Congo solo : misadventures two degrees north /

Hahn, who later became a prolific author and New Yorker writer, was in 1929 a young, unmarried American intent on traveling to the Belgian Congo following the stock market crash. She lived there for nearly a year in 1931 and published an expurgated version of her travelog in 1933, bowing to pressures from her publisher and the family of fellow expatriate Patrick Putnam to fictionalize aspects of the book. In addition to the solid introduction by Hahn's biographer, Cuthbertson (Nobody Said Not To Go), this work includes the original text plus a glossary and appendixes-"Grace Flandreau's Impressions of Patrick Putnam (1928)" and Hahn's fictionalized account of Putnam, as published in the 1933 edition. Throughout, Cuthbertson's explanations of foreign or scientific terms and numerous footnotes aid readability. However, at one point, Cuthbertson questions the accuracy of Hahn's reference to Le Coup de Bambou-she was likely referring to the 1922 book about the Congo by Hippolyte de Mathelin de Papigny-which gives one pause when evaluating his research. Verdict This fascinating, contemporaneous account will appeal to intrepid travelers. Readers who enjoyed Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa or Osa Johnson's I Married Adventure will appreciate this book, too.-Elizabeth Connor, The Citadel, Military Coll. of South Carolina, Lib., Charleston (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.