Samuel White Baker fits the stereotype of the Victorian explorer precisely: in fact, he almost certainly contributed to its development. A big-game hunter who was an excellent shot, Baker was independently wealthy from the fruits of the empire, incredibly strong, loyal to a fault, sexist, and occasionally racist. He is described on title pages of late nineteenth-century editions of his works as "Late Pasha and Major-General of the Ottoman Empire," "Gold Medalist of the Royal Geographical Society and Grande Médaille d'Or de la Société de Géographie de Paris," "Author of 'Rifle and Hound in Ceylon,' 'Albert N'yanza, Great Basin of the Nile,' 'Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia,' 'Ismailïa,' " and so forth. This list of accomplishments encapsulates Baker's political, scientific, and popular importance as well as illustrates Victorian priorities. Although he was a staunch individualist, a man...