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THE FIRST ACCOUNT OF AFRICA BY AN AFRICAN (AFRICA.) Africanus, Joannes Leo. A Geographical Historie of Africa . . . before which . . . is Prefixed a Generall Description of Africa. Folio, 420 pages, 19th century full calf; spine with five simple gilt rules; collated complete but lacking the title-page and map; decoratively engraved historiated capitals; marginal chipping to a few preliminaries, not affecting the text; printer's flaw at B1, not affecting text; occasional ink marginalia in Books Two and Three. London: George Bishop, 1600
the rare first english translation of the first descriptive book about africa written by an african Joannes Leo Africanus, (circa 1494 – 1554), born al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Wazzan al-Fasi, was a Berber Andalusi diplomat from Granada in Islamic Spain. His work covers North and Sudanic Africa and was, until the 19th century age of exploration, the only authoritative work on the "dark continent." His family moved to Fez in Morocco soon after his birth. In Fez he studied at the University of al Qarawyyin, and accompanied his uncle on a diplomatic mission reaching as far down into black Africa to Timbuktu in today's Mali. He continued in the diplomatic service traveling to Cairo and Aswan, then across the red sea to Arabia where he made his Haj to Mecca. Returning from Mecca, he was captured by Spanish corsairs and brought to Rome where he was presented to Pope Leo X. The Pope recognizing his worth as a diplomat freed him and gave him a pension to persuade him to stay and work for the Vatican. He was baptized, taking the name Leo, though he called himself Yuhanna al-Asad al-Gharnati, the Lion of Granada.
