Hermann Norden
Hermann Norden FRGS (1868/1869–November 1931) was an American[1] travel writer.
He was a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the American Geographical Society.
Of German origin, Norden made his money as a cotton broker in South Carolina. He died in London after falling and fracturing his skull in Leicester Square, aged 62.[1]
His book "White and Black in East Africa" was a great success,[1] however it was criticised in African Affairs as "of a surface nature... marred by many inaccuracies, exaggerations and statements which are both sweeping and incorrect."[2]
His book "Byways of the Tropic Seas: Wanderings Among the Solomons and in the Malay Archipelago" was criticised in Nature as superficial and inaccurate.[3]
For his book "Africa's Last Empire", he met Ras Tafari (Haile Selassi).[4]
His last book, A Wanderer in Indo-China, was published a week before his death.[1]
Books[edit]
- "From Golden Gate to Golden Sun: A Record of Travel, Sport, and Observation in Siam and Malaya by Norden". H. F. & G. Witherby, London, 1923.
- "Fresh Tracks in the Belgian Congo: From the Uganda Border to the Mouth of the Congo". H. F. & G. Witherby, London, 1924.
- "White and Black in East Africa". H. F. & G. Witherby, London, 1924.
- "Byways of the Tropic Seas: Wanderings Among the Solomons and in the Malay Archipelago". H. F. & G. Witherby, London, 1926.
- "Under Persian Skies: A Record of Travel by the Old Caravan Routes of Western Persia". H. F. & G. Witherby, London, 1928.
- "Africa's Last Empire: Through Abyssinia to Lake Tana and the country of the Falasha". H. F. & G. Witherby, London, 1930.
- "A Wanderer in Indo-China: The Chronicle of a Journey Through Annam, Tong-King, Laos, and Cambodgia, with Some Account of Their People". H. F. & G. Witherby, London, 1931.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "H. Norden is dead; American explorer; Wealthy traveler and writer fractures skull in fall on London streets". The New York Times. 5 November 1931. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ "White and Black in East Africa". African Affairs. XXIII (XCII): 335–335. July 1924. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a100023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Byways of the Tropic Seas: Wanderings among the Solomons and in the Malay Archipelago". Nature. 119 (3004): 777–777. May 1927. doi:10.1038/119777a0. ISSN 1476-4687. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ Westermann, D. (January 1932). "Africa's Last Empire. Through Abyssinia to Lake Tana and the country of the Falasha. By Hermann Norden. 240 pp. with 81 photographs and a map. London: H. F. & G. Witherby, 1930". Africa. 5 (1): 113–114. doi:10.2307/1155350. ISSN 1750-0184. Retrieved 28 December 2023.