The Pale Abyssinian: The Life of James Bruce, African Explorer and Adventurer

by Miles Bredin

The biography of one of Britain’s greatest explorers by a brilliant young writer.

The achievements of James Bruce are the stuff of legends. In a time when Africa was an unexplored blank on the map, he discovered the source of the Blue Nile, lived with the Emperor of Abyssinia at court in Gondar, commanded the Emperor’s horse guard in battle and fell in love with a princess.

After twelve years of travels, and having cheated death on countless occasions, Bruce returned to England from his Herculean adventures only to be ridiculed and despised as a fake by Samuel Johnson and the rest of literary London. It was only when explorers penetrated the African Interior one hundred years later and were asked if they were friends with a man called Bruce, that it was finally confirmed that Bruce really had achieved what he had claimed.

The Pale Abyssinian is the brilliantly told story of a man’s battle against almost insurmountable odds in a world nobody in Europe knew existed. Born in 1730, the son of a Scottish laird, James Bruce was an enormous man of six foot four with dark red hair, and he had to use all of his bearing and his wits to survive the ferocious physical battles and vicious intrigues at court in Abyssinia (Ethiopia today). His biographer, Miles Bredin, through ingenious detective work both in Bruce’s journals and in Ethiopia itself, has also unearthed a darker mission behind his travels: a secret quest to find the lost Ark of the Covenant.

A highly talented and daring young writer, Miles Bredin has created a stunning account of the life and adventures of an extraordinary man. The Pale Abyssinian will re-establish once and for all the name of one of Britain’s greatest explorers who penetrated the African Interior over a century before the likes of Stanley, Livingstone and Burton set foot on the continent.

Note that it has not been possible to include the same picture content that appeared in the original print version.

Genres: Travel, Biography, History, Africa, Nonfiction, Ethiopia

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 7, 2000

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good I read it twice....

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, what a dude. Where is the movie?

[Graham Bear · Rating 5 out of 5]

A forgotten hero. Flawed though he was, this giant of exploration was a truly great Briton. The hardships he endured were formidable. His mastery of half a dozen languages , prodigious. He was a master of travel. I have great respect and admiration for this noble savage. A concise rendition of Bruce's book. I enjoyed it immensely.

[Banbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subjects (Sir Bruce and 18th Century Abyssinia (Ethiopia)) are fascinating. The author clearly did careful research and his writing is serviceable. I have a small complaint that there is not enough explanation of the social and political situation of the often confusing cast of of warlords and their minions. The bravery and tenacity of Sir Bruce were remarkable, and the book is worth reading for the extraordinary way he made the harrowing journey through a dangerous and unknown land.

Ethiopia was not then, and is not now, an homogenous country. There are several different cultures and languages within its borders. Off topic, the Nobel Committee might want to wait for several years before determining who is entitled to the Peace Prize--Ethiopia's current Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, won in 2019 for an opening of the border with Eritrea, but now it appears that he has conspired with the Eritrean army to attack Ethiopian Tigrayan civilians in the North of Ethiopia.

[Miike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book by chance (in a charity shop) because I read the synopsis and thought it sounded interesting. I must admit to buying it because I thought I was unlikely to find it elsewhere, bearing this in mind it lay upon my shelf for a year before I got round to reading it.
As the subject it little known to us in the 'modern era' (he was a well known cad at the time) the author spends a lot of time justifying his personal interest and why more light should be shed upon this adventurous Scot. The book is a basic narrative of both his journey to Abyssinia and the general events that created and subsequently destroyed his reputation. Why Bruce is not better known and put in the ranks of Livingstone and Burton, I do not know, but the author proved here that he is a worthwhile subject for what is a literary tail of Bruce's own work.
I recommend this book to anybody interested in eccentric explorer types, mysterious travel literature and most importantly to anyone interested in the history of Ethiopia. With this last fact in mind it is worth noting that few Europeans had been to this exotic and enchanted corner of Africa so this man and this book should be treasured.
As far as the Ark of the Covenant debate goes I think the author clearly believes that Bruce either saw the site or discovered something of value, however, he does not let this detract from the rest of the book.

[R Heath Foxlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

100 years before Burton and Speke visited the headwaters of the White Nile, Lord Bruce of Kinnaird traveled to the source of the Blue Nile. His 8 year journey was so unbelieveable that no one believed it until Burton and Speke confirmed his story. Lord Bruce was a polyglot and clearly inspired multiple adventures of Sir Richard Burton.

[Tallburt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine tale of the British (in this case Scottish) sense of absurd adventure in a time when it was acceptable, nay expected, that blowing holes in the natives was the done thing.

Again, another giant (literally) of exploration whose deeds are now cruelly ignored by his fellow countrymen.