ABSTRACT
Christian Friedrich Damberger's Travels Through the Interior of Africa was one of the best known travel hoaxes of the nineteenth century. In 1799, a fake travel book came out by an Egyptian, Zacharias Taurinius, chronicling his journey to Asia, Africa and America. In this same year, a cabinet-maker named Damberger presented himself to the publisher Martini in Leipzig. He said he was resting in Wittenberg from his long travels in Africa and offered copyright of his exceptional narrative to Martini. Not long after the publication Martini became suspicious and began to compare the narratives of Joseph Schrodter, Zacharias Taurinius and Damberger. He became so convinced they were all one person with three different names that he took Damberger to court. Damberger's Travels was an instant success. News of this extraordinary journey spread rapidly in Europe. Both Paris and London booksellers competed for rights to the translation even before it was printed in German.
