Du Chaillu’s Travels

Paul du Chaillu (1831-1903) wrote numerous books about Africa for adults as well as the five volume series (noted below) for young people. His tales were based on Du Chaillu's actual experiences in Africa.

Du Chaillu spent his late teen years in Gabon where his father was a successful merchant. After his father's death he found that people were interested in the African experiences. He subsequently worked with various natural history societies bringing to America numerous animal specimens previously unknown to the west. Subsequently he penned a number of books about Africa and its people. His life is well detailed in a biography by Michael Vaucaire (translated by Emily Pepper Watts) published by Harper and Brothers in 1930.

This five book series chronicles the author's travels through Africa. These books, told in the first person, were more attuned to the culture and daily living of the natives and wildlife then the geography of the region. Nonetheless it is reasonable to include them with the other "travelogue series"

It appears that the first editions note the year after the copyright date on their title pages.

1. Stories of Gorilla Country 1867
2. Wild Life under the Equator 1868
3. Lost in the Jungle 1869
4. My Apingi Kingdom 1870
5. Country of the Dwarfs 1871

The series was first published by Harper and Brothers. The first format was still being published as of 1876 with the $1.75 price. Later editions of this first format were priced at $1.50. These books were published in green, blue (scarce) or maroon cloth. Book appropriate gold gilt illustrations are noted on the front cover.

John Camden Hotten, a London publisher also printed a title from this series in the early 1870's. It printed Country of the Dwarfs in 1872 in both paper as well as in cloth.

These titles were also published in London, England by Sampson, Low, Son and Marston. The format of title #1 is the same as the Harper and Brothers Format 1. Here is title #1. Later Sampson, Low, Marston and co. also reprinted these titles.

This 1870 edition of Lost in the Jungle has a different cover.

Harper and Brothers editions

1872

The series was reprinted in a new format in 1896. All five titles are noted within circles on the green (or bluish/green or grey) cover. This format was published into the late teens.

1903 Grey color cover has also been seen.