The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone - Into Africa

After reading this, one can only guess who actually wrote all those "Killing" books. However, as a book of exploration, I found it wanting in the same respect as the Marco Polo book I consumed a few years ago, and that is, the absence of maps. As long as the reader has a good atlas, he or she can follow the treks of both Livingston and Stanley, which provides relief from a monotony of the travels. The atlas enhances excitement for "reading" about the journeys, for they were long and arduous. One has to marvel at the courage of Livingston and Stanley who accepted disease ridden lands filled with threats to life at every turn: black & green mambas, puff adders, and cobras, not to mention crocodiles, lions, and hyenas, as well as malaria and sleeping sickness of the tsetse fly. I was surprised to learn that Dugard's source of the Nile was in the mountains of Burundi and not Lake Victoria as speculated by the British explorer Speke. Although Dugard believes this as the Nile's source, others are still speculating, which is quite intriguing after all this time. I'm also interested in his book on Columbus because it offers additional insight to a little reported aspect of the voyages -- being marooned on Jamaica and a remarkable tale of heroism.

I absolutely loved this book. There is so much information about Stanley and Livingstone and it is told in an entertaining way. There is a lot of detail in the day to day treks of both the journalist and the explorer. It's a good story to listen to on a drive and I found myself taking the long way to appointments so I could have a little more time with the adventure.

"Doctor Livingstone I presume" was a statement from my childhood that left the stories of two adventures unanswered. This book tells the fascinating and incredible history of Livingstone's search for the source of the Nile and Stanley 's search for the missing adventurer. Livingstone was really missing and Stanley was a rogue. This book tells their stories. It's worth a read if the dark continent stirs your interest at all.

Really enjoyed this book. It was easy to read and was a fascinating account of these two men. I of course knew little or nothing about them but felt as though I knew them when I finished. What great analysis and account of these men's characters and lives. They were both in the end so strong and courageous and committed.

...but after reading this thoroughly exciting and detailed account about both, I feel I know the story well. You'll find out why, among many other interesting tidbits, Africa was called, "The Dark Continent"...probably not what you think, or what I thought prior to the book. This is a great investigative adventure read, and I highly recommend it.

Although I like to think I'm reasonably well informed about history of the last 150 years, I found out that I am miserably deficient on the segment covered by this book. I strongly recommend it to anyone might wish to become informed on one of the major of the19th century, and some of the major players.

This is a very descriptive and well written history of African travels in the 1850 - 1860s. Narrated from many voices, the travels came to lfe and one wonders how anyone could survive what the explorers faced. Easy to read and kept me totally absorbed.

As the title proclaims the book is an "epic adventure". I had no expectation that I would enjoy the story as much as I did. It is a well researched and detailed account of a time when exploring our planet was new and exciting. The personalities had a larger than life appearance to the general population. Actually they were larger than life. It will surprise you.

"Epic adventures" is an understatement. The trials both these men underwent in the African jungles are almost unimaginable in today's world. And Martin Dugard has a gift for story-telling. This well-written, extremely readable account of Livingstone's quest for the source of the Nile and Stanley's quest to find Livingstone is drawn from both men's personal journals and diaries. And it is as gripping as it is poignant.

I love historical dramas and this seemed like it would be perfect. What a disappointment to discover that there is not one map in the entire book. I found myself looking at Google Earth while reading to figure out where all these places were.
I've read all of Dugard's "Killing" collaborations with Bill O'Reilly and I enjoy his writing. If had been looking through a hard cover book instead of the Kindle I would have looked for the map and not purchased.

Great book...All you would want to know about the Stanley and Livingstone stories. They are the greatest 19th century adventurers and quite frankly intensely crazy to have done what they accomplished. Great true story read.

I had only heard snippets of Livingstone and Stanley but never knew the whole story nor the adventure underlying the phrase "Dr. Livingstone I presume!" The story makes you imagine going on an adventure in their footsteps.

Most in my generation (over 50) grew up knowing the names Stanley and Livingstone and were familiar with the phrase "Dr Livingstone, I presume." But I never knew "the rest of the story." This is a wonderfully detailed and told story of the truth behind that famous encounter. What surprised me a bit was that if you check the details of where this encounter took place it wasn't really that deep into Africa, though I'm sure it felt to the protagonists that they couldn't gone any deeper. Highly recommend this book.

Into Africa is wonderful reading. The story itself is an astonishing tale of courage and perseverance and of the most unlikely crossing of life paths of Livingstone and Stanley. The writing is superb. If you like David McCullough, you'll enjoy Martin Dugard's book. And at the current Kindle price of $3.99, it's a literary bargain.

Fabulous book -- difficult to put down once you have started reading. Although I've read other books related to Stanley & Livingstone, this version purported the history in a personal way. I actually felt I was inside one or the other's heads.

