"Henry Morton Stanley, so the story goes, was a cruel imperialist - a bad man of Africa - who connived with King Leopold II of Belgium in horrific crimes against the people of the Congo. He also conducted the most legendary celebrity interview in history, remembered in the words 'Dr Livingstone, I presume?'" "Or so we think. But as Tim Jeal shows, none of these perceptions is quite true. The reality of Stanley's life - even by the exceptional standards of the Victorian age - is yet more extraordinary. Rejected by both parents at birth and consigned to a Welsh workhouse, he emigrated to America, fought in the Civil War - on both sides - before becoming a journalist and then an explorer." "Few people know of his dazzling trans-Africa journey, which solved virtually every one of the continent's remaining geographical puzzles. His journey down the Congo to the Atlantic is a heart-breaking epic of human endurance. It alone qualifies him as Africa's greatest explorer. Now, with unprecedented access to a previously closed family archive, Jeal shows just how misunderstood Stanley has been, both in his intimate life and his public career. In doing so, he also provides a timely re-examination of post-colonial guilt, new insights into African history, and a fresh understanding of the nature of exploration."--BOOK JACKET.