Estimated Price:

$1,000 - $2,000

Realized Price:

$1,000

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Title: What Led to the Discovery of the Source of the Nile
Author: John Hanning Speke
Publisher: William Blackwood and Sons
Printing Year: 1864

Condition/Details: Bound in library binding of black cloth with bright gilt embossing, this antique volume is a scarce history of the explorer John Speke's search for the source of the Nile River. The work is illustrated with a frontispiece portraying Speke's escape from the natives, a fold-out map of Somali Land, listing the location of the various tribes, and a two-page map, with a red line showing the expedition routes. John Hanning Speke (4 May 1827 - 15 September 1864) was an officer in the British Indian Army who made three exploratory expeditions to Africa and who is most associated with the search for the source of the Nile. In 1844 during the Sikh War Speke served in the British Army under Sir Colin Campbell. He spent his leave exploring the Himalaya Mountains and once crossed into Tibet. In 1854 he made his first voyage to Africa, joining the already famous Richard Burton on an expedition to Somalia. The expedition did not go well. The party was attacked and Burton and Speke were both severely wounded. Speke was captured and stabbed several times with spears before he was able to free himself and escape. Burton escaped with a javelin impaling both cheeks. Speke returned to England to recover and then served in the Crimean War. In 1856, Speke and Burton went to East Africa to find the Great Lakes which were rumored to exist in the centre of the continent. Both men clearly hoped that their expedition would locate the source of the Nile. The journey was extremely strenuous and both men fell ill from a variety of tropical diseases. Speke suffered severely when he became temporarily deaf after a beetle crawled into his ear and he had to remove it with a knife. He also later went temporarily blind. After an arduous journey the two became the first Europeans to discover Lake Tanganyika (although Speke was still blind at this point and could not properly see the lake). They heard of a second lake in the area, but Burton was too sick to make the trip. Speke thus went alone, and found the lake, which he christened Lake Victoria. It was this lake which eventually proved to be the source of the River Nile. However, much of the expedition's survey equipment had been lost at this point and thus vital questions about the height and extent of the lake could not be answered.(courtesy of Wikipedia)The ex-library volume shows light external age/wear, and is solidly bound with age toned pages, with some occasional smudging. The fold-out map shows slight wear, with a small tear and some creases from folding at the corners. The book measures approximately 5.5" x 8.5" and contains 372 pages. Shipping cost (within the U.S.) for this lot will be: $4.50