The Blue Nile

by Alan Moorehead

Paperback, 1983

Status

Available

Series

The Nile (2)

Genres

Publication

Penguin Books, (1983)

Description

In the first half of the nineteenth century, only a small handful of Westerners had ventured into the regions watered by the Nile River on its long journey from Lake Tana in Abyssinia to the Mediterranean-lands that had been forgotten since Roman times, or had never been known at all. In The Blue Nile, Alan Moorehead continues the classic, thrilling narration of adventure he began in The White Nile, depicting this exotic place through the lives of four explorers so daring they can be considered among the world's original adventurers -- each acting and reacting in separate expeditions against a bewildering background of slavery and massacre, political upheaval and all-out war. -- Publisher description.

Media reviews

United Services Org

This book is infused with the tribal and religious cultures of the region, cultures which persist to this day. It is very helpful in understanding the nature of the conflicts in which our forces in the region are currently engaged

User reviews

LibraryThing member bookwoman247

This book is a history of the Western exploration of Northeast Africa and Egypt. I have not read the companion volume, The White Nile.

Having been written in 1962, some dated attitudes were apparent, but overall, it was very interesting and informative. I'm glad I read it. I learned of edplorers I'd

not heard of before, and even though I'd known that Napoleon had occupied Egypt for a while, I'd never known the details, and found them fascinating.

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LibraryThing member santhony

I have read a lot of history on ancient Egypt and was passingly familiar with Napoleon's conquest of Egypt, however, I had absolutely no background on other aspects of 19th century Egypt and neighboring Sudan and Ethiopia.

This book was extremely enlightening with respect to such subjects as

Mamaluke rule of Egypt prior to Napoleon's arrival and the subsequent reign of Muhammad Ali. However, by far the most interesting and educational part of the book was the last half which dealt primarily with the reign of Theodore, Emperor of Ethiopia and the British invasion to secure the release of European hostages held by Theodore. Prior to reading this book, I'd never heard of Theodore nor the British invasion of Ethiopia.

Blue Nile is a companion piece to White Nile, the Blue Nile being the Nile tributary which feeds into the river at Khartoum, Sudan having flowed from its source in the Ethiopian highlands. Moorehead does a very good job in describing the various expeditions which sought the source of the Blue Nile as well as the political and social anarchy endemic to the region.

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LibraryThing member DinadansFriend

The exploration of the Blue Nile, the one that runs down from Ethiopia, is the topic of this well-written account of European exploration. from James Bruce to Kitchener at Khartoumn the story is well told.
Read twice.

LibraryThing member theonearmedcrab

“The Blue Nile” is the subject of a book written by Alan Moorehead in 1962. In fact, the book only briefly explores the river from Lake Tana to Khartoum, and down to the Mediterranean, recollecting the journey of James Bruce, who claimed – wrongly – to be the first European to see the

source of the Nile. Most of the book, however, is taken up by narrating the efforts of three colonial powers: the French invading Egypt, the Ottoman Turks in Sudan, and a British expedition in Ethiopia. A really nice, and very readable book, well written, entertaining and informative, and companion to The White Nile (which I hope to acquire, too, once back in The Netherlands)

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LibraryThing member kaitanya64

Along with "The White Nile," this is a great general introduction to a region and historical period that doesn't get the attention it deserves.

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