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Malala Yousafzai (She Dared)
by Jenni L. WalshMalala Yousafzai always knew she wanted to become a doctor someday. But a new extremist group in her home country of Pakistan wanted to stop girls from going to school.Malala knew what was important, and so she spoke out. Even after she was attacked on a bus for her views, she persisted.Learn about Malala's incredible recovery and her journey to becoming a world-famous advocate of girls' rights and education -- and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize winner.Meet Malala. Get inspired.
Malala Yousafzai (First Names)
by Lisa WilliamsonMeet the young activist who stood up for her rights—and changed millions of lives Before Malala Yousafzai (b. 1997) became the youngest Nobel Prize laureate, she was a girl fighting for her education in Pakistan. Growing up, Malala’s father encouraged her to be politically active and speak out about her educational rights. When she did, she was shot by a member of the Taliban and the story received worldwide media coverage. Protests and petitions from around the world helped to pass an educational-rights bill in Pakistan, and Malala used this platform to continue her activism and fight for women’s rights. Inspiring and moving, Malala Yousafzai tells the story of one girl’s bravery in her fight for equal rights. It includes a timeline, bibliography, glossary, and index.
Malaria: How A Parasite Changed History (Infected! Ser.)
by Jeanne Marie FordMalaria is spread by infected mosquitoes. Millions of people are infected by malaria each year. Read this book to learn more about the history of this infectious disease.
Malaysian Children's Favorite Stories
by Martin Loh Kay LyonsRetold for an international audience, the beautifully illustrated legends in this book will give children in other countries an insight into both the traditional culture and the environment of Malaysia. The country's rich tropical scenery provides the perfect backdrop for these tales, many of which incorporate the indigenous plant and animal life into their story lines. Though the book is aimed at children in the five to twelve age group, readers young and old will find much to love within its pages.
Malcolm X (Scholastic Focus): By Any Means Necessary
by Walter Dean MyersAs a 14-year-old he was Malcolm Little, the president of his class and a top student. At 16 he was hustling tips at a Boston nightclub. In Harlem he was known as Detroit Red, a slick street operator. At 19 he was back in Boston, leading a gang of burglars. At 20 he was in prison.It was in prison that Malcolm Little started the journey that would lead him to adopt the name Malcolm X, and there he developed his beliefs about what being black means in America: beliefs that shook America then, and still shake America today.Few men in American history are as controversial or compelling as Malcolm X. In this Coretta Scott King Honor Book, Walter Dean Myers, winner of a Newbery Honor and four-time Coretta Scott King Award winner, portrays Malcolm X as prophet, dealer, convict, troublemaker, revolutionary, and voice of black militancy.
Maldoror (Les Chants de Maldoror)
by Guy Wernham Conte De LautreamontThis macabre but beautiful work, Les Chants de Maldoror, has achieved a considerable reputation as one of the earliest and most extraordinary examples of Surrealist writing. Maldoror is a long narrative prose poem which celebrates the principle of Evil in an elaborate style and with a passion akin to religions fanaticism. The French poet-critic Georges Hugnet has written of Lautréamont: "He terrifies, stupefies, strikes dumb. He could look squarely at that which others had merely given a passing glance." When first published in 1868-69, Maldoror went almost unnoticed. But in the 1890s the book was rediscovered and hailed as a work of genius by such eminent writers as Huysmans, Léon Block, Maeterlinck, and Rémy de Gourmont. Later still, Lautréamont was to be canonized as one of their principal "ancestors" by the Paris surrealists. This edition, translated by Guy Wernham, includes also a long introduction to a never-written, or now lost, volume of poetry. Thus, except for a few letters, it gives all the surviving literary work of Lautréamont.
Maleficent
by Scott A. Piehl Disney Book Group Staff Elizabeth Hessler Elizabeth RudnickA deluxe novelization of the Walt Disney Studios film Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie. This visually dazzling live action film explores the origins of one of the most iconic Disney villains: Maleficent, the infamous fairy who curses Princess Aurora in Disney's animated classic Sleeping Beauty. This "origin" story is told from Maleficent's perspective, intersecting with the classic in both familiar and unexpected ways. The movie stars Academy Award-winning actress Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, and is directed by two-time Oscar-winning production designer Robert Stromberg (Avatar, Alice in Wonderland). The film co-stars Elle Fanning (Super 8) as the Princess Aurora, and features Sharlto Copley (District 9), Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), and Juno Temple (Atonement).
