During his travels as a missionary, David Livingstone beheld many previously unknown wonders of the African interior. He put Victoria Falls and Lake Ngami on the map, and was the first white man to cross the African continent. Diaries, reports and letters are combined to create a wonderful narration of Livingstone's travels in a widely unknown continent. Included in this harrowing tale is Livingstone's narrow escape from a lion's wrath, his negotiations with an African chief, and his account of the Portuguese slave traders brutally punishing slaves after their attempt to escape. The Life and African Explorations of Livingstone also reveals Livingstone's deeply-rooted Christian beliefs and the strength he took from them, strength that allowed him to live and thrive amid the hardships of equatorial Africa.

'Fascinating. A compelling and intriguing volume.' Associated Press Scarcely over a hundred years ago, Africa was still the Dark Continent to Europeans-its geography and peoples largely unknown. The continent was Nature's last great fortress, made seemingly impregnable by disease, hostile tribes, dangerous animals, extremes of climate and an inhospitable terrain. However, the era of discovery eventually dawned: Africa was being opened up. Through the combination of individual endeavour and technological breakthrough, a handful of explorers began exploring and mapping Africa. Livingstone, Stanley, Burton, Speke, Baker, and others-these extraordinary characters risked their lives to uncover the mysteries of the Dark Continent. Frank McLynn proposes a thematic treatment of the subject; opening with an historical survey of the achievements and scope of the explorers, detailing the legendary search of the source of the Nile, the traversing of the Congo and Niger, and the recovery of Livingstone. The ensuing chapters deal then with different aspects of exploration over the period. The highly-praised Hearts of Darkness brings us the reality behind the myths and legends of England's first steps into the Dark Continent. Frank McLynn is a British author, biographer, historian and journalist. He is noted for critically acclaimed biographies of Napoleon Bonaparte, Robert Louis Stevenson, Carl Jung, Richard Francis Burton and Henry Morton Stanley. He is also the author of Fitzroy Maclean, Villa and Zapata and Bipolar, a novel about Roald Amundsen, published by Sharpe Books. Praise for Frank McLynn: 'A remarkable opus.' ALA Booklist 'An eye-opening safari into the history and psychobiography of Africa exploration.' Kirkus Reviews 'In sturdy, confident prose McLynn takes an intriguing tack by offering a thematic, comparative account of African exploration during the Victorian era.' Publishers Weekly 'A readable, well-written and worthwhile work.' Seattle Times 'A smoothly written account of African exploration during the Victorian era. [McLynn] presents fascinating derails on everything from the eating habits of the black mamba to the ravages of the tsetse fly on the European travellers.' Tampa Tribune and Times

Chronicles the lives and expeditions of Henry Stanley and David Livingstone as they unlocked many geographic secrets of Africa and traces the history of European colonialism on the African continent.

Text and illustrations trace the history of the exploration of Africa with emphasis on the 19th century expeditions which helped map the continent and open it to European influence and colonization.

Across Africa, funerals and events remembering the dead have become larger and even more numerous over the years. Whereas in the West death is normally a private and family affair, in Africa funerals are often the central life cycle event, unparalleled in cost and importance, for which families harness vast amounts of resources to host lavish events for multitudes of people with ramifications well beyond the event. Though officials may try to regulate them, the popularity of these events often makes such efforts fruitless, and the elites themselves spend tremendously on funerals. This volume brings together scholars who have conducted research on funerary events across sub-Saharan Africa. The contributions offer an in-depth understanding of the broad changes and underlying causes in African societies over the years, such as changes in religious beliefs, social structure, urbanization, and technological changes and health.

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