The Journal of Frederick Horneman's Travels from Cairo to Mourzouk

The African Society was formed in 1788 'for the purpose of exploring the interior of Africa'. Among the explorers they sponsored was the great Mungo Park, who followed the course of the Niger. Another was the young German, Frederick Horneman, 'robust, and, in point of constitution and health, suited to a struggle with different climates and fatigues'. Setting out from Cairo in September 1797, Horneman joins a caravan bound for Mourzoul (Marzuq) in the heart of the Libyan desert, the Fezzan. To read the contemporary account of his journey is to savour the sense of awe and wonder under which such expeditions set forth. To Europeans the African interior was then as mysterious and remote as any of the planets in our solar system, and the strangeness of the inhabitants no less wondrous than a being from another world. Charged with recording his journey in detail, Horneman visits places 'the very existence of which, for centuries past, has been rather a matter of rumour than of information...'. Despite the appalling hardship he succeeds in reaching his destination, Mourzouk, in November 1798. Eager to press on, Horneman's plans are thwarted by illness and the ever-present threat of violence against one who is seen as an unbeliever. On the death of his servant, Horneman returns via Tripoli, all the while taking meticulous notes on every aspect of life and custom amongst the people he meets. Topographical cartographic data is also noted, from which the beautifully detailed maps that appear in this work are drawn. Though less well-known than many of his contemporary explorers, Horneman's travels are worthy of reappraisal, and this fine facsimile edition will help bring his work within reach of a wider readership.