The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia, and the sword hunters of the Hamran Arabs. BAKER, Samuel.

First edition; 8vo (22 x 15.5 cm); portrait frontispiece and 23 plates after sketches by the author, 2 maps, 1 of which folding; contemporary half straight grained red morocco, marbled boards, spine lettered in gilt in six gilt compartments, all edges marbled, a fine copy; xxii, 596 pp. The present work complements Baker's earlier book The Albert Ny'anza, Great Basin of the Nile by giving a summary of the Nile system from his exploration of all the Abyssinian tributaries of the Nile. Baker (1821-1893), a wealthy young man, had travelled extensively in the East and Asia Minor, mainly on hunting expeditions. Whilst in the Danube region, he bought a young woman, Florence, at a slave auction and she became his constant companion. Baker became increasingly intrigued by the prospect of exploring Africa. After John Hanning Speke and James Augustus Grant departed from Bagamoyo for Lake Victoria and the White Nile in 1860, Baker decided to launch his own expedition to discover the sources of the Nile River. He then planned to link up with Speke and Grant. The journey, which ultimately would take four and a half years, would bring him fame and fortune. More importantly, the expedition enabled Baker and Florence, who were not married, to escape the harsh moral strictures of Victorian England. The discovery of the Albert N'yanza, the origin of the Nile, was the most remarkable achievement of Baker's adventurous career.