Malice
by Chris Wooding Dan ChernettFrom the amazing imagination of Chris Wooding, a heartstopping mix of thriller and graphic novel. Three kids get trapped in the world of a deadly comic book in this middle-grade thriller from Chris Wooding.
The Mall
by Richie Tankersley CusickThere&’s a stalker on the loose at the mall—and there&’s no safe place to hide Working at the mall is supposed to be fun. Trish&’s job at Muffin-Mania is hardly intellectually challenging and her boss is a piece of work, but it&’s worth it to have a job in the same building as her two best friends, the Hanson twins. And the hot guys who hang out there are an added bonus. But something isn&’t right about this mall. It&’s the oldest mall in the state, remodeled over a dozen times without rhyme or reason, and there are many strange nooks and secret passages behind the bright gleaming storefronts. Someone has been stealing housewares, furniture, and food, and now a mysterious man with ash-gray hair and a whisper-soft voice has started harassing Trish on the phone. He knows her secrets, and he has dark plans for her. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Richie Tankersley Cusick including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author&’s personal collection.
Mallory and the Mystery Diary: Mallory and the Mystery Diary (The Baby-Sitters Club #29)
by Ann M. MartinA locked trunk and a secret diary lead Mallory and the Baby-Sitters into a big mystery in this entry in the classic hit series.Mallory and Claudia are helping Stacey unpack from her move back to Stoneybrook when they find an antique trunk in the McGill’s attic. Stacey doesn’t want the dusty thing, so she gives the trunk to Mallory . . . who finds an old diary at the bottom of it.The diary belonged to Sophie, a girl who lived in Stacey’s house in the 1890s. As Mallory reads deep into Sophie’s diary, she discovers a mystery on their hands to solve, because Stacey’s house isn’t big enough for her, her mom . . . and a family of ghosts!The best friends you’ll ever have—with classic BSC covers and a letter from Ann M. Martin!
The Mallow Marsh Monster (The\goolz Next Door Ser.)
by Gary GhislainIn this second book in the comic-horror The Goolz Next Door series, twelve-year-old Harold and his quirky neighbors contend with a legendary monster that lives in the nearby Mallow Marsh.Immediately picking up where A Bad Night for Bullies left off, Harold is now an official member of the Goolz team, comprised of eccentric horror author Frank Goolz and his daughters Suzie and Ilona (who is also Harold's kinda-sorta girlfriend). A set of twins has come to the Goolz for help in finding their missing mother, whom they believe has been taken by the monster rumored to live in the Mallow Marsh. When the (very real) monster bites Harold, his bizarre symptoms cause him to fear he is transforming into a monster himself. Then Suzie is taken, and it's up to Harold and Ilona to save her, prevent the formation of future marsh monsters, and stop Harold's own frightening transformation.
Mama Lion Wins the Race
by Jon J MuthStart your engines: the race is on! And Mama Lion and Tigey are off -- with their cool goggles and snazzy sports car! Racing teams gather from far and wide for this madcap race. But who will win the trophy cup? Will it be the playful Flying Pandinis? The mischievous Knitted Monkey Crew? Or will Mama Lion and Tigey speed past the finish line in first place? As Tigey says, "winning is winning," but sometimes the journey itself -- filled with ineffable moments of mystery, beauty, and joy -- is even more fun than getting the prize. With cars inspired by the early days of Italian motor-racing and characters based on his children's beloved toy animals, Jon J Muth has created a uniquely spellbinding book young readers will return to again and again.
Mammoth! (Repeating History #3)
by Dakota ChaseRepeating History: Book ThreeTo replace another of the artifacts they accidentally destroyed, Grant and Ash must travel further back in time than ever before—ten thousand years, to Paleolithic Virginia Beach. They quickly realize that in this time, food doesn’t come from a supermarket, and if they want to survive, they’ll need to learn skills like hunting and fire-making. Merlin’s magic won’t return them to their time until they locate a mammoth talisman, but this time, they’ll need to do more than find the object. They’ll have to earn it—along with their manhood names—in a dangerous hunt. And before their latest adventure ends, they’ll have to help an injured young man and convince two rival tribes to work together. It might be a different environment, but they soon see that human hatred and fear are universal. Luckily, so are love and compassion.
