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The White Nile
A teacher is supposed to impart a love of learning and a thirst for knowledge. It’s a bit different with Ms. Lori Settles. All the kids are talking about how hot she is–and she is especially interested in Ryan Piccoli. When she starts giving Ryan extra attention, he’s feeling more than happy–at first. He’s used to being the class clown, but really he’s a loner. One day aft...more
Mass Market Paperback, 208 pages
Published
March 9th 2010
by Dell Books X15
(first published 1960)
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This is about trying to find the source of the Nile and the exploration of inner Africa (Bunyoro, Bugunda, and Karagwe) in the 1800's by the Bristish. The book describes the men and women who had the courage to brave Africa, it's unknown parts, it's people including the native Africans, the Moslems, Arabs, Turks, and the slave traders.
I like the history and learning more about these explorers(Including Burton, Spekes,the Bakers, Livingston, Gordon, Stanley and more).
Pg. 43. "Normally in Centra...more
I like the history and learning more about these explorers(Including Burton, Spekes,the Bakers, Livingston, Gordon, Stanley and more).
Pg. 43. "Normally in Centra...more
Feb 18, 2012
Sarah
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
travel-narrative,
favs-2012
I read this while I was in Tanzania and it provided great background of the history of colonial "discovery" and development of the region. Moorehead did a great job of bringing the story to life and making the history feel like it was personal. He weaves the explorers journals into the text so that they are often telling their own story. He has a great sense of who his characters are and is really perceptive about their motivations.
The book was written in 1960 and there are parts that are dated...more
The book was written in 1960 and there are parts that are dated...more
Mar 02, 2013
Sandy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Sandy by:
Joy H
Shelves:
nonfiction
This book introduced some new ideas to me about Africa and it's peoples and history. Although we've long been aware of the existence of the Nile River and it's surrounding countryside, as late as the mid-1850's we really didn't know much about the area or the origins of the Nile River. It was during the 1850's that the first definitive explorations of the Nile began in earnest. This book chronicles those explorations and the events occurring in that area from the 1850's to the 1890's.
I learned...more
I learned...more
Mar 04, 2010
FiveBooks
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fivebooks-on-the-nile
Author Dan Morrison has chosen to discuss
Alan Moorehead’s The White Nile
on FiveBooksas one of the top five on his subject – The Nile, saying that:
“…The White Nile is about the quest for the source of the White Nile, which runs from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean. It’s fun, rollicking and, at times, hilarious…”
The full interview is available here: http://thebrowser.com/books/interviews/dan-morrison
...more
“…The White Nile is about the quest for the source of the White Nile, which runs from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean. It’s fun, rollicking and, at times, hilarious…”
The full interview is available here: http://thebrowser.com/books/interviews/dan-morrison
...more
I'm fascinated by Victorian Age eccentrics and this book is chock full o' them!But equally as interesting are the portraits of African monarchs, quite a wacky bunch.
Oh, the conflicted feelings I have about this book. This is an interesting look at chapter of history that has captured imaginations for over a century now. While I found the book informative, the first half was definitely a stronger read than the first. The second half I found to be...over-crowded. I think the author would have been better served by choosing a tighter focus, because the latter half of the book in particular is all over the place (literally) and packed with both major and minor...more
A fabulously well-written history of the explorations to find the source of the White Nile in the second half of the 20th century. Burton and Speke and their quarrel on whether or not Lake Victoria was the source of the Nile. The humanitarian Livingstone and the cynical and opportunistic Stanley. Baker and his young Hungarian wife Florence Ninian von Sass, who traveled in Victorian skirts in areas that killed rugged explorers ("She was not a screamer" her husband pointed out). "Chinese" Gordon,...more
Jul 27, 2009
Ebookwormy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
history,
world-africa
EXCELLENT work about the geography of the Nile basin and it's unique features, exploration of the Nile and it's difficulties, indigenous African people, the foundations of colonialism and all the assorted events and characters that make a narrative historical account so fascinating.
The writing is not impeccable and the author relies on a few phrases I found downright annoying, but I learned a tremendous amount of information. Also, for the first time in my 12ish month African journey, i was able...more
The writing is not impeccable and the author relies on a few phrases I found downright annoying, but I learned a tremendous amount of information. Also, for the first time in my 12ish month African journey, i was able...more
This is the best of histories. Moorehead has great skills in making these peoples and events alive and relevant. given our 20/20 hindsight we see how the exploitation of Northern Africa leads to the current mess of Arab/Isralie conflict. The Brits, French and German all played a huge part in shaping this political bonfire.
Well written. I also finished his sequel, Blue Nile. Its emphasis on Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and the British influence on Ethiopia was fascinating
Well written. I also finished his sequel, Blue Nile. Its emphasis on Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and the British influence on Ethiopia was fascinating
Classic account of Britain's exploration of the Nile River and expansion into Central Africa. Moorehead recounts famous personages (Burton, Speke, Gordon, Kitchener) and events (Livingston and Stanley's meeting, the Mahdist Wars, Fashoda) with engaging style, commendable objectivity and dry humor. Mine is an illustrated version with dozens of handsome photographs and drawings.
