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 t...
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reviews
Mar 04, 2010
FiveBooks
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Author Dan Morrison has chosen to discuss Alan Moorehead’s The White Nile on FiveBooks as 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
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“…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...
Dec 19, 2011
Carrie
rated it: 
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
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Apr 09, 2011
Eliszard
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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). "Ch
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Jul 27, 2009
Ebookwormy
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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 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 More...
Dec 17, 2011
Kent
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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
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Feb 22, 2009
Scilla
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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.
Aug 11, 2010
Mark
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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.
Jul 22, 2011
Martha
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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.
Feb 08, 2011
Gail
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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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Jul 09, 2011
Marie
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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
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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 wo
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Nov 28, 2010
Tbfrank
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Very well written. Engaging. Prompted me to re-read portions of Churchill's account of Omdurman in "My Early Life" and "The River War".
Nov 17, 2009
Andrea
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A great introduction to history of the region and even to African history in general as Moorehead covers so much.
Jun 13, 2009
Raegan
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I'm fascinated by Victorian Age eccentrics and this book is chock full o' them!
Apr 10, 2008
Bob
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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-
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Aug 26, 2009
Curtiss
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An excellent description of the early exploration of Africa surrounding the source of the White Nile river, including the expeditions of Sir Richard Francis Burton and JohnHanning Speke, Sir Samuel Baker and his wife Lady Baker, Sir Evelyn Baring, Doctor David Livingstone, and Henry M. Stanley.
This book was enough to inspire me to collect several of Burton's travelogues from his expeditions to East, West, and Central Africa, as well as Stanley's two-volume 1903 edition of In Darkest More...
This book was enough to inspire me to collect several of Burton's travelogues from his expeditions to East, West, and Central Africa, as well as Stanley's two-volume 1903 edition of In Darkest More...
Apr 12, 2010
David R.
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A fascinating narrative that begins with the first important European expeditions to find the source of the Nile and carries through to the beginnings of total colonial hegemony at the turn of the Century. Good and fair character studies abound.
Feb 20, 2008
Alexnd05
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While the book starts and ends a little slow, the middle three-quarters of the books are absolutely delightful. The White Nile is not a formal academic history, it’s written to be accessible to the masses. I was constantly conflicted as whether I thought the book was glamorizing events or if it was just telling an amazing story of adventure—I think it was probably the latter.
Oct 20, 2010
Barbara
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The companion to "The Blue Nile." Dated, but colorful historical account of the exploration of the While Nile.
Sep 18, 2011
Erik
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This is a history of the White Nile, the history of the European search for the sources of the Nile and a history of the region. It is not a scholarly history, but it is a fine and quite accessible introduction to further study. Moorehead is ever an engaging writer and popularist. His later book on the Blue Nile is more a history of the region.
Jun 29, 2009
Adam
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Another interesting book about (primarily British) explorers searching for the headwaters of the Nile and the explorers and exploiters that followed them.
Jul 04, 2008
Marti
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One of the few places you can find an insightful overview of the history of central Africa. It's an explorer book at heart but SO much more.
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Nov 03, 2007
Just picked this up from the Deer Creek Book Exchange. The unexplored Nile.
