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Mountains of the Moon
It was 1854 when two very different men, English aristocrat John Hanning Speke and bold adventurer Sir Richard Francis Burton, embarked on the journey that was to alter the course of history. Their mission: to discover the true source of the Nile. They had the daring to brave the ravages of nature, vicious attacks by the Somali, and life-threatening illness. Their sheer courage and raw determination would be tested in a way civilization never could. Their story is an epic of triumph and tragedy, betrayal and mystery. It has fascinated the world for over one hundred years.
476 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
3 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
About the author
William Neal Harrison
17 books10 followersWilliam Neal Harrison was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter perhaps best known for writing the short story "Roller Ball Murder" which was made into the movie Rollerball in 1975.
Harrison was the adopted son of Samuel Scott and Mary Harrison and grew up in Dallas, Texas, attending public schools. His mother read widely, kept elaborate scrapbooks featuring both family members and celebrities, and wrote devotional poetry.
Harrison attended Texas Christian University, where he became editor of the campus newspaper, The Skiff, and began to write. He later attended Vanderbilt University where he studied to teach comparative religion at the divinity school, but once again he began to write and made lifelong friends in the Department of English. After a year teaching in North Carolina at Atlantic Christian College, he moved his young family to Iowa where he studied in the creative writing program for ten months. At Iowa he sold his first short story to Esquire and published reviews in The Saturday Review.
In 1964, Harrison moved with his family to Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he published his first novels and in 1966 became the founder and co-director of the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Arkansas with his colleague James Whitehead. Many American and European writers and poets came as visitors to their program and their students went on to publish hundreds of books of poetry and fiction in major New York and university publishing houses.
Harrison also served on the original board of directors (1970–75) for the Associated Writing Programs during the great growth period of creative writing in American literary education. He was also on the board of advisors for the Natural and Cultural Heritage Commission for the State of Arkansas (1976–81).
Harrison received a Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship in Fiction (1974), a National Endowment for the Arts Grant for Fiction (1977), the Christopher Award for Television (1970) and a Columbia School of Journalism Prize with Esquire Magazine (1971). He has been represented in Who’s Who in America since 1975. His stories have been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories (1968), Southern Writing in the Sixties (1967), All Our Secrets Are the Same: New Fiction from Esquire (1977), The Literature of Sport (1980), The Best American Mystery Stories (2006), New Stories from the South (2006), Fifty Years of Descant (2008) and numerous textbooks.
Merlee was Harrison's wife of more than fifty years and his children are Laurie, Sean and Quentin. He lived in Fayetteville until his death, although he traveled widely in Africa, China, the Middle East and Europe. He was a longtime baseball fan and Chicago Cubs supporter. He was an active fly fisherman and played tennis and golf.
His heroes were Anton Chekhov, Joseph Conrad, Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and John Cheever, but he taught hundreds of fine authors in his classes and offered seminars on James Joyce, Vladimir Nabokov, Federico Fellini and others.
Harrison was the adopted son of Samuel Scott and Mary Harrison and grew up in Dallas, Texas, attending public schools. His mother read widely, kept elaborate scrapbooks featuring both family members and celebrities, and wrote devotional poetry.
Harrison attended Texas Christian University, where he became editor of the campus newspaper, The Skiff, and began to write. He later attended Vanderbilt University where he studied to teach comparative religion at the divinity school, but once again he began to write and made lifelong friends in the Department of English. After a year teaching in North Carolina at Atlantic Christian College, he moved his young family to Iowa where he studied in the creative writing program for ten months. At Iowa he sold his first short story to Esquire and published reviews in The Saturday Review.
In 1964, Harrison moved with his family to Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he published his first novels and in 1966 became the founder and co-director of the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Arkansas with his colleague James Whitehead. Many American and European writers and poets came as visitors to their program and their students went on to publish hundreds of books of poetry and fiction in major New York and university publishing houses.
Harrison also served on the original board of directors (1970–75) for the Associated Writing Programs during the great growth period of creative writing in American literary education. He was also on the board of advisors for the Natural and Cultural Heritage Commission for the State of Arkansas (1976–81).
