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Timbuctoo Paperback – December 7, 2018

by Tahir Shah (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 178 ratings
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Inspired by a true story: In October 1815, an illiterate American sailor named Robert Adams was discovered roaming the streets of London, half-naked and starving. In the months that followed, high society was rocked by his tale.

At a time when the European powers were posturing for empire, there was one quest above all else, one destination to which no Christian had ever ventured and returned alive – Timbuctoo.

Regarded as a golden metropolis par excellence, an African Eldorado, fashioned from the purest gold, it was for centuries a European obsession. The British, Germans, French, and others, dispatched their most capable explorers to seek it out and to sack it. Most of them never returned.

The only nation uninterested in the mania for Timbuctoo was the fledgling United States. And so, when a young American sailor claimed to have visited the city as a guest of its king, while a white slave in Africa, it caused uproar on an unknown scale.

More shocking still was the sailor’s description of the Eldorado – as a poverty-stricken and wretched place – and the fact that he seemed blasé and uninterested at having been there at all.

Set against a backdrop of the British Regency, a time of ultimate decadence and avarice, of haves and have-nots, Robert Adams’ tale has been all but forgotten, until now.An astonishing story of survival and hardship, it’s a one touched with irony. A man who had set out to make his fame and fortune through trade, Robert Adams gained both, but by selling the tale of his journey.

Almost twenty years ago, Tahir Shah noticed an inch-thick quarto-sized book propping up a water pipe in the basement of the London Library. Pulling it out, he first set eyes on Robert Adams’ Narrative, published by John Murray in 1816.

The book became an obsession to Shah, just as Regency London was itself fixated with the golden metropolis of Timbuctoo. Packed with well-researched detail of the time, and inspired by Adams’ ordeal, Timbuctoo is a fast-past and compelling read. It’s a tale of treachery, greed, love and, above all else, of survival in the face of insurmountable odds.

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  1. Print length
    674 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    December 7, 2018
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.69 x 8.5 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1912383276
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1912383276
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Secretum Mundi
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 7, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 674 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1912383276
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1912383276
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.13 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.69 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 178 ratings

About the author

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Tahir Shah

Tahir Shah

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Tahir Shah was born in London, and raised primarily at the family’s home, Langton House, in the English countryside – where founder of the Boy Scouts, Lord Baden Powell, was also brought up.

Along with his twin and elder sisters, Tahir was continually coaxed to regard the world around him through Oriental eyes. This included being exposed from early childhood to Eastern stories, and to the back-to-front humour of the wise fool, Nasrudin.

Having studied at a leading public school, Bryanston, Tahir took a degree in International Relations, his particular interest being in African dictatorships of the mid-1980s. His research in this area led him to travel alone through a wide number of failing African states, including Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Zaire.

After university, Tahir embarked on a plethora of widespread travels through the Indian subcontinent, Latin America, and Africa, drawing them together in his first travelogue, BEYOND THE DEVIL'S TEETH. In the years that followed, he published more than a dozen works of travel. These quests – for lost cities, treasure, Indian magic, and for the secrets of the so-called Birdmen of Peru – led to what is surely one of the most extraordinary bodies of travel work ever published.

In the early 2000s, with two small children, Tahir moved his young family from an apartment in London’s East End to a supposedly haunted mansion in the middle of a Casablanca shantytown. The tale of the adventure was published in his bestselling book, THE CALIPH'S HOUSE.

In recent years, Tahir Shah has released a cornucopia of work, embracing travel, fiction, and literary criticism. He has also made documentaries for National Geographic TV and the History Channel, and published hundreds of articles in leading magazines, newspapers, and journals. His oeuvre is regarded as exceptionally original and, as an author, he is considered as a champion of the new face of publishing.

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
178 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book fascinating and well-written, with elaborate descriptions that bring the 19th-century English setting to life. They appreciate its beautiful style, readability, and value for money, with one customer noting its numerous foldout maps. The book receives positive feedback for its character development and color palette, with one review mentioning its slightly cream-colored pages.

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29 customers mention "Intrigue"29 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fascinating and an amazing adventure, with one customer noting how the plot devices are exhilarating.

