Burchell's African Odyssey: Revealing the return journey 1812-1815, by Roger Stewart and Marion Whitehead

Burchell's African Odyssey: Revealing the return journey 1812-1815, by Roger Stewart and Marion Whitehead. Penguin Random House South Africa. Imprint: Struik Nature. Cape Town, South Africa 2022. ISBN 9781775848158 / ISBN 978-1-77-584815-8

Burchell's African Odyssey: Revealing the return journey 1812-1815, by Roger Stewart and Marion Whitehead, is the first documented account of William Burchell's three-year return journey from the southern Kalahari via the Karoo and southern coast to Cape Town.

Foreword to Burchell's African Odyssey: Revealing the return journey 1812-1815

Among South African travel books by eighteenth and nineteenth century western explorers, William John Burchell's Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa, published two centuries ago, stands apart on almost every count for his scientifically rigorous yet sympathetic observations on the landscapes he encountered, their flora, fauna and human inhabitants. The narrative in two volumes details his exploration of southern Africa from Cape Town, through the western Cape, across the Roggeveld escarpment, traversing the Great Karoo and onwards to an area east of Kuruman, ultimately reaching the far extremities of the northern Cape. A delightfully readable yet informative text and illustrations have captivated readers ever since, either in their rare original edition or later in a largely non-illustrated reprint, and more recently in facsimile version, such has been the demand for this classic. Apart from Burchell's obvious focus on plants - his primary interest - everything in the natural world engaged him, from insects, reptiles, birds and mammals to geology. Equally, encounters with diverse indigenous peoples fascinated Burchell. Aspects of their culture, language and even music were all faithfully recorded by this sensitive yet painstakingly precise observer. Thoroughness was a hallmark of his methods. Nothing was rushed: he was blessed with a plenitude of time. Even the daily weather was precisely noted. Having, in August 1812, reached the most northerly point of his trek at Litakun (now Dithakong), a settlement north-east of Kuruman, Burchell's published narrative abruptly ends. But it was not the end of his exploratory wanderings. Burchell remained in South Africa for another three years, returning to Cape Town by way of Graaff Reinet, Grahamstown, the Great Fish River mouth and thence along the eastern and southern Cape coasts, skirting the coastal mountain ranges and summiting a number of their peaks, which few of the earlier explorers seem to have done. From a botanical point of view, this was probably the most interesting part of his travels. A third volume covering this three-year return voyage from Litakun to Cape Town was intended, but never appeared. It is this great void in the Burchellian saga that Roger Stewart's and Marion Whitehead's book sets out to fill. No complete travel diaries covering these crucial three years have been traced, yet some scattered, fragmentary archival records have survived. Sifting through widely dispersed primary sources at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Universities of Oxford and the Witwatersrand, among others, has occupied Roger Stewart for two decades. Together, the authors have meticulously reconstructed the most complete account possible of Burchell's three 'lost' years. They have also included numerous unpublished field sketches, housed mostly at Museum Africa. Nothing like this account has been attempted before. For the modern reader, the result is an accessible overview of Burchell's five years of exploration in southern Africa. This new publication will be an obligatory addition to any library, and particularly as a companion to Burchell's Travels. Here, at last, is a fascinating conclusion to a story that should have been told two centuries ago. (John Rourke)

This is an excerpt from Burchell's African Odyssey: Revealing the return journey 1812-1815, by Roger Stewart and Marion Whitehead.

Title: Burchell's African Odyssey
Subtitle: Revealing the return journey 1812-1815
Authors: Roger Stewart; Marion Whitehead
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Imprint: Struik Nature
Cape Town, South Africa 2022
ISBN 9781775848158 / ISBN 978-1-77-584815-8
Hardcover, dustjacket, 18 x 24 cm, 248 pages, numerous colour photos and images