Harrison received a Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship in Fiction (1974), a National Endowment for the Arts Grant for Fiction (1977), the Christopher Award for Television (1970) and a Columbia School of Journalism Prize with Esquire Magazine (1971). He has been represented in Who’s Who in America since 1975. His stories have been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories (1968), Southern Writing in the Sixties (1967), All Our Secrets Are the Same: New Fiction from Esquire (1977), The Literature of Sport (1980), The Best American Mystery Stories (2006), New Stories from the South (2006), Fifty Years of Descant (2008) and numerous textbooks.
Merlee was Harrison's wife of more than fifty years and his children are Laurie, Sean and Quentin. He lived in Fayetteville until his death, although he traveled widely in Africa, China, the Middle East and Europe. He was a longtime baseball fan and Chicago Cubs supporter. He was an active fly fisherman and played tennis and golf.
His heroes were Anton Chekhov, Joseph Conrad, Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and John Cheever, but he taught hundreds of fine authors in his classes and offered seminars on James Joyce, Vladimir Nabokov, Federico Fellini and others.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 8, 2013
I first read this book in the 90s, and it was definitely worth a second reading. Great novelization of the relationship between John Hanning Speke and Sir Richard Francis Burton, the famous 19th century African explorers. They are the British pair who are credited with finding Lake Victoria, the source of the Nile, and this book covers their harrowing journey and the strained, combative relationship afterwards. This book lead me to read other books about the fascinating Burton, but I know little about Speke, so I do not know if the author is correct in his portrayal of Speke as unbalanced and a closeted homosexual / pedophile. Frankly I don’t like what I’ve read of Speke, and am perfectly willing to believe the author’s interpretation of his death as a suicide on the eve of his public debate with Burton where his spurious claims were sure to lead to massive public humiliation in the scientific community.
There are loads of books out there about Burton, one I read and enjoyed was “Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton” by Edward Rice. For some Burton “light” you may enjoy Philip Jose Farmer’s “Riverworld” series, where Burton is the protagonist in a science fiction romp or the romance novel “The Duchess” by Jude Deveraux, where she uses Burton as the model for her protagonist Capt. Frank Baker.
Or you can watch the movie they made of this book starring Patrick Bergin as Burton and Iain Glen as Speke, I really enjoyed it too.
There are loads of books out there about Burton, one I read and enjoyed was “Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton” by Edward Rice. For some Burton “light” you may enjoy Philip Jose Farmer’s “Riverworld” series, where Burton is the protagonist in a science fiction romp or the romance novel “The Duchess” by Jude Deveraux, where she uses Burton as the model for her protagonist Capt. Frank Baker.
Or you can watch the movie they made of this book starring Patrick Bergin as Burton and Iain Glen as Speke, I really enjoyed it too.
April 5, 2020
This is a very detailed novelisation of a fascinating relationship between 2 explorers with vastly contrasting personalities searching for the source of the Nile.It shows their backgrounds,characters,the hardships and their clashes until the dramatic and shocking ending.It’d be hard to believe if it wasn’t true.A long but enjoyable read,perhaps shocking to some but worthwhile if you enjoy true adventure.
Read
April 29, 2013The book was slow to get going, but it is set in 1850s England and Africa. The two men, Richard Burton and John Speke set out to find the origin of the Nile. These two men will never get along. Burton goes to India and Africa and learns about the people and learns the language. He also was reported to be the first European man who made the Hajj. Speke is far more typical of the time and rarely learns about the people, culture or language. He relies on translators and guides. Delays and illness are rampant. Near a large lake at the end of the trip, Burton too ill to go, Speke discovers the Great Lake that is the origin of the Nile. Unfortunately, he has no instruments to collect the data that would prove, nor do they have the time of resources at this point to follow the system to the Nile. The go back to civilization and a feud develops. Both characters were stubborn and unpleasant, as far as I am concerned. History has been kinder to Burton, but recently personal papers of Speke's have been found that support his work and refute some assertions made by his detractors. Now, I want to read more about them both and more of Burton's work.
