Bruce’s Travels, as originally published, occupy five quarto volumes,
mixed up with Abyssinian history, and speculations on Egyptian
mythology. The author has contrived to compress into this little
volume the best parts of Bruce’s Life and voluminous and expensive
Travels, without omitting one incident of importance and interest. He
has vindicated the character of Bruce, by confronting the statements
of his accusers with the testimony of later travellers. The narrative
had been allowed universally to possess the interest of a romance,
from the graphic style in which he has described his adventures and
sufferings, and the strange people and countries which he visited: but
Major Head has secured for Bruce the credit of a trustworthy authority,
in addition to the reputation of an entertaining narrator.