author
John Duncan
1805–1849
Drawn from a rough early life into military service and then exploration, he became one of the better-known British travelers to West Africa in the mid-19th century. His published accounts promised readers danger, diplomacy, and firsthand glimpses of places few Europeans had described in such detail.
2 Audiobooks
About the author
Born in Scotland in 1805, he was the son of a small farmer near Kirkcudbright. After limited formal schooling, he enlisted in the 1st Regiment of Life Guards as a young man and taught himself drawing while in service.
After leaving the army, he was appointed to accompany an expedition to Dahomey. His journeys in West Africa brought him notice as a traveler and writer, and he published books based on his experiences, including Travels in Western Africa in 1845 & 1846 and Travels through part of the Slave State of Africa.
He planned to continue his work in the region and was appointed vice-consul at Whydah, but died aboard the Kingfisher in 1849 before he could carry those plans further. His life was brief, but his travel writing remains a window into British exploration and imperial contact in West Africa.