The Voice of Africa, Vol. 1 of 2 (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from The Voice of Africa, Vol. 1 of 2: Being an Account of the Travels of the German Inner African Exploration Expedition in the Years 1910-1912In passing the following pages for press, it has occurred to me that a few explanatory remarks might help the reader. The book itself is the final outcome of twenty years spent in studying its subject, and has, consequently, undergone a process of growth which may entitle it to a particular method of consideration. It is meant to be something more than a description of travels, treating in the main of roads and their absence, of personal experiences, dangers and adventures. I have endeavoured to give the reader an insight into the inner soul and civilized status of the peoples who inhabit the vast provinces of Northern and Western Africa; and to explain the extraordinary treasures, some of very great beauty, which are to be rest from the bosom of this Dark Continent. And for this reason the book, in conformity with its inner construction and nature, consists of the following parts grouped as below, viz.:(a) Narration of voyages: Chapters II. - VII., XVII. - XX., and, lastly, XXX.(b)Explanation of work, i.e., sections in which an attempt is made to expound the Expedition's objects and aims, its method of research and to clarify the material: Introduction (Fiat Lux), Chapter I. ("The Riddle of a Continent") and Chapter XVI. ("The Spectacles of Islam").(c)Results of the work undertaken: Chapter XV. ("Atlantis") and XXIX. ("Byzantium").(d)Testing the material, i.e., sections which contain excerpted descriptions of the manners and customs, traditions and monuments of civilization: Chapters VIII. - XV. and XXI. - XXVIII.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com