Thomas Baines Books

John Thomas Baines (1820 - 1875) was an English artist and explorer of British colonial southern Africa and Australia. In 1858 he accompanied David Livingstone along the Zambezi and was one of the first white men to view Victoria Falls. From 1861 to 1862 Baines and James Chapman undertook an expedition to South West Africa which made extensive use of both photography and painting.

Explorations In South West Africa: Being An Account Of A Journey In The Years 1861 And 1862 From Walvisch Bay, On The Western Coast, To Lake Ngami And The Victoria Falls by Thomas Baines (1864). The author, accompanied by James Chapman, explored and pursued wild game through Namaqualand, Damaraland and across Bechuanaland to the shores of Lake Ngami, then on to the Victoria Falls. There are vivid descriptions of the landscape and natives accented by Baines' splendid illustrations. The party experienced numerous elephant hunting episodes with additional mention of collecting gemsbok, giraffe, wildebeest and buffalo. Free eBook

The Gold Regions Of South Eastern Africa by Thomas Baines (1877) was published posthumously. It contains full information on the gold discoveries in Matabeleland and Mashonaland, with much knowledge of the inhabitants. The book also contains an account of the gold discoveries in the Transvaal and gives details of no less than nineteen routes from the various places in South Africa to the newly discovered goldfields. Free eBook

Shifts And Expedients Of Camp Life, Travel And Exploration by Thomas Baines & William Barry Lord (1876) was intended as a guide for the use of travellers, settlers and explorers in Africa, Australia and other parts of the world. Free eBook

Books About Thomas Baines

J P R Wallis

John Peter Richard Wallis (1880 - 1957) was a British born author who travelled to South Africa in 1917 when he was appointed Professor of English Literature and Language at the University of Pretoria. He wrote biographies of Charles John Andersson, Thomas Baines and other prominent figures in African history. He retired to England in 1950 and died in 1957.

The Northern Goldfields Diaries Of Thomas Baines edited by J P R Wallis (1946) is the early narrative of two journeys set during the opening of the great goldfields of South Africa written by an artist and explorer. (Three volumes)

Thomas Baines: His Life And Explorations In South Africa, Rhodesia And Australia 1820-1875 by J P R Wallis (1942) is the definitive biography of Thomas Baines. It includes his journeys to the Orange and Vaal Rivers during 1848-53, with Dr Livingstone to the Zambesi in 1860, with James Chapman through South West Africa to Victoria Falls in 1861 and to Matabeleland in 1869-72. He also made an important journey of exploration in Australia and the surrounding seas with A C Gregory.

Thomas Baines: Explorer And Artist 1820-1875 by J P R Wallis (1941) is another biography of a man of great energy, of some significance as an empire builder, fame as an explorer and immense industry as a painter.

The Southern African Diaries Of Thomas Leask by J P R Wallis (1954) Thomas Leask (1839 – 1912) was one of the early elephant hunters to go to Mashonaland with a group of pioneers which included Willie Hartley, the young son of Henry Hartley. Most of these pioneers died of fever, including Willie Hartley. Leask, who had buried Willie Hartley, was able to show Henry Hartley to his son’s grave accompanied by Thomas Baines and Robert Jewell. More can be read about Thomas Leask's life on the Zim Field Guide website and in Edward Tabler's book The Far Interior - Chronicles Of Pioneering In The Matabele And Mashona Countries, 1847 - 1879

Fay Jaff

They Came To South Africa by Fay Jaff (1963) contains biographies of people who have played their part in the development of South Africa, including Thomas Baines.

Jane Carruthers & Marion Arnold

The Life And Work Of Thomas Baines by Jane Carruthers and Marion Arnold (1995) is the first comprehensive survey of the life and art of Thomas Baines. It demonstrates how a Victorian artist, conditioned by his British heritage, was influenced by the African continent in which he had travelled extensively.