Into Africa, Martin Dugard
Into Africa, Martin Dugard
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Into Africa
The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone

Author: Martin Dugard

Narrator: John Lee

Unabridged: 11 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/20/2002


Synopsis

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..

About The Author

Martin Dugard is the New York Times bestselling author of several books of history with more than ten million copies in print. His book Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone has been adapted into a History Channel special. His writing has appeared in many popular magazines, including EsquireOutsideSports Illustrated, and GQ. Dugard was awarded the Press Club of Dallas's Katie Award for Best Magazine Sports Story in 1997. He now lives in Southern California with his wife and three sons.JOHN LEE's highly innovative work in the fields of emotional intelligence, anger management, and emotional regression has made him an in-demand consultant, teacher, trainer, coach, and speaker. His contributions in the fields of recovery, relationships, men’s issues, spirituality, parenting, and creativity have put him in the national spotlight for over 20 years. Lee has been featured on Oprah, 20/20, Barbara Walters’ The View, CNN, PBS, and NPR. He has been interviewed by Newsweek, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and dozens of other national magazines and radio talk shows.For over 25 years, Lee has conducted private and group sessions on a variety of issues working with men, women, couples, and families. He lectures, gives workshops and trainings in cities all over the world, delivering sensitive, yet sophisticated material to audiences in a humorous and simple way everyone can understand. His lectures have been branded as “hilariously entertaining, deeply compassionate, yet filled with ‘tell it like it is!’”Lee served as a professor at the University of Texas and at the University of Alabama before becoming a writer, bestselling author, life coach, and personal consultant. He currently resides on breathtaking Lookout Mountain in Mentone, Alabama with his three happy dogs.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Paul on April 02, 2025

This can't be "history"! It was WAY too exciting! History, of course, can be endlessly fascinating. But one need not canvas very many bored students of history to find that it can also be endlessly dreary and soporific. The reason for this is quite clear. History (sadly) is for the most part presente......more

Goodreads review by Jay on November 05, 2018

This extensively researched adventure tale was an excellent story. The events took place in the late 1860's and early 1870's in Central Africa. Overcoming constant hardships and dire situations, Henry Stanley searched for the missing Dr. David Livingstone who was on a mission to locate the source of......more

Goodreads review by David on March 17, 2023

Ever Read A Book You Wish Did Not End? Dr. David Livingstone was a common man with dreams of spreading the Gospel of the Lord and discovering the 'source of the Nile River in Africa. He also wished to end the slave trade running rampant throughout the continent. His first trip to Africa brought him f......more

Goodreads review by Jenny on February 07, 2012

This book was filled with small errors of fact that shook my confidence in the author's knowledge of the period. The author talks about how Ed Fisk attempted to corner the gold market. It was Jim Fisk. And the explorer wears a "balaclava helmet" in his African camp, which is unlikely since a balacla......more


Quotes

“An action-packed recounting of one of the most famous incidents in the history of exploration. Until well into the 19th century, European geography textbooks portrayed central Africa as a vast, uncharted wasteland, almost certainly a graveyard for any outsider unwise enough to enter it. . . . In the late 1860s, [David] Livingstone and a large entourage disappeared somewhere between Zanzibar and Lake Tanganyika while poking around for the source of the Nile. Enter New York Herald correspondent Henry Morton Stanley. . . . Braving disease, difficult terrain, and all manner of deprivation, Stanley for three years [followed] Livingstone’s trail, despairing of ever finding the senior explorer. . . . Fine entertainment for adventure buffs, solidly researched and fluently told.”

—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)