Defeated by geography: [Review of] Mungo Park’s ghost: the haunted hubris of British explorers in nineteenth-century Africa, by D. Kennedy, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2024, 233 pp., £30.00 (hbk), ISBN 9781009392983 and [Review of] Majestic River: Mungo Park and the exploration of the Niger, by C.W.J. Withers, Birlinn, Edinburgh, 2022, 368 pp., £30.00 (hbk), ISBN 9781780277998

Lawrence Dritsas

doi:10.1080/14702541.2025.2597816

Defeated by geography: [Review of] Mungo Park’s ghost: the haunted hubris of British explorers in nineteenth-century Africa, by D. Kennedy, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2024, 233 pp., £30.00 (hbk), ISBN 9781009392983 and [Review of] Majestic River: Mungo Park and the exploration of the Niger, by C.W.J. Withers, Birlinn, Edinburgh, 2022, 368 pp., £30.00 (hbk), ISBN 9781780277998

Lawrence Dritsas

School of Social and Political Science

Research output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article review › peer-review

Abstract

Charles Withers and Dane Kennedy examine the life and legacy of the Scottish explorer, Mungo Park. Their books weave together histories of exploration with studies of authorship, commemoration, metropolitan interests and African politics. In my review I consider the complementary accounts provided by these books and their contributions to the historiography of exploration.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-7
Number of pages	7
Journal	Scottish Geographical Journal
Early online date	3 Dec 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/14702541.2025.2597816
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 3 Dec 2025

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Dritsas, L. (2025). Defeated by geography: [Review of] Mungo Park’s ghost: the haunted hubris of British explorers in nineteenth-century Africa, by D. Kennedy, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2024, 233 pp., £30.00 (hbk), ISBN 9781009392983 and [Review of] Majestic River: Mungo Park and the exploration of the Niger, by C.W.J. Withers, Birlinn, Edinburgh, 2022, 368 pp., £30.00 (hbk), ISBN 9781780277998. Scottish Geographical Journal, 1-7. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/14702541.2025.2597816

Dritsas, Lawrence. / Defeated by geography : [Review of] Mungo Park’s ghost: the haunted hubris of British explorers in nineteenth-century Africa, by D. Kennedy, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2024, 233 pp., £30.00 (hbk), ISBN 9781009392983 and [Review of] Majestic River: Mungo Park and the exploration of the Niger, by C.W.J. Withers, Birlinn, Edinburgh, 2022, 368 pp., £30.00 (hbk), ISBN 9781780277998. In: Scottish Geographical Journal. 2025 ; pp. 1-7.

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abstract = "Charles Withers and Dane Kennedy examine the life and legacy of the Scottish explorer, Mungo Park. Their books weave together histories of exploration with studies of authorship, commemoration, metropolitan interests and African politics. In my review I consider the complementary accounts provided by these books and their contributions to the historiography of exploration.",

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Dritsas, L 2025, 'Defeated by geography: [Review of] Mungo Park’s ghost: the haunted hubris of British explorers in nineteenth-century Africa, by D. Kennedy, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2024, 233 pp., £30.00 (hbk), ISBN 9781009392983 and [Review of] Majestic River: Mungo Park and the exploration of the Niger, by C.W.J. Withers, Birlinn, Edinburgh, 2022, 368 pp., £30.00 (hbk), ISBN 9781780277998', Scottish Geographical Journal, pp. 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/14702541.2025.2597816

Defeated by geography: [Review of] Mungo Park’s ghost: the haunted hubris of British explorers in nineteenth-century Africa, by D. Kennedy, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2024, 233 pp., £30.00 (hbk), ISBN 9781009392983 and [Review of] Majestic River: Mungo Park and the exploration of the Niger, by C.W.J. Withers, Birlinn, Edinburgh, 2022, 368 pp., £30.00 (hbk), ISBN 9781780277998. / Dritsas, Lawrence.
In: Scottish Geographical Journal, 03.12.2025, p. 1-7.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article review › peer-review

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Dritsas L. Defeated by geography: [Review of] Mungo Park’s ghost: the haunted hubris of British explorers in nineteenth-century Africa, by D. Kennedy, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2024, 233 pp., £30.00 (hbk), ISBN 9781009392983 and [Review of] Majestic River: Mungo Park and the exploration of the Niger, by C.W.J. Withers, Birlinn, Edinburgh, 2022, 368 pp., £30.00 (hbk), ISBN 9781780277998. Scottish Geographical Journal. 2025 Dec 3;1-7. Epub 2025 Dec 3. doi: 10.1080/14702541.2025.2597816