The River Congo: The Discovery, Exploration and Exploitation of the World's Most Dramatic River

This is the most entertaining and at the same time interesting book I read on the exploration/exploitation of Africa. In the beginning I thought I would read a book on the river Congo, but it turned out that it was much more than that: It gives you the background to the main events since early times. So it covers the geography and the historical setting. Recommended for any vacation.

This book is one of the best history lessons of Africa I have ever had. It taught me more about Africa than I would have learned in any one semester course - from the early navigational schools of the Portugese and the inability of early sailing ships to tack and sail south, to Stanley and Livingston (whom I had always thought to be a missionary and not the explorer he is portayed as in this book) and on to Leopold's desire to carve his own little fiefdom, the Belgian Congo, which not even the Belgians wanted. For anyone wanting to educate themselves on the history of Africa this is a must read - educational, erudite, and well written.

I really enjoyed this book, which is a very well balanced compendium of history, geography and adventure. Mr. Forbath achieves a perfectly consistent presentation of a complex subject matter that conveys a lot more than just the tale of a river. Mr. Forbath wisely retraces the historical feats back to their very origin in a wider than local perspective which provides the curious reader with sound extra insights of the history of Africa after its 'discovery' by the europeans. Besides, the 'adventure & exploration' side of the book is simply compelling.So, whether you're looking for a historical introduction to Central Africa (not just Congo), or an account of its exploration by the europeans, or both at once, do read this book.Note: The edition in Spanish, which I read, was enhanced by an addendum updating Zaire's recent history since its independence to this day.