David Livingstone has gone down in history as a fearless explorer and missionary, hacking his way through the forests of Africa to bring light to the people – and also to free them from slavery. But who was he, and what was he actually like?
‘He was an extraordinary character, ‘ according to biographer Stephen Tomkins, spectacularly bad at personal relationships, at least with white people, possessed of infinite self-belief, courage, and restlessness. He was an almost total failure as a missionary, and so became an explorer and campaigner against the slave trade, hoping to save African lives and souls that way instead. He helped, however unwittingly, to set the tone and the extent of British involvement in Africa. He was a flawed but indomitable idealist.
Fascinating new evidence about Livingstone’s life and his struggles have come to light in the letters and journals he left behind, now accessible to us for the first time through spectral imaging. These form a significant addition to the source material for this excellent biography, which provides an honest and balanced account of the real man behind the Victorian icon.
Tabella dei contenuti
CONTENTS
1. The Mill 5
2. Mission 11
3. Joining Up 19
4. A New World 27
5. The Pioneer 39
6. Conflict in Mabotsa 51
7. Drought in Chonwane 61
8. Salvation in Kolobeng 69
9. Lake Ngami 75
10. Sebitwane 83
11. “Orphaning My Children” 91
12. A Long Walk 99
13. Two Oceans 105
14. National Hero 117
15. The Zambezi Expedition 129
16. Another Highway 137
17. Return to Linyanti 147
18. Freedom to the Captives 155
19. Defeat 165
20. Furlough 175
21. The Last Expedition 185
22. Misery 193
23. Ujiji to the Lualaba 201
24. Massacre 207
25. Stanley 217
26. Last Steps 225
27. The Long Run 231
Endnotes 238
Index 239
Circa l’autore
STEPHEN TOMKINS has a Ph D in Church History from London Bible College. An experienced journalist, he is a contributing editor to the Ship of Fools website. He is the author of David Livingstone, John Wesley: A Biography (Lion, 2003) and Paul and His World (Lion, 2004).
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