of Ancient Egypt, Egyptian Archaeology, Egyptian Religion, and African History.
Source: WorldCat

Title: Axioms of Kwame Nkrumah; Freedom Fighters' Edition
Creator: Kwame Nkrumah
Date Created: 1969
Abstract: The First President of Ghana, serving from 1960-1966, Kwame Nkrumah was an influential citizen of Ghana and politician. Prior to his presidency he was the Prime Minister of the Gold Coast, the previous name of Ghana when it was still under the British colonies until 1957. He was a proponent for the Pan-African movement that focused on solidarity between all indigenous Africans and all people descended from Africans. This book lists axioms from Kwame Nkrumah that concern the independence of Ghana, African freedom, Neo-Colonialism, Economic Unity, and more socio-political topics. This edition is a pocket-sized book that is called the Freedom Fighters Edition, possibly to make it easier for protestors on the streets to discreetly carry a copy with them all the time for encouragement. This source would be good for research on the Political History of Ghana, African History, Civil Rights History, and Black History.
Source: WorldCat

Title: Camp and Tramp in African Wilds
Creator: Emil Torday
Date Created: 1913
Abstract: Emil Torday was a Hungarian anthropologist in the early 1900s that had a fascination with different languages and cultures and went on to work as an agent for the British Museum when going on his expeditions to Congo and other countries. He was also a member of the Council of the Royal Anthropological Institute and of the Council of the Folk-Lore Society. This travel book is Torday’s documentation of his travels in Congo, and he has chapters discussing the social life and customs of the Congo tribes, the slave trades, currency, and events of cannibalism in the tribes. This source would be useful for research on the History of Congo, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, African History, African Travel, Black History, and Cannibalism in Human Culture.
Source: WorldCat

Title: Livingstone's Travels and Researches in South Africa
Creator: David Livingstone
Date Created: 1858
Abstract: David Livingstone was a missionary whose goal was to open up the interior of Africa, to reach and study the different behaviors and culture of African countries, and to spread Christianity throughout Africa. He is one of the major contributors to the “Scramble for Africa,” the mass colonization of the continent of Africa by European countries like the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, and more. This travel account is from his missions in South Africa where he documents the social life and customs in Southern Africa and includes illustrations of native animals and South African people. His chapters also touch on his efforts to teach South Africans about Christianity, writing about the reactions of different South African tribes to prayers and religious songs. This source would be useful for research on South African Social Life and Travel, South African History, African Travel History, Missionary Travels, Colonialism, and on David Livingstone.
Source: WorldCat

Title: Out of Africa
Creator: Isak Dinesen
Date Created: 1938
Abstract: Isak Dinesen is one of the various pen names for Danish writer Karen Christentze von Blixen-Flinecke, born in Rungsted, Denmark. Dinesen was the author of around eighteen books as well as several unpublished poems and short stories kept in the Royal Danish Library. Out of Africa (1985) is considered her most famous book and had a film adaptation in 1985. The book is a personal account of Karen’s seventeen years living on her coffee plantation in Kenya and is seen as a peaceful and simple tale of living out in the wilderness. This source would be useful for research on Kenyan Social Life and Travel, and on Karen Blixen.
Source: WorldCat

For all Exploration & History of Africa Citations, see the following page: