Book 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.
