David Livingstone

Horne, C. Silvester (Charles Silvester), 1865-1914Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 249K words
Chapters: 25

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.David Livingstone by C. Silvester HorneAuthor: Horne, C. Silvester (Charles Silvester), 1865-1914,Language: English, Class: DT: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Africa, Release Date: May 7, 2018

Editor's review

This book is a biography of David Livingstone by Charles Silvester Horne, a public-domain work on a historical figure. In narrative style it traces the life of the African explorer and missionary, focusing on his repeated journeys deep into the African interior, his contributions to geographical knowledge, and his stance on the slave trade. The prose bears the narrative manner of early twentieth-century biography, emphasizing character and conviction rather than exhaustive archival research. For Chinese readers it is better suited as an introductory work on Livingstone himself and the background of Victorian-era African exploration; reading it alongside a map helps build a sense of space. The electronic edition comes from Project Gutenberg, making it easy to search and carry, and it suits general readers interested in African history, missionary history, and exploration narratives, while also offering leads for further reading in more specialized historical works.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in the history of African exploration and nineteenth-century missionary activity
Students who want an outline of Livingstone's life and need an introductory biography
Readers who enjoy narrative biographies and can accept an old-fashioned English style
English learners who need public-domain English material for reading practice

Not a good fit for

Professional historians expecting rigorous scholarly annotation and up-to-date research reviews
Those seeking extensive African geographical data and contemporary field materials
Readers unaccustomed to the style of early twentieth-century English biography

Reading tips

Keep a map of Africa at hand and mark Livingstone's routes and key locations as you read.
Read the table of contents and the first and last chapters first to grasp the book's structure and the author's overall assessment of his subject.
With old-fashioned long sentences, note key points in sections before returning to the subject's motives and the historical background.
After reading, compare with other works on African exploration history to distinguish biographical narrative from documented fact.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a complete biography or an abridgment?

According to the information, it is the full electronic text of Horne's biography of Livingstone, published by Project Gutenberg. The information does not mention abridgment or alteration, but the content has not been checked chapter by chapter; readers can look at the table of contents first to confirm the completeness of the chapters.

Can I read it without a background in African history?

Yes. The book follows the subject's life as its main thread and is strongly narrative, making it suitable as an introduction. Reading it alongside a map and brief background material on the era, and checking unfamiliar place names first, can noticeably reduce the difficulty.

How is the electronic edition best read?

The public-domain electronic text is easy to search for personal and place names, and can be read and annotated on a tablet or computer. If the English is difficult, read chapter summaries first and then the details, or compare with Chinese-language material on the figure to aid understanding.

Comments

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About the author

Horne, C. Silvester (Charles Silvester), 1865-1914 Author

C. Silvester Horne (Charles Silvester Horne, 1865–1914) was an English Congregational minister and writer. Public information about him is limited, and few details of his life are available, but the two works held in this collection show that his writing focused on Christian history and church life. His book David Livingstone recounts the life and work of the well-known African missionary and explorer in a concise style aimed at general readers. A Century of Christian Service: Kensington Congregational Church, 1793–1893 traces the development of that church over a hundred years and is a typical work of church history. Both books deal with religious practice and historical narrative, written in plain, clear prose that emphasizes factual accounts; they are suitable for readers interested in nineteenth-century British religious history and the missionary movement.