Paul du Chaillu was an American hunter and explorer known for his expeditions into equatorial Africa in the middle of the nineteenth century. Between 1855 and 1859, du Chaillu travelled in Gabon, gathering knowledge about the wildlife and the rivers of the country. His travels are most noticeable for his confirmation of the existence of gorillas, which had previously only been known to Europeans through skeletons and accounts from ancient authors. Typical of nineteenth century naturalists, Du Chaillu observed and hunted gorillas and brought back several dead specimens that he sold to the Natural History Museum in London and other collections. This book, published in 1861, describes the expedition and du Chaillu’s discoveries in Africa.