Du Niger au Golfe de Guinée par le pays de Kong et le Mossi

First complete edition of this major work in Africanist literature (cf. Bibliography of Côte d'Ivoire, 286. Not listed in Bruel, Bibliography of French Equatorial Africa. Lorentz, XIV, 215.)

This book contains an overall map, numerous detailed sketches, and one hundred and seventy-six wood engravings based on the drawings of Riou. Bindings in half cherry morocco with corners, spine with five raised bands decorated with cold-tooling, a small tear at the top of one joint, paper-covered boards, some light rubbing to the boards, endpapers and pastedowns made of marbled paper, corners slightly bumped, gilt edges, period bindings.

This exploration mission ordered by Faidherbe left Bamako in August 1887, passed through the states of Samory and Tiéba, then made a wide loop from Kong between the Comoé and Volta rivers, passing through the previously unexplored Mossi country. Returning to Kong in January 1889, Binger met Treich-Laplène there and together they made their way back to the coast (Grand-Bassam). Côte d'Ivoire would officially become a French colony on March 10, 1893.

Louis-Gustave Binger (1856-1936, incidentally the grandfather of Roland Barthes) would become its first governor; Grand-Bassam was chosen as the capital. He negotiated border treaties with the United Kingdom and later began a campaign against Samory Touré, the Guinean Malinke warrior chief, which lasted until 1898. At that time, he was in favor of modern colonization, and concluded his book with this note: 'We believe that direct state intervention will always be detrimental...'

A fine copy.