The Mammoth Book Of Everest: From the first attempts to today, 40 first-hand accounts
by Jon E. LewisThis selection of the very best writing on Everest begins with the first attempts and continues, via Mallory's failed bid and Hillary and Tenzing's triumph, to the disasters of recent years. It features 35 white-knuckle accounts of climbing on the world's highest mountain, with all the tragedy and triumph of humankind's striving for the top of the world, by those who know the 'Death Zone' best - the climbers themselves. But this is much more than just the best of exhilarating first-hand accounts of climbing on Everest. It includes the full history of the conquest of Everest, and provides an evocative portrait of the cruel, natural beauty of Chomolungma, 'The Mother Goddess of the World'.
The Mammoth Book of Great British Humour (The Mammoth Bks.)
by Michael PowellA doorstopper of a collection of the very best of both contemporary and classic British wit and humour. From Monty Python's 'Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more . . .' to Dan Antopolski's 'Hedgehogs. Why can't they just share the hedge?'. From George Bernard Shaw to Michael McIntyre, from Eric Morecombe to Omid Djalili, and from Oscar Wilde to Jimmy Carr, a side-splitting look at Britain, the British and life in general. Including these gems from Britain's finest comedians:I was delighted to learn that my friend's schadenfreude was not as satisfying as mine. Armando Iannucci.I went on a girls' night out recently. The invitation said 'dress to kill'. I went as Rose West. Zoe LyonsFor a while I was the perfect mother. Then the Pethidine wore off. Jenny Eclair.My girlfriend was complaining last night that I never listen to her. Or something like that. Jack Dee.Why do dogs always race to the door when the doorbell rings because it's hardly ever for them? Harry Hill.Arse-gravy of the very worst kind. Stephen Fry on The Da Vinci Code.You have to come up with this shit every year. Last week I just wrote "I still love you, see last year's card for full details." Michael McIntyre on Valentines Day.I went to the doctor and he said, 'You've got hypochondria.' I said, 'Not that as well!'Tim Vine.I have the body of an eighteen year old. I keep it in the fridge. Spike Milligan.When someone close to you dies, move seats. Peter Kay.My neighbour asked if he could use my lawnmower and I told him of course he could, so long as he didn't take it out of my garden. Eric Morecambe.My dad's dying wish was to have his family around him. I can't help thinking he would have been better off with more oxygen. Jimmy Carr.Eighty-two point six per cent of statistics are made up on the spot. Vic Reeves.A bird in the hand invariably shits on your wrist. Billy Connolly.Getting divorced isn't like a bereavement at all, because if he's died, I'd have had me mortgage paid, and I could've danced on his grave. Sarah Millican.My greatest hero is Nelson Mandela: incarcerated for 25 years, he was released in 1990, he's been out about 18 years now and he hasn't re-offended. Ricky Gervais.If you want to confuse a girl, buy her a pair of chocolate shoes. Milton Jones.Phil Collins is losing his hearing, making him the luckiest man at a Phil Collins Concert. Simon Amstell.We'll continue our investigation into the political beliefs of nudists. We've already noticed a definite swing to the left. Ronnie Barker.A guy walks into the psychiatrist wearing only Clingfilm for shorts. The psychiatrist says, "Well, I can clearly see your nuts. Tommy Cooper
The Mammoth Book of Prison Breaks
by Paul SimpsonTrue stories of prison breaks including those of Frank Abagnale, whose story is told in Catch Me If You Can; Henri Charrière who claimed to have escaped from the supposedly inescapable Devil's Island - the true story as opposed to his questionable memoir, Papillon; Bud Day, said to be the only US serviceman ever to have escaped to South Vietnam; the six prisoners who escaped from Death Row in Mecklenburg Correctional Center; and Pascal Payeret, the French armed robber who escaped not once, but twice from French prisons with the help of a helicopter.
The Mammoth Book of Really Silly Jokes: Humour for the whole family (The Mammoth Bks.)
by Geoff TibballsThe biggest and best collection of jokes for all the family to enjoy. 8,000 rib-ticklers, covering every subject under the sun from Aardvarks to Zombies, including chicken jokes, doctor-doctor jokes, elephant jokes, horror jokes, knock-knock jokes, excruciating puns, riddles, school jokes, sports jokes and waiter jokes. Most of the jokes are sharp one-liners but there is also a scattering of slightly longer stories.
