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Mary Kingsley

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One of the most witty and thoughtful of Victorian explorers, Mary Kingsley (1862-1900) travelled in West Africa to study local customs and the natural history of the region and greatly influenced European ideas about Africa and African people. Kingsley wrote two books about her experiences: Travels in West Africa (1897), which was an immediate bestseller, and West African Studies (1899).

Books by Mary Kingsley

A Hippo Banquet

Little Black Classics - the new series to celebrate Penguin's 80th anniversary

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Travels In West Africa

A remarkable account by a pioneering woman explorer who was described by Rudyard Kipling as 'the bravest woman of all my knowledge'

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