"...by Westerners, his moving from London to Casablanca and restoring a historical mansion, his other activities, all accessible on his web page and..." Read more

"...a 'gentleman' to Marshalsea prison helps to work as not only fascinating fiction but also history, sociology-and with Africa thrown into the mix-..." Read more

"...Plot devices are no less exhilarating with an obvious comparison between the monstrous "King of Timbuctoo" and the mindless but equally monstrously..." Read more

"...It's a well made product physically, somewhat large print with plenty of white space on the page, a number of special map inserts, a reproduction..." Read more

17 customers mention "Readability"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and exceptional, with one customer noting it is a collector's dream.

"Exceptional in every aspect, starting with selecting the subject and then presenting it...." Read more

"...If you like adventure stories then its definitely worth a look. I was impressed by the way Shah was able to simulate early 19th...." Read more

"...It's a magnificent tome in the tradition of the exquisite limited edition subscription volumes popular in the days the work is squarely centered in...." Read more

"...a wise analyst of comparative political systems, and of course unfailingly and superbly eloquent far beyond the abilities of his aristocratic..." Read more

14 customers mention "Writing style"14 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book, describing it as superbly eloquent with elaborately detailed descriptions. One customer specifically notes the author's skill in recreating 19th century English language.

"...Shah uses his uncanny ability to make elaborately detailed descriptions, and he puts it at the service of an equally elaborate and detailed..." Read more

"...The author describes vividly, with precision and economy, what is seen...." Read more

"...of comparative political systems, and of course unfailingly and superbly eloquent far beyond the abilities of his aristocratic English hosts...." Read more

"...is an adventure that is full of facts, with layered stories and minute descriptions that are wonderful, full of life and love for truth...." Read more

5 customers mention "Style"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the style of the book, describing it as beautiful in every aspect.

"...Also, this is the limited edition, beautiful in every aspect, including many old maps, demonstrating what the most educated people thought about the..." Read more

"...It's massive size and bulk, gorgeously produced with numerous wonderful foldout maps and a gold ribbon bookmark, reminds one more of their old..." Read more

"...alpha male: he is tall, has broad shoulders, is possessed of a handsome, blonde face...." Read more

"...The book arrived and it looks so special. The foldout maps interspersed through the book add a new dimension...." Read more

5 customers mention "Value for money"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book worth its price.

"...The author describes vividly, with precision and economy, what is seen...." Read more

"...Full of love, greed, loyalty, betrayal, redemption,and so many other of the finest and the worst of human qualities and..." Read more

"...more charming, the Kindle edition is a great read, and, well, much less expensive...." Read more

"...The binding is excellent. It is worth the price. You will not be disappointed." Read more

4 customers mention "Map content"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the maps in the book, with one mentioning the numerous foldout maps and another noting the special inserts.

"...this is the limited edition, beautiful in every aspect, including many old maps, demonstrating what the most educated people thought about the world..." Read more

"...It's massive size and bulk, gorgeously produced with numerous wonderful foldout maps and a gold ribbon bookmark, reminds one more of their old..." Read more

"...large print with plenty of white space on the page, a number of special map inserts, a reproduction of an 1816 source of the story, and a password..." Read more

"...The maps are glorious...." Read more

3 customers mention "Character development"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book.

"...The characters in the book are many and diverse, from the sublime to the ridiculous, and most everything in between, marvelously..." Read more

"...This novel is old-fashioned in a sense, in that it has a real hero in the main protagonist, Robert Adams, an illiterate American sailor who sticks..." Read more

"...and interesting period piece with plenty of adventure and character development mixed in...." Read more

3 customers mention "Color palette"3 positive0 negative

Customers like the color palette of the book, with one mentioning its slightly cream color and another noting its blonde face.

"...male: he is tall, has broad shoulders, is possessed of a handsome, blonde face...." Read more

"...This is how books should be published. The paper is heavy and slightly cream colored, of a high quality. The print is easily read and properly sized...." Read more

"...His storytelling is sublime, fast, colourful and a lot of detail all nicely resolved. And $2.99!..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Steve Diput
    5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional in every aspect
    Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Exceptional in every aspect, starting with selecting the subject and then presenting it. But what is exceptional for others, I just realized, is actually to be expected from Tahir Shah, considering how remarkable his other books are; and also other aspects of his life, his travels to places rarely visited by Westerners, his moving from London to Casablanca and restoring a historical mansion, his other activities, all accessible on his web page and described in his other books.

