Candace Millard is my favorite biographer. This follows the stories of Burton, Speke and Bombay explorers financed by the Royal Geographic society in the late 1800s of which seems ridiculously perilous and painful.

I appreciated the focus on Bombay as I have always wondered about the stories of the hired guides in the accounts of European explorers and how it is likely their accomplishments surpass that of those they are guiding (which seems to be so in this case). I also appreciated the details about Isabel, Burtons wife, and the cognitive dissonance she seems to have had in having her own desires and ambitions that didn't align with her culture and how she went about achieving them as much as possible while maintaining her social status.