History Buffs Read Into Africa for May
About the Book
With the utterance of a single line—“Doctor Livingstone, I presume?”—a
remote meeting in the heart of Africa was transformed into one of the
most famous encounters in exploration history. But the true story behind
Dr. David Livingstone and journalist Henry Morton Stanley is one that
has escaped telling. Into Africa is an extraordinarily researched
account of a thrilling adventure—defined by alarming foolishness,
intense courage, and raw human achievement.
In the mid-1860s, exploration had
reached a plateau. The seas and continents had been mapped, the globe
circumnavigated. Yet one vexing puzzle remained unsolved: what was the
source of the mighty Nile river? Aiming to settle the mystery once and
for all, Great Britain called upon its legendary explorer, Dr. David
Livingstone, who had spent years in Africa as a missionary. In March
1866, Livingstone steered a massive expedition into the heart of Africa.
In his path lay nearly impenetrable, uncharted terrain, hostile
cannibals, and deadly predators. Within weeks, the explorer had vanished
without a trace. Years passed with no word.
While debate raged in England
over whether Livingstone could be found—or rescued—from a place as
daunting as Africa, James Gordon Bennett, Jr., the brash American
newspaper tycoon, hatched a plan to capitalize on the world’s
fascination with the missing legend. He would send a young journalist,
Henry Morton Stanley, into Africa to search for Livingstone. A drifter
with great ambition, but little success to show for it, Stanley
undertook his assignment with gusto, filing reports that would one day
captivate readers and dominate the front page of the New York Herald.
Tracing the amazing journeys of
Livingstone and Stanley in alternating chapters, author Martin Dugard
captures with breathtaking immediacy the perils and challenges these men
faced. Woven into the narrative, Dugard tells an equally compelling
story of the remarkable transformation that occurred over the course of
nine years, as Stanley rose in power and prominence and Livingstone
found himself alone and in mortal danger. The first book to draw on
modern research and to explore the combination of adventure, politics,
and larger-than-life personalities involved, Into Africa is a riveting read.
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