Folio Archives 103: Into the Dark Continent by Henry Morton Stanley 2002

Into the Dark Continent by Henry Morton Stanley 2002

“The Travels of Henry Morton Stanley” in 1874-77.

“Dr. Livingstone I presume?” must be one of the most famous phrases in the history of Africa, and this is the story of how the adopted American journalist, Henry Morton Stanley (he seemed to like his full name to be used, even though it was a pseudonym) found the famous explorer, then continued to explore further into the interior of Africa – a quite extraordinary journey.

The book is divided into two roughly equal parts, the search for Livingstone, then the exploration of the area around the great lakes of central Africa, then down the Congo River to the Atlantic, thus becoming the first to cross the continent from East to West. This is Stanley’s first-hand account of the expedition.

The journey was a dramatically difficult one, as it involved many battles with native tribes, bouts of severe illness, overcoming natural obstacles, problems with porters and supplies, and encounters with wild animals. It is a fascinating read.

The thick book has 596 pages and has a facsimile of a contemporary map of East Africa loosely inserted inside the back cover (secondary purchasers should ensure that this is present). It is edited and introduced by Frank McLynn and there are 16 pages of tipped in photographs and 18 engravings incorporated in the text that are copied from the first edition of the book. It is bound in dark grey buckram blocked on cover and spine in black and gilt with a design by David Eccles. The plain black slipcase is 26.2x18.2x5.5cm.







































Map loosely inserted into back of book




Clipping from prospectus


This book is one of the Victorian Exploration and Travel series.



The other books in this series are:-
Captain Cook's Voyages by James Cook
History of the Conquest of Mexico by William H. Prescott
London characters and crooks by Henry Mayhew
On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to al-Madinah and Meccah by Sir Richard Francis Burton
Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph by T. E. Lawrence
The Descent of Man by Charles Darwin
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals by Charles Darwin
The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes
The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia by Peter Hopkirk
The Journals of Lewis and Clark {abridged, Bergon-1989} by Meriwether Lewis
The Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman
The Quest for the Northwest Passage by Glyn Williams
The Raj: An Eye-Witness History of the British in India by Roger Hudson
The Rise and Fall of the British Empire by Lawrence James
The Source of the Nile by Richard Francis Burton
The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin
William Russell Special Correspondent of the Times by Roger Hudson

An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.

Wow. William Morris would have loved these!

>1 wcarter: Thanks for that. This was actually the series that got me into Folio books! A friend of mine has borrowed and failed to return my old paperback copy of The Great Game. I was browsing ebay for a replacement and came across the FS version, which I just had to have. The series as a whole remains probably my favourite of all Folio series in terms of overall design and feel. Just looking at it on my shelf, without even opening a page, is enough to induce the travel/exploration/wanderlust/adventure bug in me :-)

I also include Churchill's My Early Life as an honorary member of the series. In terms of design and content it certainly belongs there, though it is slightly different in size.

Thanks to this excellent review, I recently acquired a copy.

>1 wcarter: ..a facsimile of a contemporary map of East Africa..

and West Africa on the reverse face.





(My photography skills pale in comparison to the OP.)

Ok, I am now enabled on this as well, thank you 😊