Two Trips to Gorilla Land and the Cataracts of the Congo, Volume 1

Burton, Richard Francis, Sir, 1821-1890Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.8

Word count: 343K words
Chapters: 35

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Two Trips to Gorilla Land and the Cataracts of the Congo, Volume 1 by BurtonAuthor: Burton, Richard Francis, Sir, 1821-1890,Language: English, Class: DT: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Africa, Release Date: May 1, 2004

Editor's review

This is the first volume of Sir Richard Francis Burton's African travel account, recording his two journeys to the "Gorilla Land" of Gabon and his exploration of the cataracts of the Congo River. With the keen eye of an explorer and linguist, Burton describes in detail the natural environment, flora and fauna, and the customs and languages of local peoples in Central Africa, while frankly recording the hardships and prejudices of nineteenth-century European explorers. The book's value lies not in serving as a travel guide for today but in its firsthand historical material, allowing readers to see the narrative methods and intellectual horizons of Victorian exploration literature. The prose is dense, interspersed with period species names, place-name spellings, and anthropological commentary, making it suitable for slow reading as research material in African history, colonial history, or travel literature. Readers may wish to consult maps and annotated editions, noting where the author's observations of local society sit alongside the limitations of his era—precisely the most rewarding aspect of the book.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and students of nineteenth-century African exploration and colonial history
Readers interested in travel literature and Victorian narrative
Writers in need of firsthand historical material on Central African geography and ethnography
Readers who enjoy natural history records and can tolerate long sentences and archaic spellings

Not a good fit for

Travelers seeking a practical modern travel guide
Readers who prefer fast-paced plots and lack patience for documentary-style narration
Readers sensitive to Eurocentric perspectives of the colonial era

Reading tips

Begin with the chapter titles and preface to trace the routes of the two journeys, then read the main text chapter by chapter.
Keep a map of Central Africa on hand and mark place names and rivers as they appear to reduce reading difficulty.
Take separate notes on natural history descriptions and anthropological commentary for easier future reference and citation.
Skip archaic spellings or unfamiliar species names for the moment, then look them up together after finishing a chapter.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable as a guide for traveling to the Congo?

No. Written in the nineteenth century, the book records the exploration routes, travel conditions, and observational perspectives of that time and has nothing to do with the visas, accommodation, and safety information needed for modern travel. It is better suited as background reading in history and travel literature, helping readers understand how early Europeans wrote about the region.

Can I understand it without a background in African history?

Yes, but some support helps. It is advisable to first learn about Burton himself and the context of nineteenth-century European exploration in Africa, then read with maps and annotations. The book contains many place names, species names, and ethnographic-style commentary marked by their era; slow reading with note-taking will be more effective than reading straight through.

How difficult is the original English?

Quite difficult. Burton's sentences are long and interspersed with archaic spellings, Latin scientific names, and local-language terms, and he often employs the racial and civilizational hierarchies of his time. Readers with university-level English reading ability who are willing to look things up can persevere; beginners should choose annotated editions or start with the introduction.

What is the relationship between this first volume and the second?

The first volume mainly recounts the journey to "Gorilla Land" and observations of its nature and society, while the second continues with the journey through the cataracts of the Congo. The two volumes unfold in journey order and can be read separately, but reading them consecutively gives a fuller picture of the author's two West African journeys.

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About the author

Burton, Richard Francis, Sir, 1821-1890 Author

Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821–1890) was a British explorer, writer and Orientalist. This library holds fifteen of his works, spanning East African exploration, accounts of a pilgrimage across Arabia, Hindu myth and tales of Central African travel. First Footsteps in East Africa records his journey into the interior of East Africa; the two-volume Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah & Meccah offers a first-hand portrait of the holy cities; and Vikram and the Vampire retells classic Hindu tales of adventure. His prose is detailed and precise, combining the calm of an observer with a storyteller's vividness, and has had a lasting influence on travel writing and Oriental studies. As public information is limited, this note is based chiefly on the works held here.