    The same can be said about the life and writings of other members of this eminent family who have brought us so much knowledge of important things to be found in places usually unsuspected in the West because we ordinarily think that anything worth knowing must come from our own cultural area. And if we ever got anything else from other places, it was long time ago and now we are the best. Shah demonstrates aspects of cultural exchanges and synthesis.

    To be a little more specific but without giving away details which might spoil the pleasure of reading this or other of his books, let us just say that in spite of being well-traveled and a well educated in the area of social sciences, I knew very little about most things presented here not only about the old Africa but also many aspects of life in England at that time. And then there are abundant and subtle observations about human nature in general, both in weakness and strengths which we normally are blind about.

    If you want to be captivated and also to learn, also about yourself, it is the book for you.

    Also, this is the limited edition, beautiful in every aspect, including many old maps, demonstrating what the most educated people thought about the world at that time. (BTW such maps are also included in Shah's "Scorpion Soup").

    And there is a web site for this book ([...] offering - inter alia - a challenge to break the Timbuctoo Code and locate the Treasure. So far, the solution eluded me - I must be more mechanical in my thinking than I am ready to admit to myself and to change. But that looks like a life-long quest in which this book certainly assists.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • brook
    5.0 out of 5 stars passionate moral intelligence and sharp swiftian satire
    Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Tahir Shah's book is an absorbing tale that has just raised the bar for all novelists plugging away in the trenches of historical fiction. Shah has always had remarkable powers of observation;powers that he honed as an apprentice to an indian "magician"cum freemason as related in Shah's earlier book Sorceror's apprentice . Shah uses his uncanny ability to make elaborately detailed descriptions, and he puts it at the service of an equally elaborate and detailed imagination. Like a method actor, Shah is able to recreate sense memories in his audience in a hypnotic way that helps to bring the Regency era with all of its contradictions, tragedies, and hypocrisies to life. Every detail, whether it is the proper way for a hangman to make a noose, the menu at the Prince Regent's table, the smell of the hold of prison ship, or the way in which a baliff takes a 'gentleman' to Marshalsea prison helps to work as not only fascinating fiction but also history, sociology-and with Africa thrown into the mix-anthropology. If the "past is another country" then Shah has given us a gilt embossed passport to the Regency era. In addition to his skills as a craftsman, Shah brings a swiftian sense of outrage to the spectacle of human cruelty or indifference whether it is exhibited by a corpulent, daffy and murderous king in Timbuctoo or by an equally corpulent, dotty, and casually cruel Prince Regent of Great Britain. Shah's deft hand with savage satire is fully the equal of Evelyn Waugh, but unlike Waugh- and strangely enough for a man whose last name means "king"- Shah is a true democrat who judges his characters by the "content of their characters' rather than whether or not they properly know how to tie a cravat like a gentleman. It is rare to find a current writer with true moral intelligence, and I was reading the novel I was reminded of Conrad who managed to escape both Victorian humbug and "modern" nihilistic indifference. Shah instead of clinging to a cheap and cliched cynicism chooses to remain outraged at human cruelty and self absorbtion. I predict that one day this novel will be recognized as a classic. As an american, I would also add that the novel is virually a love letter to America which is rare indeed in today's world.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • B. Kelly
    4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual and gripping story
    Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Read the kindle version of this book.

    I enjoyed this book a lot. If you like adventure stories then its definitely worth a look.

    I was impressed by the way Shah was able to simulate early 19th. century English in a way which still makes it readable.

    His ability to describe almost unbearable scenes of cruelty whilst maintaining a peculiar sort of detachment continues to puzzle me (I've read his other travel books and they also have that particular attitude to suffering).

