Hearts of Darkness

Book excerpt: '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