"Steve Kemper’s elegant, richly rewarding biography should go a long way toward correcting [Barth's obscurity]. On one level, the book is a superb chronicle of Barth’s travels, from the harrowing heat and physical danger to the dazzling diversity of people he encountered on his path. It’s also an astute character study of a relentlessly curious scientific personality." --Kate Tuttle, Boston Globe
"Heinrich Barth belongs in the ranks of the greatest explorers of Africa. But unlike most of the others, he was less interested in imperial conquest and self-promotion than in the cultures, the peoples, the languages, and the ancient manuscripts that he found there. It's a pleasure to see a lively, readable biography of him in English at last." --Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold's Ghost and To End All Wars
"Kemper's majestic account of Barth's journey restores the reputation of an explorer who was as passionate about science as he was about rigorous travel. It's an enthralling adventure, captivatingly told." --Ziauddin Sardar, The Times of London
“Let us hope Steve Kemper’s fine study of an extraordinary personality gives Barth the wider, albeit posthumous audience, he so widely deserves.” –Justin Marozzi, The Literary Review, London
"Sometimes a book grabs you by the throat and won’t let you put it down. I recently experienced that with Steve Kemper’s A Labyrinth of Kingdoms: 10,000 Miles Through Islamic Africa. I got so wrapped up in the story that I broke my long-standing rule about traveling with hardcover books because I wanted to finish it. I read on the plane. I read whenever there was a pause in vacation activities (and sometimes when there wasn’t). I read on the train from the airport and was so engaged that I almost missed my stop.” --Pamela Toler, History in the Margins
"If you have an ounce of historical exploratory curiosity in your veins, course through this forgotten tale. Timbuktu awaits." --Robert F. Wells, Expedition News
"...an enjoyable account of Barth's great journey packed with arresting details..." --Tim Jeal, Wall Street Journal
"A Labyrinth of Kingdoms is a fascinating account both of one man's journey and of African cultures on the eve of European expansion. . . . Barth's story is equal parts adventure and scholarship. Kemper treats both with a sure hand." --Shelf Awareness
"Stories in the vein of explorer Heinrich Barth’s are seldom told outside of the summer blockbuster.” --Erin Day, Louisville.com