author
A. (Alfred) Arkell-Hardwick
1878–1912
Best known for a vivid early-1900s travel narrative, this British adventurer wrote from direct experience in East Africa and later became involved in the fast-moving world of early aviation. His life was brief, but it covered exploration, engineering, and a dramatic final chapter.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Alfred Arkell-Hardwick was a British writer, traveler, and fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He is chiefly remembered for An Ivory Trader in North Kenia (1903), a first-hand account of an expedition through what is now East Africa, illustrated with photographs and a map.
Later in life, he was connected with the aviation industry and has been described as an aeronautical engineer and a sales manager in early aircraft work. Biographical records also place him in London family life with a wife and children before his death in 1912.
His career ended abruptly in December 1912, when he was killed in an airplane accident as a passenger during the pioneering years of flight. That combination of explorer, author, and early-aviation figure gives his work an unusual place in the history of travel writing.