Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley & Livingstone
by Martin Dugard

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.

I read this book after reading Tim Butcher's Blood River which was about the author's journey to replicate Henry Mortan Stanley's journey to chart the Congo River in 1874-77. Into Africa does not give details of Stanley's journey on the Congo but is a very engaging telling of his journey to find Dr. David Livingstone in 1871-72. Livingstone was of course the Scottish explorer who with his travels in Africa between 1841 and 1863 shed a light on what was up to that point very uncharted territory of the "Dark Continent," In 1866, Livingstone set out to find the source of the Nile River after there was a dispute about it based on the explorations of Sir Richard Francis Burton and John Speke. Livingstone and his party disappeared somewhere between Zanzibar and Lake Tanganyika. He was reported as dead at one point but then reports came back that he was still alive in the uncharted area of central Africa.

Newspaper correspondent Henry Morton Stanley was tasked by the New York Herald to try to find Stanley. Stanley set out from Zanzibar and for three years roamed around southeastern Africa on the trail of Livingstone who was rumored to be somewhere near Lake Tanganyika. Stanley fought through disease, native warriors, and terrible terrain and was in despair of ever finding Livingstone. But his perseverance prevailed and of course he did find him on the shores of Tanganyika in the trading post of Ujiji. This resulted in the famous quote "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"

I enjoyed this narrative that really went into a lot of detail on Stanley's quest. The chapters alternate between what is happening to Livingstone and where Stanley is in trying to find him along with happenings from London and New York. This was a huge story at the time, one of the biggest during the Victorian period. I have another book on my TBR shelves that gives a more complete biography of Stanley called Dark Safari by John Bierman that I also hope to read sometime in the near future. I also have some unread books about Sir Richard Burton that I also may read soon. Blood River really piqued my interest in reading more about Africa especially its exploration in the 19th century.

Sending to rhythmbiscuit in Colorado. Selected from the NF VBB. Enjoy!

Thank you for sharing this book. I look forward to reading it.