|
Books > Sport & Leisure > Travel & holiday > Travel writing > Classic travel writing
|
Not currently available
The Travel Chronicles of Mrs. J. Theodore Bent. Volume II: The African Journeys - Mabel Bent's diaries of 1883-1898, from the archive of the Joint Library of the Hellenic and Roman Societies, London (Paperback)
Loot Price: R827
Discovery Miles 8 270
|
|
|
The Travel Chronicles of Mrs. J. Theodore Bent. Volume II: The African Journeys - Mabel Bent's diaries of 1883-1898, from the archive of the Joint Library of the Hellenic and Roman Societies, London (Paperback)
Series: The Travel Chronicles of Mrs J. Theodore Bent
Supplier out of stock. If you add this item to your wish list we will let you know when it becomes available.
|
"At last we reached a circular enclosure among the grass and scanty
trees. We rushed in and it was like getting into a tropical
greenhouse with the roof off. There were tall trees and long
creepers making monkey ropes, large flowers hanging, great cactus
trees, aloes and all sorts of beautiful things crowded together, so
that one could hardly squeeze through. I should have liked to stop
and stare at the vegetation but on we rushed, over walls and to the
tower we had heard of, which is close to the outer wall. We did not
stay even to walk round the tower but out we rushed again, like
people who were taking a stolen look into an enchanted garden and
were afraid of being bewitched if we remained... It was quite dark
and we had to be guided by shouts to our camp and got home in a
state of great wonder and delight and hope of profitable work and
full assurance of the great antiquity of the ruins. Theodore was
not very well and had to take quinine." [M.V.A. Bent, 4 June 1891]
Thus a few lines from Mabel (Mrs J. Theodore) Bent's 1891 African
travel diary on her arrival at 'Great Zimbabwe' (in present-day
Zimbabwe), written for her family, serve to evoke the romance and
hardships of colonial exploration for a Victorian audience. Of
particular importance are Mabel's previously unpublished notebooks
covering the couple's arduous wagon trek to these famous ruins, in
part sponsored by the ambitious Cecil Rhodes. Theodore Bent's
interpretations of these wonderful monuments sparked a controversy
(one of several this maverick archaeologist was involved in over
his short career) that still divides scholars today. Mabel Bent was
probably the first woman to visit there and help document this
major site. As tourists in Egypt and explorers in the Sudan,
Ethiopia, and Southern Africa, anyone interested in 19th-century
travel will want to follow the wagon tracks and horse trails of the
Bents across hundreds of miles of untouched African landscape.
Contents: Personal diaries, travel accounts and letters relating to
the Bents' travels and explorations in: Egypt (1885); Zimbabwe
(1891); Ethiopia (1893); Sudan (1896); Egypt (1898). Includes
extended contributions on the archaeological background to 'Great
Zimbabwe' by Innocent Pikirayi, and 'The Stone Birds of Great
Zimbabwe' by William J. Dewey. Additional documents, maps, and
Mabel Bent's own photographs contribute to this important insight
into the lives of two of the great British travellers of the
nineteenth century. The Travel Chronicles of Mrs J. Theodore Bent.
Mabel Bent's diaries of 1883-1898, from the archive of the Joint
Library of the Hellenic and Roman Societies, London. Published in
three volumes: Volume I - Greece and the Levantine Littoral (2006);
Volume II: The African Journeys (2012); Vol III - Southern Arabia
and Persia (2010). "...Brisch and Archaeopress have done a major
service by reproducing these hidden gems and rescuing Mabel Bent
from relative obscurity. This collection is a valuable primary
source and will be of immense interest to those interested in
female travelogues, historical archaeology, or the daily
experiences of European women in colonial Africa." (Reviewed in
'Journal of African History', Vol. 55/2, 2014, 296-298)
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
|
You might also like..
|
Email address subscribed successfully.
A activation email has been sent to you.
Please click the link in that email to activate your subscription.
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
