In 1883, three of the masterminds of Viennese operetta collaborated on a new masterpiece; A Trip to Africa – or Die Afrikareise in the original German. They were composer Franz von Suppé and librettists Richard Genée and Moritz West. The final result was one of the best Viennese operettas of all time. The work was performed across the world for 50 years, before the advent of films and lighter musical theatre made it, and many other works belonging to the same tradition, obsolete. The last known performance was in Italy in 1922.

Using sources from all over the world, this book pieces together for the first time a complete libretto, in English, German and Italian, with the original stage directions, as well as images of some of the productions. The story is full of humour, romance and suspense, with catchy melodies in a quintessentially Viennese style.