Roy Bridges

Roy Bridges is a noted historian of exploration and travel with a focus on Africa, its imperial and missionary history.He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and of the Royal Historical Society and is an Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Aberdeen. He believes exploration of Africa should be seen in the more general context of Africa's history as well as that of the societies which sent the explorers. After graduating from Keele and London Universities he taught at Makerere University. However, he spent most of his career at the University of Aberdeen where with John D. Hargreaves he helped with the development there of African studies. Between2002 to 2008 he was the President of the Hakluyt Society. He is the author of many books and research papers including studies of the missionary Johann Krapf, the explorer John Speke and has written what has been described as "the definitive account" ofthe life of Jacob Wainwright, who recorded an account of the return of David Livingstone's body to Britain. In 2018 Bridges published an account of the work and career of James Augustus Grant (a graduate of Marischal College which became part of the University of Aberdeen). This work uses Bridges' approach of emphasising the general context of Africa's history as well as that of the societies which sent the explorers. In 2001 he published an account of his now home town Newmachar, ten miles north of Aberdeen 'People and Places in Newmachar, Past and Present'.

• Bridges, Roy and Hair, Paul Edward Hedley (1996) Compassing the Vaste Globe of the Earth: Studies in the History of the Hakluyt Society, 1846-1996 (Hakluyt Society Second No. 183.)
• Bridges, Roy (1999) Imperialism, Decolonization and Africa: Studies Presented to John Hargreaves (Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies Series) Basingstoke : Macmillan
• Bridges, Roy (1997) John D. Hargreaves : an academic memoir and bibliography, Dept. of History, University of Aberdeen.
• Bridges, Roy ed (2007) Jacob Wainwright's Diary of the Transportation of Dr Livingstone's Body to the Coast, May 1873 to February 1874.in Four Travel Journals / The Americas, Antarctica and Africa / 1775-1874. Edited by Herbert K. Beals, R. J. Campbell, Ann Savours, Anita McConnell & Roy Bridges. 2007, pp. x + 404, 50 plates, 8 maps. The annotated texts of four previously unpublished travel journals, treated separately with biographical and historical introductions, bibliographies and indexes. Ashgate Pub. Limited.
• Bridges, Roy ed (2018) A Walk Across Africa: J.A. Grant's Account of the Nile Expedition of 1860-1863. Hakluyt Society Series III, Vol 32, 411 pages.
• Bridges, Roy (2001) People and Places in Newmachar, Past and Present. Parish of Newmachar Community Council ISBN 9780954070106.