This book is a history of the exploration for the source of the Nile and the struggles for settlement in the area of Africa south of Egypt. It discusses most of the famous African explorers from Livingstone and Sir Richard Burton to Gordon, Stanley and Kitchener, ending with the final battle in 1899. I found the book very slow going and dryly written.
I first read this book 30 or so years ago, and after recently finishing Tony Jeal's "Explorers of the Nile," which explicitly positioned itself as a successor to the "White Nile," I was ready to re-read Moorehead's wonderful book. Jeal had access to many records unavailable to Moorehead, and indeed clarifies with additional detail many of the explorations undertaken by the Victorians. But, oh what a writer and storyteller is Moorehead. One finishes this book with a great sense of the mystery and...more
Along with "The Blue Nile" a fine introduction to the history of exploration of the great river.
I discovered this book during a phase when I was obsessed with Sir R. F. Burton.
A good starting point for those interested in the topic.
I discovered this book during a phase when I was obsessed with Sir R. F. Burton.
A good starting point for those interested in the topic.
Heavens, the Brits that went bashing up and down Africa in the 19th century! I think one report of the Sudd would have kept me enscounced in England. I think many Africans would have preferred that these explorers/exploiters had done the same.
I enjoyed reading this book about Africa. While you are learning about the river, you are also learning about the explorers, the people, and some of the history of Africa. A good read.
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Natural history! great book, great history, natural and otherwise; good writing. If this subject is of interest to you or you are just curious, you might just love it like I do.
Aug 20, 2007
Stacia
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people interested in explorers, Sudan, and/or Africa
If you like history, this book is a great resource. He does a really good job of painting the personalities in the explorers who were trying to "conquer" East Africa. And he really does a good job of giving you a vivid picture of what it must have been like for them. It's amazing these people lived to tell their tales! Sometimes it got a little dull, but in general, it was interesting. The most interesting parts were the descriptions of what Khartoum was like in the 1800s, a very worthwhile read...more
Very well written. Engaging. Prompted me to re-read portions of Churchill's account of Omdurman in "My Early Life" and "The River War".
This is a very interesting book about the White Nile from the 1850's to 1900. I really enjoyed the part about the early explorers. They braved terrible conditions and situation in walking thousands of unexplored miles. I had always thought that the slave trade was a west coast situation. I had no idea how many slaves passed through east coast ports.
For me the book dragged a little when foreign governments and politicians started to get involved. The whole Muslim vs Christian conflict showed how...more
For me the book dragged a little when foreign governments and politicians started to get involved. The whole Muslim vs Christian conflict showed how...more
A great introduction to history of the region and even to African history in general as Moorehead covers so much.
Totally absorbing work on the exploration of central Africa & the source of the Nile in the last half of the 19thC. Stanley, Livingston, Speke, Burton, Gessi,Baker, Gordon, Emin and a cast of others who go to Africa for a variety of reasons such as trade, scientific study, evangelization, politics. "A common hunger for adventure certainly bound them all to Africa". Although it took me quite a while to finish this, it certainly wasn't because I wasn't caught up in the telling; more likely bec...more
The exploration of the Nile to find its source, 1850 to 1900. Excellent read!
Jul 03, 2012
Keith Slade
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
history,
adventure-or-travel
Good account of explorers such as Burton and Speke in the upper reaches of the Nile.
Stanley, Livingstone, Burton throughout Africa.
Fascinating and amazing. An old friend.
Fascinating and amazing. An old friend.
May 09, 2013
Eddy Allen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
arts-and-historical
Relive all the thrills and adventure of Alan Moorehead's classic bestseller The White Nile -- the daring exploration of the Nile River in the second half of the nineteenth century, which was at that time the most mysterious and impenetrable region on earth. Capturing in breathtaking prose the larger-than-life personalities of such notable figures as Stanley, Livingstone, Burton and many others, The White Nile remains a seminal work in tales of discovery and escapade, filled with incredible histo...more
Jim Hynes told me to read this, and he was right.
Still one of the best introductions to African explorers
Be sure to read "The Blue Nile".
The description is accurate. I picked this book up off of a friend's bookshelf and was captivated. The world described is so foreign to our own that it is often difficult to comprehend. Not only is the physical environment alluring, but the cultures encountered by these adventurers are often wild beyond expectation. What is expecially striking though is the determination and will exhibited by these explorers to complete their chosen mission at whatever the costs. One of the most interesting non-...more
The first part, on the exploration of the Nile, held my interest. But part two, billed as the exploitation (by the British) just lost me. Not enough maps or context in this part.
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Alan Moorehead was lionised as the literary man of action: the most celebrated war correspondent of World War II; author of award winning books; star travel writer of The New Yorker; pioneer publicist of wildlife conservation. At the height of his success, his writing suddenly stopped and when, 17 years later, his death was announced, he seemed a heroic figure from the past. His fame as a writer g...more
More about Alan Moorehead...
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