Always been interested in exploration,especially in Africa. Great stories in this book about African exploration. But most of it boiled down to two very brave men that spent a lot of time nursing tropical diseases instead of wild, Indiana Jones adventures

Amazing historical novel about an important event involving the spirit of man and his need for discovery. The chapters were chilling with detail and the feelings and thoughts expressed were true. Wealth of information.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book! I loved the in depth description of all the variety of the animals in their cross country treks but also the many classes of bugs, beetles, ants and snakes living in the very earth they were walking on in their banks of the many rivers they had to navigate.

Like a documentary but reads like a novel. Vivid imagery and emotion taken from journal accounts. The story comes alive with several perspectives. Hard to fathom in our technological age how life was lived in the late 1800s. I'm amazed by all the life Livingstone poured out to accomplish his missionary and exploration purposes. And his heart yet remains in Africa.

I wanted to know more about "Dr. Livingston I presume" and this was a great find. It takes you into the background enough to understand how these two Englishmen came together. Good read and recommended.

Read this book and learn a lot about Livingstone's historic search for the source to the Nile. This book contains all sorts of twists and turns. Information that I did not learn about in grade school history class. Did anyone ever find the source to the Nile? Read and find out! A very interesting book.

If you get caught up in the adventure of exploration this is a book for you. It's also an in depth revelation of the hardships endured when early explorers were challenged by an unforgiving land. Dugard does justice to history and to the characters involved. Enjoy!

The expansion of Britain's empire in Africa created huge opportunities for exploration and business on this huge continent! The rush by men to find the treasures of Africa; the land, the rivers and other exploitable resources killed many and made heroes of few!

Livingstone was that strange mixture of missionary and explorer, falling in love with the land and its people but becoming obsessive in his search for the source of the Nile! He became famous at home, well liked by most of the native people of Africa but never made the definitive discovery to prove heis theory before heat, disease and isolation killed him!

Stanley, a self seeking wanderer, sometime journalist, saw his fame in the rescue of Livingstone, after Livingstone had not been heard of for several years. Where other rescue expeditions had falied, Stanley succeeded. Surviving bandits, Arab slavers and the hazards of the African bush he kept on until finding a dying Livingstone. His fame was made!

This is a tale of foolhardy men, hungry for fame and the wild place Africa was in the early days of European discovery and exploration.

No wonder it has become a classic tale! Thrilling!

Five stars are not enough! Absolutely one of the most riveting accounts of a slice of history that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Dugard places the reader right there alongside Stanley in his search through the primitive Dark Continent. Wonderful read!

This account of Stanley and Livingstone was very thorough and well-written. I felt like I was traveling with these two intrepid explorers. It enlightened me, it gripped me with the suffering these men endured for exploration, and it gave me a new appreciation of the men who explored our Africa back when so little was known about it.

You can't make this stuff up! An excellent adventure through Africa beats even the Allan Quatermain stories. The author has done his research and written an outstanding account of the Stanley-Livingstone saga. I found the book hard to put down and it held my attention to the very end.

An incredible story and beautifully written with such vividness I felt I was there with the explorers!! I love history combined with real life stories of the time period, and this adventure surpasses any I have read before. Highly recommended!

It was interesting, but had almost to much information to keep up. Was good to wrape it all up and bring it together. The page torn from the fournal was something to know. How the exporers lived under the conditions they did was remarkable.

Most of the other reviewers have already laid out the jist of the book. All I can add is WOW! At times it's hard to believe some of it but it seems to all be true. I've been reading lots of adventure books over the past few years and this is probably the best yet. If you are at all considering getting this you will not be disappointed.

Most of the other reviewers have already laid out the jist of the book. All I can add is WOW! At times it's hard to believe some of it but it seems to all be true. I've been reading lots of adventure books over the past few years and this is probably the best yet. If you are at all considering getting this you will not be disappointed.

A VERY INTERESTING AND WELL DOCUMENTED NARRATION OF TWO EXTRAORDINARY EXPLORERS WITH DIFFERENT GOALS.

A PREVIEW OF WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE UNFORTUNATE NATIVES OF A HUGE AND VERY RICH CONTINENT.

PLUS A GOOD DESCRIPTION OF THE ENGLISH VICTORIAN ERA.

I have read numerous books on adventure into jungle territories throughout the world. This is one of the absolute the best! The specific details of the pain and agony of moving forward every day is very well explained and detailed.

Very enjoyable! Well written and informative - I had forgotten the story of Stanley and Livingstone, so it was very fresh for me. Traveling in Africa in the 1800's was unbelievably difficult and the mail could take years. i highly recommend it.

Interesting storyline that gives an insight into the difficulties explorers faced. Of course different then the movie, but so enlightening. Those who choose to undertake these adventures were of a hardy breed, not sure they exist today.