27 August 2005, 13:58
WinkThe Source of the Nile by Richard Burton
Two of my daughters just returned home after a few weeks with a friend in Washington State and they brought me a gift: "The Source of the Nile" by Richard Burton. Hard-bound, slipcased, my copy is the 1996 printing, published in the UK by the Folio Society. I am reading it now and I am in awe of the ability of the author to describe in minute detail everything he sees and experiences, while remaining interesting and with great satire, on this expedition from Zanzibar to Lake Tanganyka and back. The original title of this book, published in 1860, was "The Lake Regions of Central Africa". I recommend it highly for those who are interested in one of the first accounts of Zanzibar and Tanganyka by a gifted explorer and writer.