The Killing of Dr. Albrecht Roscher

Africa in the mid-nineteenth century was still very much an unknown continent, its vast lands a source of unceasing interest and mystery La the white man. This was the age of discovery, the decades before the fascination wore off and the scramble for Africa began in earnest Explorers such as Burton, Speke and Livingstone were the names on everyone's lips, In this climate, Albrecht Roscher grew up La be an outstanding young scholar, whose interest in the works of classical writers such as Ptolemy and Herodotus inspired in him a love of geography, science and biology, which the achievements of Burton and others only served to inflame. Africa beckoned. However, little did he imagine as he left Germany for the shores of East Africa that he would never return. His murder before he managed to fulfill his ambitions has ensured that he has been largely consigned to a footnote in the history of African exploration. In The Killing of Dr Albredlt Roscher Heldring sets out to redress the balance in what is a fitting tribute to a man who, had he lived longer, might have gone on to rival the achievements of Burton, Livingstone and the other great explorers of that age.