Items related to Hearts Of Darkness
Synopsis
An examination of the European exploration of the African continent probes the impact and reputation of the explorers and discusses the abnormal psychology that led these men to court death in the African wilderness.
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From Kirkus Reviews
An eye-opening safari into the history and psychobiography of African exploration. McLynn (Burton, 1991, etc.) begins with a brightly colored sketch of the European canvassing of Africa, from Mungo Park's quest in the late 1700's for the source of the Niger to the successful penetration nearly a century later of the last blank spots on the map by German, French, and English adventurers. In between came a host of pith-helmeted derring-doers, most notably Burton, Livingstone, Speke, and Stanley. As McLynn sees it, all were driven by demons, from Stanley's sadomasochism to Burton's hatred of blacks to Livingstone's misanthropy. Upon this historical framework, the author builds his most unusual contribution: a thematic, transhistorical analysis of African exploration, covering in depth such topics as transport, the ivory trade, and the influence of imperialism. The impression grows of a nightmare continent of disease, warfare, and slavery into which Europeans brought their own cruelties and manias, at great peril and for little profit. McLynn provides fascinating, little-found information about everything from favored apparel (umbrellas, dark glasses) to porterage styles (because of the tsetse fly, domesticated animals couldn't survive in the African interior, so the human foot became the main means of exploration) to the eating habits of the black mamba. A close scrutiny of a few months in Stanley's 1874-75 transverse of Tanzania provides a case study of typical obstacles faced by the explorers. The blemish on this peach of a book comes at the end, when McLynn attempts--as did Fawn M. Brodie and others before him--to psychoanalyze the great explorers: Talk of mother fixation and other libidinous undercurrents sounds sadly reductionist in the face of these explorers' extraordinary feats. Except for those Freudian shadows, much bright light on the Dark Continent. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
From Publishers Weekly
An account of African exploration during the Victorian era and such major explorers as Stanley and Livingstone. Illustrations.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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- PublisherRandom House UK
- Publication date1992
- ISBN 10 0091770823
- ISBN 13 9780091770822
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages390
- Rating
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Hearts of Darkness: European Exploration of Africa
Seller: Goldstone Books, Llandybie, United Kingdom
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Hardcover. Condition: Good. All orders are dispatched within one working day from our UK warehouse. We've been selling books online since 2004! We have over 750,000 books in stock. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. Seller Inventory # mon0006524615
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Hearts of Darkness: European Exploration of Africa
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Hardcover. Condition: UNSPECIFIED. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Aged book. Tanned pages and age spots, however, this will not interfere with reading. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages. Ex-library book with stamps on the first page, it is also likely to have a small shelf number sticker on the spine. Seller Inventory # CHL9744984
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HEARTS OF DARKNESS THE EUROPEAN EXPLORATION OF AFRICA
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Hutchinson Books, 1992
ISBN 10: 0091770823
ISBN 13: 9780091770822
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Hard Cover. Condition: USED_NEARFINE. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First U.K. Edition. Hutchinson Books, 1992, First U.K. Edition, 8vo, 390 pages, photos. Book and jacket in near fine condition. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" Tall. Seller Inventory # GD010696WRBC4S1
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Hearts Of Darkness
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Condition: USED_GOOD. Your purchase helps support Sri Lankan Children's Charity 'The Rainbow Centre'. Ex-library, so some stamps and wear, but in good overall condition. Our donations to The Rainbow Centre have helped provide an education and a safe haven to hundreds of children who live in appalling conditions. Seller Inventory # Z1-V-012-02508
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Hearts of Darkness ~ The European Exploration of Africa
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Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. Hutchinson, 1992. Softcover (15 x 24 cm), x, 390 pages. ISBN: 0091770823. Very Good condition. Bumped, scuffed and lightly creased. Pages tanning. Weight (before packaging): 615g. Seller Inventory # 2796
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Hearts of Darkness: The European Exploration of Africa
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Hardcover. Condition: USED_FAIR. 1992. TANNING. MARK. An acceptable hardcover book with tanning pages, a mark on the back free-end page, and moderate cover wear. The text pages are clean. The dust jacket is covered in mylar. Booksavers receives donated books and recycles them in a variety of ways. Proceeds benefit the work of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in the U.S. and around the world. Seller Inventory # mon0000269565
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Hearts of Darkness: European Exploration of Africa
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Hearts of Darkness: European Exploration of Africa McLynn, F.J.
Seller: Hay-on-Wye Booksellers, Hay-on-Wye, HEREF, United Kingdom
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Condition: Very Good. A few light scratches and slight shelf wear on jacket. Also a small knock on top corner of cover on back of book otherwise fine. Seller Inventory # 090948-11
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Hearts of Darkness: The European Exploration of Africa
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Random House, Milsons Point, N.S.W., Australia, 1992
ISBN 10: 0091770823
ISBN 13: 9780091770822
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Seller: Goulds Book Arcade, Sydney, Newtown, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Paper Back. Condition: USED_GOOD. The cover is a little worn and creased, with a blacked out texta mark on the back. The pages are well tanned. 390 pages. Books listed here are not stored at the shop. Please contact us if you want to pick up a book from Newtown. Size: Size F: 9"-10" Tall (228-254mm). Seller Inventory # 48850
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Hearts of Darkness : The European Exploration of Africa
Seller: Barclay Books, York, WA, Australia
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SOFTCOVER. This book proposes a thematic treatment of the subject. Following an historical survey of the achievements and scope of the explorers, the ensuing chapters deal with exploration under a series of different headings including imperialism, psychology, warfare, the impact on indigenous societies, slavery and diseases. The book encompasses the whole of African exploration from the charting of the Niger by Mungo Park in 1796, the achievements of Speke, Burton, Livingstone and Stanley, as well as other less well-known figures including French and German exploreres, up to Stanley's last great trek across Africa in 1897. Frank McLynn is the author of Charles Edward Stuart which was short-listed for the 1989 McVitie's Prize for Scottish Writer of the Year and The Jacobite Army in England which won the 1985 Cheltenham Prize for Literature. 1992, A trade paperback copy only marked by light age tanning to the pages. Seller Inventory # 14649528
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