The story of David Livingstone's life is a thrilling one of adventure and cool courage.

He was the first white man to penetrate the mysterious interior of Africa. His life from 1840 to 1873 was a triumph of will power over adversity.

Slave traders, hostile natives, forest fires, foaming rapids, barren deserts, charging lions, ill-health, mutinous bearers—all added to the difficulties of mapping unknown lands and collecting information about African animals and plants.

Livingstone captured the imagination of the world and became a legend in his own lifetime. Even now the paths that Livingstone took through Africa are held in greater respect by the native peoples for the white man than other routes. More than any other man, he was instrumental in freeing Africa from the slave trade. 

From the Children's Press edition