March 8, 2013
Historical novel about the two Nile explorers. The source for Bob Rafaelson's Mountains of the Moon, this is one case where the film improves on the book. Harrison etches his characters sharply, creating an effective contrast between the brilliant hedonist Richard Burton and ambitious, arrogant, repressed John Henning Speke. His writing is well-researched and, barring a few bits of speculation (Speke's death most obviously), commendably matches the historical record. But Harrison's clipped writing style and lumpy narrative frequently bog down in needless digressions (Burton's adventures in America and West Africa, Speke's liaisons) and psychobabble. Harrison's obsessed with equating fame with sex, Speke hoping to "earn" homosexual debauchery by discovering the Nile, a conceit which grows tiresome through repetition. A lightly engaging adventure, not so revealing as it should be.
Want to read
March 2, 2025This book was one of many that was seized in 1984 from the first gay bookshop in London, or anywhere in the UK, Gay's The Word as part of a policy of intimidation against 'uppity' gays and I am posting information on this event against many of the books seized by the police.
That intimidation was at the root of the 1984 events is clear when you consider that this novel was not written by a gay man, not aimed at a gay audience and was the source material for the 1990 film 'Mountains of the Moon' which I don't recall anyone attempting to ban.
This is a history that should not be forgotten.
Burton and Speke and the 1984 attempt to destroy 'Gay's The Word' the UK's first gay bookshop:
This novel was one of many 'imported' gay books which were at the centre of an infamous attempt to push UK gays back into the closet by the conservative government of Margaret Thatcher in 1984. Amazingly this event, important not only for gays but civil liberties in the UK, does not have any kind of Wikipedia entry. Because of this lack I have assembled links to a number of sites which anyone interested in free speech should read. If we don't remember our history we will be condemned to repeat it.
The genesis of the prosecution of 'Gays The Word' was the anger of homophobes to books like 'The Milkman's On His Way' by David Rees which were written for young people and presented being gay as ordinary and nothing to get your-knickers-in-a-twist over. Unfortunately there was no way to ban the offending books because censorship of literature had been laughed out of court at the 'Lady Chatterley Trial' nearly twenty years earlier. But Customs and Excise did have the ability to seize and forbid the import of 'foreign' books, those not published in the UK. As most 'gay' books came from abroad, specifically the USA, this anomaly was the basis for the raid on Gays The Word and the seizure of large amounts of stock. The intention was that the legal costs, plus the disruption to the business, would sink this small independent bookshop long before it came to trial. That it didn't is testimony to the resilience of Gay's The Word, the gay community and all those who supported them.
The best, not perfect, but only, guide to the event is at:
https://www.gayinthe80s.com/2012/10/1...
There follows a series of links to the event connected with an exhibition at the University of London:
The background:
https://www.london.ac.uk/news-events/...
The 142 books seized:
https://exhibitions.london.ac.uk/s/se...
The history of the prosecution:
https://www.london.ac.uk/news-events/...
The fight to clarify the law after the prosecution was dropped:
https://www.london.ac.uk/news-events/...
That intimidation was at the root of the 1984 events is clear when you consider that this novel was not written by a gay man, not aimed at a gay audience and was the source material for the 1990 film 'Mountains of the Moon' which I don't recall anyone attempting to ban.
This is a history that should not be forgotten.
Burton and Speke and the 1984 attempt to destroy 'Gay's The Word' the UK's first gay bookshop:
This novel was one of many 'imported' gay books which were at the centre of an infamous attempt to push UK gays back into the closet by the conservative government of Margaret Thatcher in 1984. Amazingly this event, important not only for gays but civil liberties in the UK, does not have any kind of Wikipedia entry. Because of this lack I have assembled links to a number of sites which anyone interested in free speech should read. If we don't remember our history we will be condemned to repeat it.
