Cambridge Library Collection - African Studies: A Report of the Kingdom of Congo and of the Surrounding Countries: Drawn Out of the Writings and Discourses of the Portuguese, Duarte Lopez, by Filippo Pigafetta, in Rome, 1591

Duarte Lopez

ISBN 10: 1108082742 / ISBN 13: 9781108082747

Published by Cambridge University Press, 2018

About this Item

. . 2018. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9781108082747

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Cambridge Library Collection - African Studies: A Report of the Kingdom of Congo and of the Surrounding Countries: Drawn Out of the Writings and Discourses of the Portuguese, Duarte Lopez, by Filippo Pigafetta, in Rome, 1591
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1108082742
• ISBN 13: 9781108082747
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

In this 1591 work, the Italian mathematician Filippo Pigafetta (1533–1604) explains that he was ordered by Pope Sixtus V to transcribe the account of Duarte Lopez, a Portuguese trader who had spent twelve years in the Congo. Lopez had hoped that the pope would give him support in his mission to the Congolese, but this was not forthcoming: he returned to Africa, and was not heard from again. The work was first translated into English by the English antiquary Abraham Hartwell: this translation with notes by Margarite Hutchinson was published in 1881. Lopez's narrative gives a detailed account of his voyage on his uncle's ship, and the history and geography of the kingdom of Congo and its six administrative regions under the rule of its king (named by Lopez 'Don Alvarez'). This fascinating account demonstrates the extent of Portuguese exploration across West Africa in the sixteenth century, of which later explorers were unaware.

Book Description

This fascinating account by the Portuguese trader Duarte Lopez, transcribed by the Italian mathematician Filippo Pigafetta (1533-1604), demonstrates the extent of Portuguese exploration across West Africa in the sixteenth century, of which later explorers were unaware. First published in Italian in 1591, this English annotated translation appeared in 1881.