How I Found Livingstone

Should view the glossary first, as so many words and terms are foreign. Or made-up. Otherwise, not enough about the natives and their culture as I had anticipated. Too much bragging and pandering, but still an interesting piece of history.

Difficult read due to archaic language and geography. This could be a worthwhile project to update the language and geography to modern usage. Many of the allusions used are not available in either Kindle dictionary. Only a few of the place names are recognizable. The telling of what was probably a pretty epic trek is swallowed up by a rather wordy narrative. Stanley was a newspaperman whose style of prose did not convert well to the novel. Many of the individual events related are fascinating, it is the flow of events that is bogged down in some of the endless swamps of his telling.

I had heard the famous line when Stanley met Livingstone in Africa after a long search: Doctor Livingstone, I presume? This is the true story of Stanleys search, as told by him. It was an amazing adventure - though one most of us would prefer to experience vicariously. Stanley was working for a New York newspaper when his boss told him to look for the explorer Dr. Livingstone, who had not been heard from in years and was variously thought to be dead, in danger, or avoiding contact. Stanley simply picked up and went, without hesitation, on the way following instructions to visit and write about the opening of the Suez Canal, the sights of lower and upper Egypt, Warrens excavations in Jerusalem, Persia, and India. His real challenge started when he reached Africa and had to organize an expedition to the interior. Turns out that money was useless in the interior. To pay for food and tribute to local chiefs, he had to purchase and carry large bales of cloth and strings of beads - different types and colors for the various tribes whose territories he expected to pass through. And then he had to hire many native bearers to carry these heavy loads - with extra cloth to pay for their food, too. Of course there were other difficulties - malaria, greedy local chiefs, wars, difficult terrain, floods, ... . Sit in your comfortable chair in your screened home and read all about this most challenging and uncomfortable trip. Happy reading!

Quite interesting look back in time to the adventures in Central Africa. This book is obviously a compilation of his daily journal. It was shocking how blase Stanley was to the death, starvation, lawlessness and hardships endured during his search for Livingstone. Stanley treatment and attitude toward the savages is appalling but not unusual for the times. Very interesting read.

If you enjoy history and the early days of the exploration of Africa, this book is for you!

First let me say that I dont particularly enjoy reading fiction, I like interesting & adventurous non-fiction ), but on the rare occasion that I find a book that I actually would like to learn more about, then Im in. This book is well written and a first hand account of Stanleys adventures. Its fascinating to read his thoughts about far away peoples that I assume were foreign to most at the time. The manner in which they all speak and the pomp and circumstance of the interactions between Stanley, dignitaries, noblemen, tribesman and merchants is very interesting. It rather gives the feel of an Indiana Jones movie! I am shocked how interesting this book is so far and Im only on Chapter 4! AND...I havent even gotten to the parts that Im interested in - the Congo jungle! If you like adventure tales, you should check this book out!!

I found this book very interesting. I was struck by the amazing tenacity and bravery that was shown by the party sent to find Dr Livingstone. The sheer will power of Sir Henry Stanley that made him push ahead despite he and his party facing extreme conditions and so many setbacks. Illness,attacks, thievery and nearly impassable terrain, plus food and water shortages among others, he still managed to achieved what he had set out to do. The story continues as Sir Henry Stanley greatly encouraged by his profound admiration of Dr David Livingstone whom he got to know so well, was able to play a significant role with Dr. Livingstone in further exploration.. The subsequent account of their travels and the difficulties they faced together shows the reader another side of both men and makes this book even more special.

You hear about this in school, but you dont learn a whole lot about Livingston and Stanley. The book puts a whole different light on things, and you not only learn about the finding but all the details of getting there which is really most of the story. This is a story of not just a wander through the jungle but about how they had to overcome difficulties almost insurmountable. I am glad to have found this book for kindle.

I would have given this intriguing book five stars if it had been abridged and if it werent for errors in formatting that required adjusting the fonts from chapter to chapter. Henry M. Stanley (1841-1904) was retained by George Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald to travel to Africa to determine the fate of missionary and explorer Dr. David Livingstone. This book is an autobiographical account of Stanleys expedition. It is detailed and told with 19th Century verbosity, yet still manages to retain the readers interest until the very end. It would be still more interesting the casual reader if it were abridged by 30 percent. Stanley describes the plants and animals he encounters in great detail, as well as the topography and geology. These details lend a certain authenticity to the account, but quickly become boring. However, his accounts of the trials he faced from disease, weather, swamps, insects and nefarious tribal chieftains and Arab traders brings the toils of 19th Century African travel to life. I found his accounts of the brutalities and complexities of pre-modern Africa to be intriguing and educational. Stanley is often criticized for his occasional brutality, but this book makes clear that central Africa at the time was, itself, a brutal and unforgiving place. Inured to force and intimidation, the native peoples and Arab traders were unlikely to respond to much less. Part of the evidence of this is Livingstones own experiences; Livingstone was loved by the natives, but at the same time was the victim of thievery and cowardice. Stanley managed to overcome these problems, and was (in the end) respected by his followers. His methods (in alternating kind behavior with strict punishment) might have been the only way to accomplish his goal. I often found Stanleys account brutally believable. Central Africa had been intimidated by Arab ivory and slave traders for centuries, and a complex form of interaction between the Arabs and the natives had developed. It is noteworthy that whenever Stanley entered areas in which the Arabs had not intervened, the native Africans were more friendly and, usually, more well off. Stanley happened to enter this part of the world while it was just beginning its transition to modern times, accompanied by even greater brutality and exploitation. Another complaint one hears is that Stanley used racist language and wrote in terms of racial stereo types. If one applies modern standards to 19th Century writers, one would not read very much. In fact, people such as Stanley were conforming to the standards of their time. Those who make such criticisms are conforming to our times; if born in Stanleys time they most likely would have written much as he did. I should point out that this Kindle edition is not illustrated, nor are there any maps. I happen to have books on African exploration (including accounts of Stanleys travels) that do have maps. The reader will find this edition confusing without acquiring maps before starting the book. I assume they can be Googled as well.

If you ever wondered what it was like to go on safari in Africa in the 1870s this is the book. The book is written in the elegant language that has been lost through the ages. Stanley describes his story of finding Dr. Livingston and all of the hardships that exploring darkest Africa which at the time was still like it was at the beginning of man. If you like adventure stories you will love this book.