Items related to A Negro Explorer At The North Pole
Matthew Henson wrote this amazing 1912 autobiographical account of reaching the North Pole with Peary. Long out of print, this edition is the first accurate reproduction to restore his original title.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Publisher:
A Negro Explorer is back!
Publisher Widget Magic had a goal to create an authentic reproduction to mitigate the damage done by bad reproductions put on the market over the past 31 years. One version boasted that it was “Illustrated with contemporary photographs.” Why were Matt’s photos not good enough? Another had photos rendered as unrecognizable black blobs. One version imposed on the reader a modern introduction with a woman's touch sporting a crude map for those who don't know where Greenland is located. Why does this work need a third introduction? Who has earned the right to place their words in the company of Robert E. Peary, Booker T. Washington, and Matthew A. Henson?
Well-intentioned individuals obviously did not like the racial term Negro. They felt that it was their obligation to change Henson’s title from “A Negro Explorer...” to “A Black Explorer...” This is the first edition in 88 years to restore the original title. Matt chose the title and Widget Magic restored it, despite 31 years of contrary efforts.
The out of print 1969 version, by Walker and Company, censored Robert E. Peary’s Foreword by removing the entire opening paragraph. Two other paragraphs by Peary were thrown out. Two entire pages of the Introduction by Booker T. Washington were deleted! Why? Was it because Peary and Washington discussed Henson in a racial context the publisher didn’t approve of? Some people may find it outrageous that Walker would edit text from these two famous men.
The new publisher resolved not to censor the Foreword or the Introduction, not to change the title, not to use “contemporary photographs”, and to put back Appendix I & II. In this edition everything has been restored. The typesetting and layout imitate the 1912 Frederick A. Stokes original. Text styles, relative font sizes, indents, and even the table of contents are visually similar to the original. Words are spelled the way Henson spelled them. No one changed his “Esquimos” to Eskimos, let alone modernize it to Inuit. His hyphenated “to-day”, as an another example, was common usage in 1912.
This restored edition is perfectly complete, and authentic; exactly as Henson authored it. The reader can enjoy this edition, knowing that they are reading a faithful presentation of the book that one reviewer called “the high point of 19th century exploration.” And indeed it is!
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherWidget Magic
- Publication date2000
- ISBN 10 0966576217
- ISBN 13 9780966576214
- BindingSpiral-bound
- Number of pages106
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