Cambridge Library Collection - Religion
2 total works
Two lectures given by the medical missionary and explorer David Livingstone after his return to England from his travels in Africa (1841-1856) form the core of this book, which was originally published in 1858, the year when Livingstone set off on the British Zambezi expedition. The book also contains a biography, a letter from Adam Sedgwick (then Professor of Geology at Cambridge), and a thorough appendix covering the scientific results of the journey, describing the geography, mineralogy, diseases, and the language and cultural aspects of the peoples Livingstone encountered. Finally, Livingstone reports on the needs and prospects for further missionary work in Africa. Although Livingstone himself felt his calling was now to pursue purely scientific exploration, he hoped that the lectures and their subsequent publication would encourage other missionaries to continue his work of evangelisation.
This absorbing narrative by the world famous explorer and Christian missionary, David Livingstone, (1813-1873) was first published in 1857 after the President of the Royal Geographical Society asked Livingstone to give a series of public lectures on his travels in Africa. The book was a great success, but Livingstone reportedly said 'I think I would rather cross the African continent again than undertake to write another book'. Livingstone's book describes in careful detail his travels and work in parts of southern and central Africa previously unknown to Europeans. It distils the experiences and observations of sixteen years during which Livingstone bravely faced the challenges of climate, terrain and tropical disease, travelling in a small group and adopting a non-confrontational approach to the local populations. The book makes fascinating reading for anyone interested in Africa's indigenous peoples, their customs and languages, animal and plant life, geology, and mineralogy.