Western Women in Colonial Africa

by Sarah Oliver

Inspired by her own contact with Africa, Caroline Oliver has written biographies of five intrepid women who traveled through the interior of Africa during colonial times. Two were explorers. Alexine Tinne led her own expedition up the Bahr el Ghazal tributary of the Nile. The second sketch traces the expeditions of Florence Baker who accompanied her husband on two hazardous journeys to the lake regions of Central Africa. Oliver portrays Mary Kingsley, an intellectual who walked alone through the West African forests doing ethnographic research. The closing biographies are of two missionaries; Mary Slessor, who became the first female magistrate of the Okon district of Calabar, and Mother Kevin, who established many schools throughout East Africa. Oliver brings to her writing the special enthusiasm gained from having seen the African backgrounds in which these women lived and worked.

201 pages, Hardcover

First published October 27, 1982

About the author

I am a celebrity journalist and biographer. I have met Robert Pattinson and most of the Twilight cast - so if you have teenagers that love Twilight, I'm the author you need!

I'm proof that you don't have to be old and boring to be an author.

My first book was Be the Best - an inspirational book for young rugby players. I started coaching a boys' rugby team when I was sixteen, and we became one of the most successful in the country in our age group. Six years later, I decided to write the first book that looks at every stage - from being in a mini team, to trials, and to county level. My book teaches self-confidence and will inspire any child to become a better rugby player.

After dabbling in scriptwriting, I became an editorial assistant and then the editor of an online entertainment magazine. I started writing articles about Robert Pattinson and to date I have written over 700. In May 2010, Robert Pattinson A-Z came out, closely followed by Glee A-Z. In October, I had two books published: Taylor Lautner A-Z and The Wanted A-Z. My fifth celebrity biography, Miley Cyrus A-Z, came out in May 2011.