The Mammoth Book of Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll
by Jim DriverOver 60 gripping accounts tracking the dark side of rock 'n' roll from the early days of the drugs-and-drink culture, and the birth of rock 'n' roll, through The Beatles, Stones, Sex Pistols, Madonna, Kurt Cobain and Oasis, to Amy Winehouse, Pete Doherty and other stars of the current rock-music scene.From trashed hotel rooms to cars in swimming pools, all rock 'n' roll's excesses are here, including murder and sexual deviancy, surprising brushes with the law that the stars thought they'd kept quiet, early and tragic deaths, drug overdoses, robbery, mis-marriages and groupies by the truckload
The Mammoth Book of Superstition: From Rabbits' Feet to Friday the 13th
by Roy BaintonRather than providing a dictionary of superstitions, of which there are already numerous excellent, exhaustive and, in many cases, academic works which list superstitions from A to Z, Bainton gives us an entertaining flight over the terrain, landing from time to time in more thought-provoking areas. He offers an overview of humanity's often illogical and irrational persistence in seeking good luck and avoiding misfortune. While Steve Roud's two excellent books - The Penguin Dictionary of Superstitions and his Pocket Guide - and Philippa Waring's 1970 Dictionary concentrate on the British Isles, Bainton casts his net much wider. There are many origins which warrant the full back story, such as Friday the thirteenth and the Knights Templar, or the demonisation of the domestic cat resulting in 'cat holocausts' throughout Europe led by the Popes and the Inquisition. The whole is presented as a comprehensive, entertaining narrative flow, though it is, of course, a book that could be dipped into, and includes a thorough bibliography. Schoenberg, who developed the twelve-tone technique in music, was a notorious triskaidekaphobe. When the title of his opera Moses und Aaron resulted in a title with thirteen letters, he renamed it Moses und Aron. He believed he would die in his seventy-sixth year (7 + 6 = 13) and he was correct; he also died on Friday the thirteenth at thirteen minutes before midnight.As Sigmund Freud wrote, 'Superstition is in large part the expectation of trouble; and a person who has harboured frequent evil wishes against others, but has been brought up to be good and has therefore repressed such wishes into the unconscious, will be especially ready to expect punishment for his unconscious wickedness in the form of trouble threatening him from without.'
The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games: New edn
by Graham Burgess John Nunn John EmmsThe 125 greatest chess games of all time, selected, analysed, re-evaluated and explained by a team of British experts and illustrated with over 1,000 chess diagrams. Join the authors in studying these games, the cream of two centuries of international chess, and develop your own chess-playing skills - whatever your current standard. Instructive points at the end of each game highlight the lessons to be learned.First published in 1998, a second edition of The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games in 2004 included an additional 12 games. This edition includes a further 13 games as well as some significant revisions to the analysis and information regarding other games in earlier editions of the book, facilitated by the use of a variety of chess software.
The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games: New edn
by Wesley So Michael Adams Graham Burgess John Nunn John EmmsImprove your chess by studying the greatest games of all time, from Adolf Anderssen's 'Immortal Game' to Magnus Carlsen's world championship victories, and featuring a foreword by five-times World Champion Vishy Anand.This book is written by an all-star team of authors. Wesley So is the reigning Fischer Random World Champion, the 2017 US Champion and the winner of the 2016 Grand Chess Tour. Michael Adams has been the top British player for the last quarter of a century and was a finalist in the 2004 FIDE World Championship. Graham Burgess is the author of thirty books, a former champion of the Danish region of Funen, and holds the world record for marathon blitz chess playing. John Nunn is a three-time winner of both the World Solving Championship and the British Chess Federation Book of the Year Award. John Emms is an experienced chess coach and writer, who finished equal first in the 1997 British Championship and was chess columnist of the Young Telegraph.The 145 greatest chess games of all time, selected, analysed, re-evaluated and explained by a team of British and American experts and illustrated with over 1,100 chess diagrams. Join the authors in studying these games, the cream of two centuries of international chess, and develop your own chess-playing skills - whatever your current standard. Instructive points at the end of each game highlight the lessons to be learned.First published in 1998, a second edition of The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games in 2004 included an additional twelve games. Another new edition in 2010 included a further thirteen games as well as some significant revisions to the analysis and information regarding other games in earlier editions of the book, facilitated by the use of a variety of chess software. This 2021 edition, further updated and expanded, now includes 145 games.The authors have made full use of the new generation of chess analysis engines that apply neural-network based AI.
