Books

With 44 full-page engravings, including frontispieces, plus folded maps in pockets. Original dark green pictorial covers with gilt-stamped spine; a very good copy. First American edition. Controversial and dramatically illustrated, Stanley recounts the mission to rescue Emin Pasha (Eduard Schnitzer) from his turbulent post as governor of Equatorial Sudan. Rising from obscure origins to become the famous explorer, Stanley was chosen to lead four hundred heavily armed men through the Congo and the Ituri rain forest. His troops suffered from disease and hunger, and many died on the journey, and Stanley was ultimately unsuccessful in bringing Emin back to the UK. Despite this failure, his work, In darkest Africa, became a best seller. At first Stanley was showered with awards and honorary degrees, and lectured extensively about his journey. This fame backfired, for the press began reporting accusations that the "rescue" was a front for establishing new slave routes and securing ivory. Stanley (1841-1904), born John Rowlands, was an illegitimate child raised in a Welsh workhouse. After fleeing to America, he was adopted by cotton trader Henry Hope Stanley and even fought for both the Confederate and Union armies during the Civil War. Journalism enabled him to travel across America, Turkey, and Africa, where he eventually made his name by locating the missionary and explorer David Livingstone. Most famous for his explorations of the African continent, Stanley was revered as a romantic explorer despite also being known for his cruelty and disregard of African natives.

Stanley's account of the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition, detailing the experiences and obstacles faced while navigating the Congo.