Through the Dark Continent: Volume 1

In 1874, Henry Morton Stanley set out on an expedition into the heart of Africa.

For the next three years, he penetrated more deeply into the continent than any of his daring predecessors and aimed to set at rest certain problems which had long confused geographers about the African interior.

In this remarkable journey Stanley along with his team travelled through regions hitherto unexplored by Europeans, found friendship and conflict with African kings, survived through some of the most inhospitable climates and withstood vicious diseases.

It is a remarkable account of late nineteenth century exploration, undertaken shortly before the advent of the ‘Scramble for Africa.’

Beginning in Zanzibar, Stanley explored and mapped the vast landscape of Central Africa, locating the source of the Nile, circumnavigated Lake Victoria and travelled down the Congo river, meeting many fascinating and wealthy kings.

The Spectator stated that readers should particularly enjoy “his glowing descriptions of the scenery and vegetation of some parts of his route, and especially of the grand country round the Great Lake; his portrait of the kopi, of Uganda, who is a remarkable study, and his account of the beautifully constructed dwellings and implements of the people.”

Through the Dark Continent is essential reading for anyone interested in nineteenth century Africa and the European explorers who travelled through it.

Sir Henry Morton Stanley was a Welsh-American nineteenth century explorer and writer. He famously found David Livingstone in the heart of Africa and stated, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” He was knighted in 1899 and died five years later. This book was published in 1878.