Travels in the Congo

New York/London: Alfred A. Knopf. Very Good-. 1929. First American Edition. Hardcover. (patterned cloth binding; no dust jacket) [somewhat shelfworn volume, slight exposure of boards at all tips, light scuffing/surface wear to covers; the fold-out map has a short diagonal crease at one corner, but is otherwise in excellent condition]. (B&W photographic plates, one fold-out map) The esteemed French author's journal of his travels through various African nations (at that time still under colonial rule) from July 1926 to May 1927. Per Wikipedia: "Gide traveled through the colony of French Equatorial Africa with his lover Marc Allégret. They went successively to Middle Congo (now the Republic of the Congo), Ubangi-Shari (now the Central African Republic), briefly to Chad and then to Cameroon. [He originally published his journals in two volumes in France, "Voyage au Congo" and "Le Retour de Tchad"; this translation contains both.] In this work, he criticized the behavior of French business interests in the Congo and inspired reform. In particular, he strongly criticized the Large Concessions regime (French: Régime des Grandes Concessions). The government had conceded part of the colony to French companies, allowing them to exploit the area's natural resources, in particular rubber. He related that native workers were forced to leave their village for several weeks to collect rubber in the forest, and compared their exploitation by the companies to slavery. The book contributed to the growing anti-colonialism movements in France and helped thinkers to re-evaluate the effects of colonialism in Africa." ****NOTE that additional postage charges will be assessed for international shipping of this slightly heavy book; if this concerns you, please contact us for a shipping quote before placing your order. As always at ReadInk, domestic Media Mail shipping is free.**** .