Redressing the balance - Rated 
Unfortunately a couple of reviewers have given this book one star based on their own prejudices rather than on the merits or otherwise of this book. So to redress this balance I give a well deserved 5 stars because quite simply this is one of the best biographies I have read for years. I have read The Scramble for Africa, and King Leopold's Ghost, and this book does nothing but add to the knowledge and understanding of this specific period of history. I think this book is remarkably well balanced, trully "warts and all", but it opens Stanley up for inspection in a vivid and detailed manner. Of course with the benefit of hindsight we can instantly pick at all of Stanley's faults, but he was of his time, a remarkable man then and would be now and if we should berate him for anything it is that he seems to be amongst the first to have mastered journalistic "spin". So he wasn't shy in emphasising his "successes" and burying the less wonderful aspects of his experiences and there are passages detailing brutality that still shock but there are more accounts of his bravery, his willingness to alleviate natives' suffering and a genuine wish to "explore" that he surely comes out ahead of the game in that regard. His was a fascinating and endlessly exciting life and this book offers a gripping account of it
Outstanding - Rated
I knew little of the history of the western colonialisation of Africa and less about Stanleys reputation prior to reading this book. Tim Jeal paints the picture of a desperatly flawed man desperate for the respect of others, and convincingly tells the tail of H M Stanleys life. Acknowledging his role in opening up the heart of Africa it highlights a man out of his depth when out of the Jungle but beyond compare when leading his expeditions through it. Buy read enjoy!
Outstanding - Rated
As a committed Afrophile I always felt perplexed by Stanley; I generally accepted the negative post-colonial view of Stanley and indeed the view of some during his lifetime. I often wondered if this man from very humble beginnings was indeed the racist monster he was often portrayed as. Tim Jeal's excellent revisionist biography of Stanley is superbly written, very well researched and well balanced. Jeal portrays a man who by the standards of his day was not racist, a man whose toughness and resolve is astounding and a man whose exploration journeys almost defy modern comprehension. Sure Stanley was not perfect and he did live in a more sanguinary time but by any standards it is clear he was not the monster he has so often been portrayed as; Stanley and many of his fellow travellers deserve this biography.
Excellent Adventure - Rated
In one of these reviews a gentleman has said the truth about Stanley should not be known in light of the tragedy of events in the Congo. That man acts as if he has read this book cover to cover. Maybe if he had as I have he would have known that his argument is way off base.
Stanley cared about the African people. He devoted his life to leading the fight against slavery and was beloved by his Wangwana followers. He died just as King Leopold's evil schemes came to light. One can call him blinded by Leopold's rank and lies but to be honest every major statesman in Europe at the time believed Leopold was a good guy and didn't know of his slave labour ideas or the way people in the Congo were being killed and mutilated.
Moreover recent history in the Congo has NOTHING to do with Stanley but again we are reminded that because it is a sad place now it is ok for Stanley's good name to be dragged through the mud. It is precisely because of such injustice that the truth must be told. He was a great man, not perfect but a good man too.
Read it for yourself and don't be put off by people with an agenda of their own. Quite how it is insensitive to rescue a good man's reputation when others suffering was not affected by him in any way is beyond me. Respect the Congo's brutal history, cry for it, but to cry is not to defame the dead who should be honored.
Read it today too, it's a great read, best book ever in my view. But then it's my current flavour of the month. Last month it was Toll's 'Six Frigates' . :)
A fascinating piece of Victorian history - Rated
I first came to Tim Jeal's writing when I read his fascinating biography of Baden-Powell. His new biography of the intrepid adventurer and explorer Henry Stanley makes BP look like a boy scout. Stanley had a shockingly bad start in life but went on to have one of the most amazingly varied lives you could imagine. Well imagine no more. Jeal, with the help of new sources in Belgium, paints an entrancing portrait and for the first time gives a reliable and intimate picture of Stanley's private life, and a very exciting description of his journeys. He also shows that Stanley has been unjustly accused of brutality, and always opposed the exploitation of Africans. It is tragic to learn how often Stanley was betrayed, but quite remarkable that through it all achieved so much with his life. It's a big book for a BIG man, just under 500 pages, thoroughly researched, balanced and a pleasurable and fascinating read. What's next?
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