Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Colonial Adventures => Topic started by: Plynkes on March 29, 2011, 10:56:48 PM
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One thing I'm always moaning about is modern editions of the 19th Century explorers' works. Buy a book these days by Carl Peters, Richard Burton, Sam Baker or the Thomson's Gazelle fellow (what was his name again?) and none of the cool drawings of them butchering the wildlife and local inhabitants, of gorgeous African vistas and African ladies with their puppies out, none of them will be in there. I suppose it's cheaper, and perhaps we also have some sort of silly modern idea that serious, grown-up books aren't supposed to have pretty pictures in them. Anyway, it makes me mad.
So imagine how happy I was today while idly browsing my local sleepy provincial book shop to find these:
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/Speke-1.jpg)
"C5!" "You sank my protected cruiser!"
Top: Speke looking as cheerful as ever, while playing 'Battleships' with Grant.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/Stanley.jpg)
Not only do they appear to have all the original black and white illustrations, they have colour plate sections of a whole bunch of stuff that was never in the originals. Modern-day photos of locations, Speke's hand-drawn maps (and his drawing of Mtesa's willy! lol), extra colour drawings and so on.
Even photos of Livingstone and Stanley's actual hats (what better colour reference could a Darkest Africa painter want?):
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/Plynkes/Hats2.jpg)
They come in a small but satisfyingly rigid and hefty hardback format, and the best thing is they only cost a Fiver each, about half what you'd normally pay in a bookshop for the paperback. They're from Italian publisher White Star's "The Great Adventures" series. Worth getting if you see them at the price I did, I reckon, if you are interested in this type of thing. Just wish they'd do this with all the other African explorers' works...
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Now I know what I will be looking for.
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Oh, very cool indeed. I'll be on the lookout. Hats are always a good thing.
Edit: Lots cheap on amazon. For example:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Found-Livingstone-Great-Adventurers/dp/885440120X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301438125&sr=8-1
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You lucky B'stard! I'll be off to Cornwall at easter and Falmouth has a plethora of old bookshps so maybe I will be too :)
Cheers Bwana. 8)
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Very interesting and a good recommendation. I love those kind of books...I think I have to order!
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Yes, great finds. Stanley's helmet is spectacular :o
Off to visit amazon :D
Thanks for posting!