The Mammoth Book of Travel in Dangerous Places: Arabia
by John KeayEscape from Riyadh - William Gifford PalgraveA scholar and a solider, a Jesuit and a Jew, a French spy and a British ambassador- Palgrave was a man of contradictions, all of them highly compromised when in 1862-3, fortified by Pius IX's blessing and Napoleon III's cash, he attempted the first west- east crossing of the Arabian peninsular. To steely nerves and a genius for disguise he owed his eventual success; but not before both were sorely tested when, as a Syrian doctor, he became the first European to enter Riyadh. The desert capital of the fanatical Wahabis, dangerous for an infidel at the best of times, was then doubly so as the sons of the ageing King Feisal intrigued for power.Desert Days - Charles Montagu DoughtyDuring two years (1875-7) wandering in Central Arabia Doughty broke little new ground; dependant on desert charity, his achievement was simply to have survived. Yet his book, Arabia Deserta, was instantly recognized as a classic. Its eccentric prose proves well suited to that minute observation and experience of Bedouin life which was Doughty's main contribution to exploration. T.E. Lawrence called it "a bible of a kind"; both syntax and subject matter have biblical resonances, as in this description of a day's march, or rahla.
The Mammoth Book of Travel in Dangerous Places: Central and South Asia
by John KeayAlarms amongst the Uzbeks - Alexander BurnesOf all the "forbidden" cities (Timbuktu, Mecca, Lhasa, Riyadh and so on) none enjoyed a more fearsome reputation that Bukhara in Uzbekistan. The first British Indian expedition, that of William Moorcroft in 1819-26, had never returned. Moorcroft's disappearance, like that of Livingstone or Franklin, posed a challenge in itself and preyed on the minds of his immediate successors. Heavily disguised and in an atmosphere of intense intrigue, Burnes and Dr James Gerard crossed the Afghan Hindu Kush in 1832 and approached the scenes of Moorcroft's discomfiture. They would both return; and "Bukhara Burnes" would become the most renowned explorer of his day.On the Roof of the World - John WoodIn 1937 Alexander Burnes returned to Afghanistan on an official mission. Amongst his subordinates was a ship's lieutenant who, having surveyed the navigational potential of the river Indus, took off on a mid-winter excursion into the unknown Pamirs between China and Turkestan. Improbably, therefore, it was John Wood, a naval officer and the most unassuming of explorers, who became the first to climb into the hospitable mountain heartland of Central Asia and the first to follow to its source the great river Oxus (or Amu Darya.)Exploring Angkhor - Henri MouhotBorn in France, Mouhot spent most of his career in Russia as a teacher and then in the Channel Islands. A philologist by training, he also took up natual history and it was with the support of the Royal Zoological Society that in 1858 he set out for South East Asia. From Siam (Thailand) he penetrated Cambodia and Laos, where he died; but not before reaching unknown Angkhor and becoming the first to record and depict the most extensive and magnificent temple complex in the world. His discovery provided the inspiration for a succession of subsequent French expeditions up the Mekong.Over the Karakorams - Francis Edward YounghusbandAs leader of the 1904-5 British military expedition to Lhasa and as promoter of the early assaults on Mount Everest, Younghusband came to epitomize Himalayan endeavour. To the mountain he also owed his spiritual conversion from gung-ho solider to founder of the World Congress of Faiths. His initiation came in 1887 when, as the climax to journey from Peking across the Gobi desert, he determines to reach India over the unexplored Mustagh Pass in the Karakorams - "the most difficult and dangerous achievement in these mountains so far" (S.Hedin).Trials in Tibet - Ekai KawaguchiBy the 1890's the capital of "forbidden" Tibet, unseen by a foreigner since Huc's visit, represented the greatest challenge to exploration. Outright adventurers like the dreadful Henry Savage Landor competed with dedicated explorers like Sven Hedin, all succumbed to to a combination of official vigilance and physical hardship. The exception, and the winner in "the race for Lhasa", was a Buddhist monk from Japan whose expedition consisted of himself and two sheep. Ekai Kawaguchi was supposedly a pilgrim seeking religious texts. His faith was genuine and often tested, as during this 1900 excursion into western Tibet; but he is also thought to have been an agent of the British government in India.
