The Autobiography of Sir Henry Morton Stanley, G.C.B

In this 1909 autobiography, we learn how the troubled childhood of explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley drove him to succeed.

Henry Morton Stanley (Author), Dorothy Stanley (Edited by)

9781108031196, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 25 August 2011

612 pages, 17 b/w illus. 1 map
22.9 x 15.2 x 3.5 cm, 0.89 kg

Henry Morton Stanley (1841–1904), the Welsh-born explorer famous for his 1871 meeting with the missionary David Livingstone, published this intimate autobiography in 1909. Through his recollections we learn how his troubled early life - an impoverished childhood in a workhouse and some harrowing experiences as a young soldier - were what drove him to succeed as an explorer, and gave him the strength to deal with the sometimes vehement opposition he encountered. Although Stanley died before finishing this book, his wife Dorothy brought it to completion by compiling and editing the letters and memoirs he wrote during his travels, so that his avowed aim - to encourage impoverished young people to realise their ambitions - was met. This is the story of a man who, in the context of his own time, achieved 'greatness' against the odds, though his imperialist and allegedly racist views later caused the eclipse of his reputation.

Editor's preface
Introduction to the autobiography
Part I. Autobiography. Through the World: 1. The workhouse
2. Adrift
3. At sea
4. At work
5. I find a father
6. Adrift again
7. Soldiering
8. Shiloh
9. Prisoner of war
Part II. The Life (Continued, from Stanley's Journals, Notes, etc.): 10. Journalism
11. West and East
12. A roving commission
13. The finding of Livingstone
14. England and Coomassie
15. Through the dark continent
16. Founding the Congo State
17. The rescue of Emin: I. The relief
II. Private reflections
18. Work in review
19. Europe again
20. The happy haven
21. Politics and friends
22. In parliament
23. South Africa
24. Farewell to Parliament
25. Furze Hill
26. The close of life
27. Thoughts from note-books
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: African history [HBJH]