The book has some interesting observation, for instance about the bantu-people who addresses the expedition by canoes to sell pigs, goats, eggs and once also a elephant’s tooth and a boy. Diseases were widespread and at most times more than half of the crew were sick.

Download the free PDF e-book here (632 pages/30 Mb):

 Narrative of an Expedition to Explore the River Zaire

When investigative reporter Nellie Bly approached her editor in 1889, he was not excited about the idea at all. But, in the end, she did travel around the world.

On her adventure, she met Jules Verne – whose story had inspired her – and many, many others. The result is this book.

The endeavor became an international story almost overnight, and Nellie, whose real name was Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, became a celebrity herself.

Her travel around the world in a record-setting 72 days is the most remembered of her feats today, but she was a pioneer in several other fields, too. For instance, Bly practically invented investigative journalism, when she lived undercover in a mental institution and uncovered horrible conditions to the public.

Around the World in Seventy-Two Days is not only a testament to the will of an extraordinary person, who became a role model for girls around the world. It is also very well written and entertaining indeed.

Download Around the World in Seventy Two Days as PDF for free here:

Nellie-bly-Around-the-World-in-Seventy-Two-Days-pdf

From the book:

“I have never found a man so generous and hospitable that he would not receive a present, nor one so liberal with his money that he would dislike a reward if he could get one. Friends should rejoice each others’ hearts with gifts of weapons and raiment, that is clear from one’s own experience. That friendship lasts longest—if there is a chance of its being a success—in which friends both give and receive gifts. A man ought to be a friend to his friend and repay gift with gift. People should meet smiles with smiles and lies with treachery.”

Download The Gift here (136 pages/6MB):

 The Gift

“As the steamer approaches Table Bay, and the mountains, which rise sheer from the sea, are seen in more detail, the scene is one to hold the attention. Foremost is Table Mountain, its summit sometimes further beautified by the familiar cloth of cloud. Surrounding ranges extend as far as the eye can see. And at the base of Table Mountain is Capetown.”

Zachariah was not the least keen of the food on the steamer back and forth from England. The book includes a typical dinner menu en-route:

He writes: “In the evenings there are concerts and dances, and the ship’s orchestra also enlivens the proceed-
ings. Travel to, and in, South Africa is no longer a hardship, it has become a pleasure.”

Download the free PDF e-book here:

 Travel in South Africa PDF

No other science book has created such a revolt in both the scientific and civil society, and even today the book is discussed, misunderstood and disputed.

The book is based on the scientific travels, observations and studies of Charles Darwin – initially on the good ship HMS Beagle – and it is recognized as the foundation of modern evolutionary biology. A reason for its popularity was that it is written for the general public and thus an early example of popular science writing. Download the book here as a free PDF-ebook (247 pages/0.5MB):

Origin of Species

He was also an adventurer by heart, who spent his youth participating in conflicts in India, Sudan, Afghanistan and South Africa. He escaped captivity from a Boer prison camp – and accounted for his many adventures in numerous articles.

Based on the wartime experiences of his youth, Churchill even suggested that it would be a pretty great idea if he could watch the first waves of the amphibious assault of D-Day from the warship HMS Belfast. The generals and admirals declined the PMs request – politely but with no room for misunderstanding what so ever..

Being a storyteller by heart, Sir Winston was also a prolific writer. He was even awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 “for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.”

Churchill authored a great many books. He genuinely enjoyed the process of writing (most of the time, at least). More importantly, however, the generous fees helped finance a lifestyle which, even at the worst of times, could never be considered anything less than stately.

Many of his books are strictly speaking quite a bit longer and more detailed than necessary. Not so with “My Early Life,” which you can read by clicking on the link below. It is relatively short and tells the story of Churchill’s childhood and youth. It also collects a lot of his most memorable experiences from The Second Boer War, Sudan and India.

My Early Life is generally considered one of Churchill’s best books – and it is undoubtedly one of his most amusing and entertaining works!

Download the free PDF e-book here:

 My Early Life – A Roving Commission

Nothing of interest is met on the Nile between Zowyeh and Benisouef,” says Wilkinson; hence, if the wind he foul, the voyager must make up his mind to a few of the dullest days of his life. The lower part of the Nile and the Delta is very like the lower part of the Rhine and the marshes of Holland. The stupid monotony of the seene is wearisome indeed! Yet, in defiance of all this, some enthusiasts declare,“ the Nile is never monotonous!

Download the Public Domain PDF e-book Up the Nile and Home again here (507 pages/17MB):

Up the Nile

It is also, however, a ground-breaking history of morality, civilization, racism, imperialism and the drive to seek out and explore blank spaces on the map.

Heart of Darkness did not only provide inspiration for Coppola’s movie Apocalypse Now but is also regularly listed as one the best novels in English from the 20. Century. Download the free PDF e-book here:

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

The book is richly illustrated and full of anecdotes. Download Van Wert’s Travels in Asia and Africa here as a free PDF e-book (314 pages/44MB):

Van Werts Travels in Asia and Africa

Travels in the Interior of Africa is the account of the explorer Mungo Park (1771-1806), a Scottish physician and doctor who dedicated his life to the mapping of Africa. During 1795 and 1796 he traveled through Gambia and Senegal and mapped the river Niger’s properties. The travel was highly dramatic and he experienced both diseases, assault, and imprisonment. Travels in the Interior of Africa was published in 1797 and the book gained popularity and was soon translated into several other languages. Mungo Park went back to Africa in 1803 when the African Association asked him to return to chart the full course of the Niger River this time. His wife, sensibly, didn’t want him to go, but the terms they offered him — five thousand pounds for expenses and a thousand pounds a year in salary – was too tempting. On that journey, Mungo Park died in a tragic drowning accident in 1806.

Download the free PDF e-book Travels in the Interior of Africa by Mungo Park here (377 pages/21MB):

Travels in the Interior of Africa by Mungo Park