The Mammoth Book of Travel in Dangerous Places: West Africa
by John KeayAlone in Africa - Mungo ParkPark's 1795-7 odyssey in search of the Niger first awakened the world to the feasibility of a white man penetrating sub-Saharan Africa. But unlike his illustrious successors, this quiet tenant farmer's son from the Scottish Borders travelled alone; relieved of his meager possessions, he was soon wholly dependant on local hospitality. In what he called "a plain unvarnished tale" he related horrific ordeals with admirable detachment - never more tested than on his return journey through Bamako, now the capital of Mali.The Road to Kano - Hugh ClappertonIn one of exploration's unhappier sagas two Scots, Captain Hugh Clapperton and Dr. Walter Oudney, were saddled with the unspeakable Major Dixon Denham on a three year journey to Lake Chad and beyond. Clapperton mapped much of northern Nigeria and emerged with credit. Major Denham also excelled himself, twice absconding, then accusing Oudney of incompetence and Clapperton of buggery. Happily the Major was absent in 1824, after nursing his dying friend, Clapperton became the first European to reach Kano.Down the Niger - Richard LanderAs Clapperton's manservant, Lander attended his dying master on his 1825 expedition to the Niger and was then commissioned, with his brother John, to continue the exploration of the river. The mystery of its lower course was finally solved when in 1831 they sailed down through Nigeria to the delta and the sea. Unassuming Cornishmen, the Landers approached their task with a refreshing confidence in goodwill of Africans. It paid of in a knife-edge encounter at the confluence of the Benoue, although Richard subsequently paid the price with his life.Arrival in Timbuktu - Heinrich BarthBorn in Hamburg, Barth was already an experienced traveler and a methodical scholar when in 1850 he joined a British expedition to investigate Africa's internal slave trade. From Tripoli the expedition crossed the Sahara to Lake Chad. Its leader died but Barth continued on alone, exploring vast tract of the Sahel from northern Cameroon to Mali. Timbuktu, previously visited only by A.G. Laing and René Caillié, provided the climax as Barth, in disguise, approached the forbidden city by boat from the Niger.My Ogowé Fans - Mary KingsleySelf-educated while she nursed her elderly parents, Mary Kingsley had known only middle-class English domesticity until venturing to West Africa in 1892. Her parents had died and, unmarried, she determined to study "fish and fetish" for the British Museum. Her 1894 ascent of Gabon's Ogowé River (from Travels in West Africa, 1897) established her a genuine pioneer and an inimitable narrator. She died six years later while nursing prisoners during the Boer War.
The Mammoth Book of Travel in Dangerous Places: East and Central Africa
by John KeayAmong the Sudanese - James BruceBruce reached the source of the Blue Nile in 1771, a century before the search for the source of the White Nile became headline news. His descriptions of the cruelties and orgies at Gondar, the Ethiopian capital, were greeted with disbelief; so was his account of the Sudanese rulers, and their queens, at Sennar. He was later shown to be an accurate observer as well as the eighteenth century's most intrepid traveller.Not the Source of the Nile - Richard Francis BurtonIn Burton a brilliant mind and dauntless physique were matched with a restless spirit and a deeply troubled soul to produce the most complex of characters. Contemptuous of other mortals, including Speke, his companion and rival, he found solace only in the extremities of erudition and adventure. A Glimpse of Lake Victoria - John Hanning SpekeIn July 1858, while returning from Lake Tanganyika with Burton, Speke made a solo excursion to the north in search of an even larger lake reported by an Arab informant. Although partially blind and unable to ascertain its extent, he named this lake "Victoria" and boldly declared it the long sought source of the White Nile. The Reservoir of the Nile - Samuel White BakerAmongst professional explorers and big game hunters, none was as successful as Baker. A bluff and plausible figure, wealthy and resourceful, he conducted his explorations on the grand scale, invariably reached his goal and invariably reaped the rewards.Last Days - David LivingstoneLivingstone was nurtured in poverty and religious fervour. He reached southern Africa as a missionary doctor but, more suited to solitary exploration, edged north in a series of pioneering journeys into the interior. Encounters on the Upper Congo - Henry Morton StanleyStanley made his name as an explorer by tracking down Livingstone in 1871. But obscure Welsh origins, plus the adoption of US citizenship and professional journalism, did not endear him to London's geographical establishment. His response was to out-travel all contemporaries, beginning with the first ever coast-to-coast crossing of equatorial Africa. A Novice at Large - Joseph ThomsonBarely twenty and just out of Edinburgh University, Thompson was unexpectedly employed on the Royal Geographical Society's 1878 expedition to the Central African lakes. Unlike Burton he admired Africans; unlike Stanley he would not fight them. His motto - "he who goes slowly, goes safely; he who goes safely, goes far" - was never more seriously tested that when, just six weeks inland from Dar es Salaam, his first expedition lost Keith Johnston, its leader and Thompson's only European companion.