Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Dell (1962), Edition: Reprint, Hardcover, 390 pages
Description
This tale starts with Richard Burton and John Hanningspeke setting out to find the sources of the Nile. The author tells of Baker of the Nile and his wife, and of the American journalist H. M. Stanley whose greeting to Livingstone became a household phrase. He also examines the results of their discoveries: the building of the Suez Canal, the appointment of Chinese Gordon as governor-general of the Sudan and his tragic end in Khartoum, of the military successes which made Queen Victoria the ruler of a huge area from Alexandia to the highlands of Uganda, and which opened the Nile as a highway from Central Africa to the sea.
Media reviews
Based on contemporary records, as well as Alan Moorehead's solid sense of history and subtler character insights, this is an exciting record of the fifty years of African exploration and the attempt to reach the sources of the Nile. Across these pages we meet a mixed group of reckless to resolute
Show More
figures -- soldiers, sportsmen, scholars and reformers who through whatever motivation made these journeys to the interior and endured ordeals of hardship. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member santhony
I love reading history and fancy myself to be quite well read on a variety of historical topics, however I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that much of what I read in this book was completely new to me.
This book deals with the Upper Nile region of Sudan and Central Africa, primarily in the latter
This book is extremely well written and at almost all times captivating. The descriptions of the Sudd region of the Nile raised visions of Humphrey Bogart dragging the African Queen and Kathrine Hepburn through the reed choked channels of another African river. The chapters on the fall of Khartoum and the struggles of Emin in Equatoria were riveting.
I highly recommend this book, if for no other reason than the fact that unless you are a student of central Africa, you have probably never been exposed to much of this history. For anyone seeking a more detailed treatment of specific African explorations, I recommend Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone by Martin Dugard. Another captivating read from this period would be King Leopold's Ghost, dealing with colonization of the Belgian Congo.
This book deals with the Upper Nile region of Sudan and Central Africa, primarily in the latter
Show More
half of the 19th century. Parts of the book dealing with Speke, David Livingstone and Henry Stanley were somewhat familiar to me, however historical characters such as Burton, Gordon, Emin, the Mahdi and various of the other Pashas and Khedives were new and absolutely fertile ground. This book is extremely well written and at almost all times captivating. The descriptions of the Sudd region of the Nile raised visions of Humphrey Bogart dragging the African Queen and Kathrine Hepburn through the reed choked channels of another African river. The chapters on the fall of Khartoum and the struggles of Emin in Equatoria were riveting.
I highly recommend this book, if for no other reason than the fact that unless you are a student of central Africa, you have probably never been exposed to much of this history. For anyone seeking a more detailed treatment of specific African explorations, I recommend Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone by Martin Dugard. Another captivating read from this period would be King Leopold's Ghost, dealing with colonization of the Belgian Congo.
Show Less
LibraryThing member breic
Variable quality. Some parts are fascinating and atmospheric, and other parts are very tedious. The maps are insufficient. The author assumes a basic familiarity with the characters and their stories that I did not have.
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
I appreciated this account of the exploration of this branch of the Nile., which meets the Blue Nile at Khartoum in the Sudan.
LibraryThing member JayLivernois
A good history but sprinkled with an anti-colonialist perspective current at the time of its writing by the Australian writer Alan Moorehead.
LibraryThing member kaitanya64
A great introduction to history of the region and even to African history in general as Moorehead covers so much.
LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
Alan Moorehead wrote a delightful pair of books dealing with the exploration of the Nile basin. they are well written and decently illustrated. Though we are dealing completely with the British Explorers this was a very popular book in its day, and is a good description of the efforts to find out
Show More
what lay upstream from Egypt. There is also, for the time, an attempt at relating to the effects of European expansion upon the local population. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tom.Wilson
One of my favourite books by an Australian author is actually an illumination of Englishmen exploring what is today Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Sudan more than 150 years ago. This was published in 1960 and the author travelled through these regions, starting in Zanzibar. A compelling and
Show More
exciting work of history. Show Less
LibraryThing member kslade
Good account of explorers such as Burton and Speke in the upper reaches of the Nile.
Awards
Notable Books List (1961)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1960
Local notes
1856-1889