Explorers of Africa: Mapping the World Through Primary Documents: Mapping the World Through Primary Documents

Offering a unique approach to the study of history, this book showcases the writings of more than a dozen explorers whose impressions of Africa during the "Age of Exploration" influenced not only their own generation, but generations to come. Well-known explorers such as David Livingstone, Richard Burton, and Henry Morton Stanley are featured, as are lesser-known individuals like Paul du Chaillu and Mary Kingsley. Several of the explorers generated the first written accounts of African cultures, societies, and geographies, informing--and forming--European understanding of Africa and its diverse peoples.

Each of the main chapters in the book begins with a brief biography of a featured explorer followed by a set of primary source documents written by that individual. Each document is preceded by a short introduction and followed by an analysis. The selected writings highlight particular contributions or experiences important to the explorer's voyages, as well as common themes about social attitudes, global political interests, and knowledge of Africa gained from the explorer's personal context.