    I wonder where that comes from and whether he really feels like this...
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • A. Merika
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ein Geschenk - a lavish present
    Reviewed in Germany on July 27, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    One can never have enough dreams. Some come true, some stay with us as a
    vision, but all make life more enjoyable and worthwhile.
    In this world of rapid motion, acceleration and concentration on speed
    and faster and faster communication, an anchor like a beautiful work
    of art becomes even more significant and meaningful, a haven of rest and calm.
    Tahir Shah's book Timbuctoo is a double-treat. For taking in the fascinating
    story without a long wait, the very affordable E-book certainly serves its
    purpose.
    For sheer pleasure and joy to behold we now have the tanned
    leather-bound edition of "Timbuctoo". The design is by graphic designer
    Rachana Shah ([...]), with incredible
    attention to detail. A literary treasure to behold indeed, the book is
    richly endowed to arouse one's visual and haptic senses. It is the perfect
    gift to a friend who appreciates fine arts, a glass of excellent wine, an
    enriching conversation - and precious hand-crafted special editions of
    literature.
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  • Ornella
    5.0 out of 5 stars Coinvolgente
    Reviewed in Italy on August 25, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Timbuctoo di Tahir Shah ha il sapore di un viaggio iniziatico: quello di Robert Adams che, allontanato suo malgrado dalla propria casa, dalla patria e soprattutto dal grande amore della sua vita, affronta innumerevoli peripezie con in cuore la costante speranza del “ritorno”.
    Sembra un'odissea e il libro inizia facendoci incontrare nella Londra dell'Ottocento, il protagonista Robert Adams, un Americano, malconcio e disorientato in una terra straniera e nemica.
    Accolto e rifocillato da un benefattore, Robert Adams si ritroverà, un po' come Ulisse, a narrare le dolorose avventure che lo hanno condotto fin lì.
    La Royal African Committee è piuttosto interessata ai racconti dell'uomo in quanto egli sostiene di essere stato a Timbuctù, meta agognata da molti avidi europei a causa della leggenda che voleva questa città coperta d'oro e stracolma di incommensurabili ricchezze pronte per essere saccheggiate.
    Adams, allettato dalla promessa di aiuto per poter tornare a casa in America, si vedrà costretto a raccontare le sue peregrinazioni: il naufragio della sua nave, la perdita dei compagni, l'attraversamento di luoghi ostili e pericolosi in mezzo a tribù di assassini senza scrupoli. L'unico suo conforto in tanto orrore sarà il pensiero costante rivolto alla moglie tanto amata. A lei Adams si riunisce nei momenti difficili annusando e baciando il fazzoletto che ha portato con sé e che pur divenendo sempre più sudicio e logoro non mancherà fino alla fine di svolgere la sua funzione di collegamento.
    Purtroppo la descrizione di città di Timbuctù sarà deludente per gli Inglesi in quanto l'Americano racconterà di una città polverosa, niente affatto coperta d'oro e per di più governata da un re prepotente e sanguinario.
    Anche a Londra la vita di Robert Adams sarà piuttosto complicata. I “civili” Inglesi si riveleranno non meno crudeli e senza scrupoli degli Africani. L'uomo si dovrà nuovamente confrontare con i pericoli e la morte, nonché con la cupidigia, la slealtà, la corruzione e i tradimenti di un'umanità tragica e spesso grottesca.
    Direi dunque che è un libro affascinante e coinvolgente in cui si può trovare davvero di tutto: il giallo, il grande affresco storico, il romanzo gotico, l'avventura, la spiritualità e l'amore. Da leggere senz'altro.
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  • pierre jouin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Un conteur charmant:plein de verve qui se rit bien de la nature humaine.
    Reviewed in France on April 2, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Comment on attire des capitaux en inventant un pays merveilleux.
    L'"or " de TImbuctoo : le marché aux esclaves.
    Est-ce une histoire inventée ou bien Tahir Shah est-il parti d'un ancien document relatant un histoire vécue?
    Accessible sur tablette meme à ceux qui ne maitrisent pas l'anlais très bien: Le dictionnaire est tout proche sur une tablette.
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  • PaulW
    5.0 out of 5 stars Timbuctoo
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 25, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Timbuctoo
    It must be said straight off that Tahir Shah's new, and self published, book Timbuctoo is a triumph of design.Congratulations Rachana. With it's gold title lettering,sumptious marbled end papers,silk bookmark and large fold out maps, it's in the style of a 19 Century travel book,indeed, it's very like the original Narrative of Robert Adams on which it is based.