The genesis of the prosecution of 'Gays The Word' was the anger of homophobes to books like 'The Milkman's On His Way' by David Rees which were written for young people and presented being gay as ordinary and nothing to get your-knickers-in-a-twist over. Unfortunately there was no way to ban the offending books because censorship of literature had been laughed out of court at the 'Lady Chatterley Trial' nearly twenty years earlier. But Customs and Excise did have the ability to seize and forbid the import of 'foreign' books, those not published in the UK. As most 'gay' books came from abroad, specifically the USA, this anomaly was the basis for the raid on Gays The Word and the seizure of large amounts of stock. The intention was that the legal costs, plus the disruption to the business, would sink this small independent bookshop long before it came to trial. That it didn't is testimony to the resilience of Gay's The Word, the gay community and all those who supported them.
The best, not perfect, but only, guide to the event is at:
https://www.gayinthe80s.com/2012/10/1...
There follows a series of links to the event connected with an exhibition at the University of London:
The background:
https://www.london.ac.uk/news-events/...
The 142 books seized:
https://exhibitions.london.ac.uk/s/se...
The history of the prosecution:
https://www.london.ac.uk/news-events/...
The fight to clarify the law after the prosecution was dropped:
https://www.london.ac.uk/news-events/...
June 14, 2023
I only realized why certain scenes from the book were vaguely familiar halfway through, as I have already seen the film version 'Mountains of the Moon (1990)', which was based on this book. And quite faithfully recreated if I might add. The book itself was a tour-de-force of historical writing, very extensively researched by the author with detailed accounts of the years before and after the duo's famous expedition in search of the source of the Nile. It is by no means easy to dramatize events purely based on journals and documents I presume, but the result was excellent, making for riveting reading. The many personas in the book, not just Speke and Burton, were very well fleshed out, while many passages were simply sublime. The two explorers could not have been more different in personality, and here it seems Speke was portrayed in quite a negative light, though how much of it was based on fact I do not know. Burton, on the other hand, came across as a tragic figure, one whose many talents went unrewarded and unrecognized, and ultimately wracked by the guilt of Speke's suicide.
As the book covered around ten years with many side adventures and happenings in their lives, it was really a semi-biography of the two men, even describing their childhoods, so inevitably there would be sections that are less exciting. Also, I found that the long sections/parts of the story could have been numbered into separate chapters for easier reading. Overall a meandering historical novel, with long bouts of introspection and petty bickering interspersed with accounts of arduous adventures through the African landscape that nearly broke the men both physically and mentally.
As the book covered around ten years with many side adventures and happenings in their lives, it was really a semi-biography of the two men, even describing their childhoods, so inevitably there would be sections that are less exciting. Also, I found that the long sections/parts of the story could have been numbered into separate chapters for easier reading. Overall a meandering historical novel, with long bouts of introspection and petty bickering interspersed with accounts of arduous adventures through the African landscape that nearly broke the men both physically and mentally.
October 12, 2024
He recalled those words spoken in sickness: Please don't leave me no matter what we've said in the past. Livingstone had God in Africa, he found himself thinking, but Speke and I only had each other.
Oh, Speke.
Oh, Africa.
Look, I watched Mountains of the Moon over the summer (the very definition of "powerful homoeroticism, I really enjoyed it") and immediately knew I had to read the source material. While this is a fictionalized account of Burton and Speke's initial search for the source of the Nile and their subsequent individual pursuits, it is based (from my understanding) quite heavily on their personal writings and journals. The characters and settings are vibrant and memorable and, for obvious reasons, feel palpably real.
Burton and Speke are fascinating, complicated men with a fascinating, complicated relationship that extends far beyond the relatively short time they traveled together. They're often deeply unlikable, but it's hard not to feel moved by some of the tragic aspects of their lives as well.
Also, Sidi Bombay (Mbarak Mombée) should have *all* the books and movies made about him — what a wild, incredible life story.
Oh, Speke.
Oh, Africa.
