"An explorer of East Africa in the era of Livingstone and Stanley, Hohnel mapped vast areas of modern-day Kenya and Tanzania. While in Africa, he was seriously injured by a charging rhinoceros and was transported back to Europe, where he recovered. He then rejoined the Austro-Hungarian Navy and rose steadily in rank until his retirement in 1909.

During this time, Hohnel was given the prestigious appointment of aide-de-camp to the aged Emperor Franz Josef, whom he served (and critically observed) at court between 1899 and 1903.".

"During the 1920s, with the encouragement of his friend William Astor Chanler, Hohnel produced a handwritten, English-language autobiography. This manuscript had been in the possession of the Chanler family for several decades, but was only recently discovered. It appears in print for the first time in this volume. The turbulent years preceding the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in 1918 are revived through Hohnel's vibrant memoir."--BOOK JACKET.