Into Africa: The Epic Adventures Of Stanley And Livingstone

Description

In 1866 Britain's foremost explorer, Dr David Livingstone, went in search of the answer to an age-old geographical riddle: where was the source of the Nile? Livingstone set out with a large team, on a course that would lead through unmapped, seemingly impenetrable terrain into areas populated by fearsome man-eating tribes. Within weeks his expedition began to fall apart - his entourage deserted him and Livingstone vanished without trace. He would not be heard from again for two years. While debate raged in England over whether Livingstone could be found in the unmapped wilderness of the African interior, James Gordon Bennet, a brash young American newspaper tycoon, hatched a plan to capitalise on the world's fascination with the missing legend. He commissioned his star reporter, Henry Morton Stanley (born John Rowlands in Wales!), to search for Livingstone. Stanley undertook his quest with gusto, filing reports that captivated readers and dominated the front page of the New York Herald for months. Into Africa traces the journeys of Livingstone and Stanley in alternating chapters. Livingstone's is one of trials and set-backs, that finds him alone and miles from civilisation. Stanley's is an awakening to the beauty of Africa, the grandeur of the landscape and the vivid diversity of its wildlife. It is also a journey that succeeds beyond his wildest dreams, clinching his place in history with the famous enquiry: 'Dr Livingstone, I presume?'. In this, the first book to examine the extraordinary physical challenges, political intrigue and larger-than-life personalities of this legendary story, Martin Dugard has opened a fascinating window on the golden age of exploration that will appeal to everyone's sense of adventure.

Martin Dugard is the author of Farther Than Any Man- The rise and fall of Captain James Cook, Knockdown- The harrowing true account of a yacht race turned deadly, and co-author of the New York Times bestseller Survivor- The ultimate game. His writing has appeared in GQ, Sports Illustrated and Esquire. A lifelong adventurer, he completed the Raid Gauloise race and is co-holder of the Around the World speed record. He lives in California.

'Fresh and vivid...Dugard retells this great story very effectively' * Sunday Express * 'Measured and assured. His researches have unearthed considerable material and he has assembled it with care...genuinely gripping, and will appeal to anyone with an interest in the history of exploration' * Sunday Telegraph * 'Its great strength lies in taking a story you thought you knew well and telling you so many things of which you had no idea' * Daily Mail * 'It is one of the most exciting stories in the annals exploration, has one of the most extraordinary denouements, and gave rise to the wonderfully inept line, "Dr Livingstone, I presume?" Henry Morton Stanley's 1871 mission to rescue the good doctor in deepest Africa has been told dozens of times before...yet the story is good enough to withstand retelling and Martin Dugard obliges with gusto...Dugard's focus is not the search for the source of the Nile, but the characters and events that led to the famous meeting...he weaves a tight and gripping narrative...and his portrait of 19th-century Africa is vivid and convincing - you can feel the mixture of heart-stirring beauty and soul-stirring horror' * The Sunday Times * 'One cracking adventure story...will keep you turning the pages well into the night, I promise you' -- Bill Bryson