Journal of a Second Expedition into the Interior of Africa, from the Bight of Benin to Soccatoo: To Which Is Added, the Journal of Richard Lander from Kano to the Sea-Coast, Partly by a More Eastern Route.

In 1827, Scottish explorer Hugh Clapperton set out from the Gold Coast into the unmapped interior of West Africa, seeking trade routes and diplomatic ties with powers whose names were barely known in London. This journal, completed after his death and published in 1829, records one of the most audacious journeys of the exploration age: from the briny shores of the Bight of Benin to the ancient sultanate of Sokoto, across terrain that had defeated every European before him. The pages that follow are filled with fever, starvation, political intrigue, and moments of startling cultural depth as Clapperton negotiates with emirs and chiefs, records customs he barely understands, and watches his expedition slowly dissolve around him. Appended here is Richard Lander's journal, continuing from Kano to the sea-coast by a more easterly route, an account that would eventually help unlock the mystery of the Niger's course. Together, these documents offer an intimate, harrowing, and occasionally contradictory window into an Africa on the eve of profound transformation.