Look, I watched Mountains of the Moon over the summer (the very definition of "powerful homoeroticism, I really enjoyed it") and immediately knew I had to read the source material. While this is a fictionalized account of Burton and Speke's initial search for the source of the Nile and their subsequent individual pursuits, it is based (from my understanding) quite heavily on their personal writings and journals. The characters and settings are vibrant and memorable and, for obvious reasons, feel palpably real.
Burton and Speke are fascinating, complicated men with a fascinating, complicated relationship that extends far beyond the relatively short time they traveled together. They're often deeply unlikable, but it's hard not to feel moved by some of the tragic aspects of their lives as well.
Also, Sidi Bombay (Mbarak Mombée) should have *all* the books and movies made about him — what a wild, incredible life story.
January 22, 2018
I read this book after seeing the film version, "Mountains of the Moon," which I adored way back when. It lead me to reading "Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton," a biography and much better book. I totally forgot about any of these until, decades later, I read the fabulous "Walking the Nile" by Leveson Wood, who talks about Speke's discoveries after parting ways with Burton. I really did enjoy "Mountains of the Moon," but read it so long ago it's difficult to give a good review. I do recommend the film "Mountains of the Moon," if only to see a young Iaian Glenn as Speke. Glenn plays the greatly loved Ser Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones.
August 20, 2017
Un romanzo affascinante
August 7, 2022
I learned a lot but the author talked about emotional primitive men and often used monkey to describe an African. That’s why only 3 stars
August 31, 2024
Bellissimo
October 10, 2021
Interesting novel about Burton and Speke. It vividly describes the tragic friendship and falling out of the two men. Great description of expeditions into 19th century Africa.
January 31, 2012
I read this last fall, forget where I got the used paperback. And I dont comment here on everything I read. I passed it on to someone I thought would appreciate all the blood and guts and sex. But don't get me wrong, it's a good read, captivating and from what I searched online, accurate as to details. History isn't always pretty, as well we should know. This isn't a pretty story, and from the edition I read, I gather it was written or intended for a movie...alas, the book is always better, it engages more brain cells, and I don't know that the movie was or wasn't ever made. It's worth one's time if you stumble across it, an interesting happenstance, as it occurred to me.
The world changes so fast, from the days of the colonies which this is about, to the days of big money usurping elected governments. This is a glimpse of where we (civilization) were. Food for thought.
The world changes so fast, from the days of the colonies which this is about, to the days of big money usurping elected governments. This is a glimpse of where we (civilization) were. Food for thought.
December 20, 2014
William Harrison's historical novel "Burton and Speke" reveals both explorer's internal psyches in raw vivid detail. Harrison's mastery of the English language paints every scene in precise detail. As I read the novel, I concurrently read the famous biography on Richard Burton, "The Devil Drives," by Fawn M Brodie in order to check the historical facts. I was quite satisfied that Harrison did his homework in preparation of his work. Interestingly, his novel was turned into a screenplay for the epic film "Mountains of the Moon." In addition, his short story "Rollerball Murder" was adapted for the screen in the "Rollerball" movies.
Harrison's "Burton and Speke" propels one back in time to the era of Victorian exploration with such illustrative vocabulary that one really feels like they are in the nineteenth century story.
Harrison's "Burton and Speke" propels one back in time to the era of Victorian exploration with such illustrative vocabulary that one really feels like they are in the nineteenth century story.
July 13, 2012
Another awesome book I read! I loved it mostly because of the two main characters-Sir Richard Burton and John Speke...The movie Mountains On The Moon gave me the inspiration to find books about them and this book was wonderful!!!
August 17, 2007
awesome historical fiction based upon the explorations of the british explorers Burton and Speke. very thorough in detail, yet flows well. exciting and interesting.
August 15, 2010
Interesting characters (primarily Richard Burton) in interesting times. The book feels overlong, and somewhat misanthropic.
Read
October 6, 2012Can't remember
January 19, 2013
Great adventure story written about Africa during Victorian times
February 29, 2016
The writing in this book meandered quite a bit, but I did enjoy the historical information (Victorian England, Crimean War, Africa, ).
November 29, 2016
This is a classic, in fact I intend to read it again!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews