Stanley, the making of an African explorer

The celebrated African explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley was one of the most fascinating of the late-Victorian adventurers. Born into poverty and illegitimacy, he survived a series of incredible adventures at sea and in the U.S., emerging as a talented journalist. His writing led to a commission to find David Livingstone, the greatest single feat in African exploration. Yet behind the public man lay a disturbed personality. As Frank McLynn’s study shows, his foundation of the Congo Free State on behalf of Leopold II of Belgium, as well as the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition were both dubious enterprises that tarnished Stanley’s reputation and revealed his complex—and often troubling—relationship with Africa.