    Whilst the usual Shah energy, the ability to tell a tale, the gallery of fascinating and sometimes grotesque characters are all here this is a very different book from his previous ones. Here he has put Robert Adams, the first westerner to see Timbuctoo and live to tell the tale firmly in the forefront. Adams was found in 1815, half-starved and penniless on the streets of London.His descriptions of Timbuctoo, where he had been taken as a slave following a shipwreck, were nothing like the fantastic beliefs held in London and European society of the time. They believed Timbuctoo to be made entirely of gold and were in a desperate race between nations to reach there and claim it for their country.
    The ensuing attempts to supress and discredit Adams are what holds Shah's tale together.Adams was American and thus less than popular at that time in England.According to some reports his mother was a `mulatto' and he was illiterate .Therefore what hope could he have of putting forward his story against the rich and powerful ,not to mention greedy and corrupt,powers of the day.As Shah says in the foreward,this is a tale looking at the enthusiasms and pre-occupations of the Regency era and is only very loosely based on Adams true story.He has `massaged facts and fictions into place,re-conjuring history'.
    It is set in 1815, a few years after England lost America, fewer after the first Abolition of Slavery Act was passed but Wellington had just defeated Bonaparte at Waterloo and an extravagant,self indulgent and self absorbed Prince Regent was on the throne. The Regent was passionate in his pursuit of exotica as well as of food,wine,portraits of himself and women.Other great characters and themes are present.Byron, Beau Brummell, Lady Caroline Lamb, Joseph Banks, intriques against the throne,hangmen, showmen, slavery, excess, poverty, corruption, violence and love all make their appearance. There's no great examination of these themes, even of Adams' invented great love back in Hudson but it becomes clearer that there are parallels between this glittering age and the view of Africans as `barbarous'. In England at the time slavery was still being hotly defended by many and fortunes were still to be made from it.There were public viewings at Bedlam, public hangings, public dissection of corpses, all offered as entertainment.
    What Shah has done is to capture the rambunctious Regency spirit.It was a time of huge extravagance , when appearance,absurdity,fiction and reality were all forged together in the heat of Regency profligacy and Shah has written and invented a tale to match. There's also a hidden treasure within the book, see if you can solve it.If you do you can dig up a fabulous gilded African head, there's one hidden on each continent.
    If this book leads anyone to look at Adams' story,slavery, the Regency period or anything else that gallops across these pages,then good for you.There's a wealth of extra stuff on the Timbuctoo website. Otherwise, sit back, hang on and enjoy the ride.
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  • ShonUK
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars for Good Reason
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 21, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Tahir Shah's `Timbuctoo' is one of the most wonderful, engaging, descriptive and informative tales I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
    Based on truth, and impeccably researched, it is the story of a bedraggled sailor found close to death on the snowy streets of London in December 1815. Robert Adams, an American, is invited to narrate his tale in front of an open audience, and soon all of high society is clamouring to hear how he once came to be the guest of the King of Timbuctoo.
    His story comes at an auspicious time, as many wealthy investors are currently supporting an expedition to the fabled golden city, with the overriding obsession of being the first white Christians to enter, conquer and sack Timbuctoo.
    Robert Adams thus faces even more peril in London from those who try to discredit him, not least for being American, but for claiming to reach the unreachable myth before the English.
    While the reader is regaled, along with the landed gentry, with stories of his survival in the desert, we are also introduced to the London of the times.
    (Mad) King George III is locked away in Windsor Castle, the Prince Regent is flamboyant and frivolous as he uses the Privy Purse for his eccentric tastes, Lord Byron and Jane Austen are acclaimed writers, Stephenson has just invented the steam engine.
    Banks, prisons, the Tower, the docks, the Thames, duels and executions, taxidermy and gastronomy, aeronautics and botany, love and faith, deceit and scandal, not to mention surviving slavery under the desert's searing sun, all come vividly to life in this fascinating fictional, historical account of one man's journey to Timbuctoo and back.

    `Timbuctoo' deserves every point of its five star rating. The style, writing, editing, formatting and research are meticulous. I recommend this book to all avid readers of historical fiction - in fact, to all readers looking for a jolly good well-written story!
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