TRADER HORN (1927) – THE ORIGINAL BOOK VERSION DETAILING AFRICAN ADVENTURES IN THE 1870s

TRADER HORN (1927) – This book was the quasi-autobiographical account of Alfred Aloysius Horn (1854-1931), a British trader in Africa during the 1800s. Ethelreda Lewis added pertinent commentary to each chapter.

For newbies to the Trader Horn legend, this book did for tales of adventuring in Africa what the quasi-autobiographical writings of the likes of Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Charlie Siringo and Buffalo Bill Cody did for Wild West excitement. There were multiple film adaptations of Trader Horn, plus elements of this book were imitated in fictional accounts of jungle adventures to a degree not seen since H. Rider Haggard’s tales of Allan Quatermain. 

I personally have no doubt that Alfred A. Horn embellished his experiences like Wyatt, Bat, Charlie and Buffalo Bill did, so there is no real way of separating fact from fiction in this book, that’s why I classify it as both myths & legends AND neglected history.

It has been well-established that Alfred Aloysius Horn did indeed work as a trade agent in Africa during the 19th Century, so I believe we readers can trust (to a degree) his accounts of encounters with wildlife in that time before the population of jungle animals were whittled down to 20th Century levels. Those sections of the book have as much of a ring of truth as accounts from 1800s travelers in America regarding how abundant the herds of buffaloes once were. 

Trader Horn’s depiction of the African tribes he traded with, plus their customs and systems of worship, are actually flattering compared to H. Rider Haggard’s works. Still, there are passages that will strike a discordant note for 2024 readers, reminding us that only fools would expect the attitudes of a man born around 1854 to exactly match the attitudes of the 21st Century.

Alfred Horn attended Saint Edward’s College in Liverpool, where he first met the friend he nicknamed Little Peru, a young man from Peru whose character would be played by Duncan Renaldo in the original Trader Horn movie.

The various editions of the book Trader Horn listing “1861” as a starting date after Alfred Horn’s name are wrong that he was born in that year. That is impossible because as nearly as Ethelreda Lewis could determine, Horn was already in his late teens when he first reached Africa in 1871 or 1872. The year 1854 seems the more likely for his birth. The 1931 end date is indeed the date of his death.   

Starting with the next installment I will begin reviewing the events depicted in this book. FOR PART TWO CLICK HERE.