Into Africa

The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone

By: Martin Dugard

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

"Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" So goes the signature introduction of New York Herald star journalist Henry Morton Stanley to renowned explorer Dr. David Livingstone, who had been missing for six years in the wilds of Africa. Into Africa ushers us into the meeting of these remarkable men. In 1866, when Livingstone journeyed into the heart of the African continent in search of the Nile's source, the land was rough, unknown to Europeans, and inhabited by man-eating tribes. The man sent to find him was an orphan and a drifter who had great ambition but little success to show for it. The book shows how, over the course of their nine-year relationship, Stanley ironically rose in power and prominence while Livingstone was relegated to isolation and danger in Africa.

©2003 Martin Dugard (P)2003 Books On Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"It is rare when a historical narrative keeps readers up late into the night....But author and adventurer Dugard...makes a suspenseful tale out of journalist Stanley's successful trek through the African interior to find and rescue a stranded Livingstone....This is a well-researched, always engrossing book." (Publishers Weekly)
"Dugard imbues the narrative with a keen sense of urgency that propels this compelling account along." (Booklist)
"An action-packed recounting of one of the most famous incidents in the history of exploration. Fine entertainment for adventure buffs, solidly researched and fluently told." (Kirkus)
"Crisp vivid language...transports the armchair adventurer from the jungle muck to the mountain peak." (Esquire)

Tough old Bastards!

Loved the history lesson and presentation. John Lee is by far my favorite reader! His oratory skills are wonderful!

Loving exploration tales

If you love true adventure, this is a great story. As you go through the audio book, I find having a map to reference helps.

Incomplete

The author does a fine job , but somehow decided once Livingston died he'd end the story. This is regrettable since Stanley was just getting going. The author makes a brief mention of Stanley's other treks in the postscript. The fact that Stanley surpassed Livingston in exploration and most of this came after the death of Livingston , makes this all the more regrettable. The Narrator is good. Could've been 5 stars had the author emulated his subjects. Unfortunately he ran out of steam.

Captivating

What the most interesting and fascinating story I’ve ever heard!
The narrator was exceptional.
Unlike what we’re led to believe today, that colonization was just evil.
Had it not been the British Dr. Livingstone and the American journalist Stanley. To write about a fascinating beauty and the brutality of the Arabs, that continent would still live in misery today.

Gripping Take

I could hardly turn off Audible when listening to this fabulously well-written historical account of the lives and adventures of these two renowned explorers. It has all the ingredients of great storytelling: big characters, immense physical and emotional challenges, the horrors of the slave trade and the homicidal economics of colonialism. What a gripping tale.

Better than I expected

I like explorer stories and this was a good one. The reader was excellent. It told a story I was not familiar with about flawed but determined men who had goals to accomplish. I learned many things about that neglected part of the world. I really enjoyed it

Fantastic!

Truly amazing story. Excellent reader. I feel like listening to it again. I had just read '"River of the Gods". The two books make great companions.

Informative and enjoyable

The reading is well done and easy to listen to. The content is expansive yet moves to the point. The candor of the facts shows the good, the bad, but mostly the humanity of the great men who undertook these explorations.

Adventure Awaits

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. What an amazing experience it must have been for these explorers.

Riveting

I suppose that it is difficult or impossible to tell the story of Stanley and Livingston and the search for the source of the Nile without making a fascinating tale, and this long listen is no exception; it lives up to the promise of earlier works on the subject such as the Blue and White Nile books by, I think, Alan Moorhead. Stanley and Livingston are both fascinating characters; I didn't realize that Stanley had fought on both sides in the American Civil War, for example. I am normally quite hesitant to give any reading five stars, but it seems cruel to give short shrift to this well read and written tale.