Lost Lion of Empire - Hardcover

Paice, Edward

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0002570033 ISBN 13: 9780002570039

Publisher: Harper Uk, 2001

Synopsis

Ewarr Grogan, a gentleman adventurer dubbed 'the boldest and baddest of a bold, bad gang' of pioneering settlers in Kenya, was gifted far beyond the ordinary. Possessed of disarmingly good looks, magnetic charm, a formidable intellect and a near boundless ego, he was famed throughout the British Empire as one of the most brilliant - and controversial - figures of African colonial history.
By the age of twenty-two Grogan had been elected the youngest ever member of the Alpine Club and was a Matabele War veteran. But his prospects were far from certain when he fell in love with a young heiress and was required by her stepfather to prove himself a 'somebody' in order to win her hand. Grogan's response was typically unequivocal: he announced that he intended to be the first man to complete a south-to-north traverse of the African continent. In 1900, after almost three years of adventure and unimaginable hardship, he arrived triumphantly in Cairo, thus completing one of the most astonishing feats in the history of the African exploration. He became an instant celebrity and returned to London to marry his beloved Gertrude.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Ewart Grogan, 'the baddest and boldest of a bad bold gang' of settlers in Kenya, was one of the most brilliant and controversial figures of African colonial history.

When he proposed to a young heiress, Gertrude Coleman, he needed to prove himself a 'somebody' to her father in order to win her hand. He did so in inimitable style, announcing that he intended to accomplish the first south-to-north traverse of Africa. In 1900, after two years of illness and extreme hardship, he arrived triumphantly in Cairo.

He became an instant celebrity, and, on returning to England, at last married Gertrude. Now with a considerable fortune at his disposal, after a short bu succesful spell in South Africa he arrived in British East Africa. He quickly became a leader among the settlers, and embarked on a lifetime of grand projects, forced through despite government inertia, enormous natural obstacles and the looming threat of bankruptcy. Time after time he proved the doubters wrong, as he pulled off the seemingly impossible. Despite this frenetic activity, and despite his love for Gertrude, he still managed to find the time to run two separate families and father numerous children by various mothers.

The abrasive and glamorous Grogan, with Delamere, was one of the founding fathers of Kenya – Lost Lion of Empire is a brilliant and powerful account both of the life of an exceptional man and the birth of a country.

About the Author

'Edward Paice was a History Scholar at Magdalene College, Cambridge and winner of the Leman Prize. After ten years working as an investment analyst in the City he spent the best part of four years in Kenya and newly-independent Eritrea, writing travel and natural history guides. He regularly lectures and contributes articles on a variety of African topics, is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper Uk
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0002570033
• ISBN 13: 9780002570039
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 470