Biographical Books

The Africa House by Christina Lamb
Shiwa Ngandu, the Africa House, was built by Stewart Gore-Browne, a British colonial who came to what was then Northern Rhodesia to fulfil a dream, and ended up playing a major role in the territory's peaceful transition to independence as the nation of Zambia.

Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton by Edward Rice
Richard Burton was an outstanding Victorian figure, who's achievements are described in delightful and absorbing detail in this definitive biography by Edward Rice.

Dark Safari by John Bierman
For such a great explorer there is a shortage of good material in-print. This biography by John Bierman makes an ideal companion to Stanley's own books and autobiography.

Into Africa by Martin Dugard
Even if you're familiar with the story of how the journalist Henry Morton Stanley was sent to find the 'lost' British explorer David Livingstone in the unmapped interior of Africa, you'll enjoy this retelling which reads like an adventure story, tracing the journeys of the two men in alternate chapters until they meet up.

Lost Lion of Empire by Edward Paice
Need to do something to impress the wealthy stepfather of your would-be bride? Being elected the younger-ever member of the Alpine Club and survived the Matabele War not enough? How about spending three years on a quest to be the first man to traverse the African continent from south to north? (Note that Grogan's traverse of the continent covers only some 60 pages.)

Tomorrow be Brave by Susan Travers
You'd think that we'd all know the name of the only woman ever to join the French Foreign Legion, who won medals for her heroism in the Africa Campaign during the Second World War, who had a passionate affair with the Commander of the Free French and the Foreign Legion in North Africa, General Koenig...