Rating: 
Summary: The astonishing story of one history's greatest mysteries.
Review: "The Blue Nile" is the story of one of history'sgreatest mysteries: the search for the source of the Nile. Sincebefore recorded time, it has been the greatest river on Earth. It surges powerfully through thousands of miles of forbidding desert; never ceasing, a giver of life that for millennia held one enduring mystery: where did it come from? As Moorehead tells us, it was the last great unknown. By the 1850s, maps of the world were accurate from corner to corner-- except for the "Dark Continent" of Africa. Its massive interior was blank; a question mark. No explorer had ever entered it and come out alive. One of the greatest ages of exploration was on: a time of Stanley and Livingston, of astonishing discoveries, of bravery and courage, slavery and horror. A handful of men risked everything to solve the Holy Grail that spurred them on: to find the source of the Nile. Note: This book was originally published in the early 1960s, I believe, along with a companion book, "The White Nile," which traces the stories, history, and intriguing exploration of the other branch of the Nile within Africa's interior. If you read one, you won't be able to resist the other. END
Rating:
Summary: The astonishing story of one history's greatest mysteries.
Review: "The Blue Nile" is the story of one of history'sgreatest mysteries: the search for the source of the Nile. Sincebefore recorded time, it has been the greatest river on Earth. It surges powerfully through thousands of miles of forbidding desert; never ceasing, a giver of life that for millennia held one enduring mystery: where did it come from? As Moorehead tells us, it was the last great unknown. By the 1850s, maps of the world were accurate from corner to corner-- except for the "Dark Continent" of Africa. Its massive interior was blank; a question mark. No explorer had ever entered it and come out alive. One of the greatest ages of exploration was on: a time of Stanley and Livingston, of astonishing discoveries, of bravery and courage, slavery and horror. A handful of men risked everything to solve the Holy Grail that spurred them on: to find the source of the Nile. Note: This book was originally published in the early 1960s, I believe, along with a companion book, "The White Nile," which traces the stories, history, and intriguing exploration of the other branch of the Nile within Africa's interior. If you read one, you won't be able to resist the other. END
Rating: 
Summary: Companion to WHITE NILE is readable but limited
Review: After reading THE WHITE NILE, this companion book seems a bit rushed and not as well researched. Admittedly, there was more to-do over the While Nile than the Blue Nile, but the focus seems to veer from Napoleon to the Mamelukes to the Turks to the Ethiopians to the the Brits. I would have loved more history on Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. Particularly the latter, whose people are both distinct and ancient, yet we hear more about the bloody Brits again. Basically, a good read, but just not enough.
Rating: 
Summary: So-so
Review: Alan Moorehead's work isn't magnificent because it is downright racist at times. If you want good history, read Cheikh Anta Diop.
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting disjointed history of Africa
Review: I read "The White Nile" and found that it read more like a novel than this one. This book takes a close look at four major explorers and/or dominent people who came into contact with the Blue Nile. The brief history of these people is interesting, but the contribution of the river is not a major issue. In the White Nile, though the people are imortant, the river played a major role in the history of the region. I recomend both books: One will learn much about the Nile River and some great and brave people.
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting disjointed history of Africa
Review: I read "The White Nile" and found that it read more like a novel than this one. This book takes a close look at four major explorers and/or dominent people who came into contact with the Blue Nile. The brief history of these people is interesting, but the contribution of the river is not a major issue. In the White Nile, though the people are imortant, the river played a major role in the history of the region. I recomend both books: One will learn much about the Nile River and some great and brave people.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reading and very informative.
Review: I truely enjoyed this book as well as the companion book "The White Nile". I read this book while living in Nairobi, Kenya and found it enlightening to the politics of Colonial Africa.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reading and very informative.
Review: I truely enjoyed this book as well as the companion book "The White Nile". I read this book while living in Nairobi, Kenya and found it enlightening to the politics of Colonial Africa.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reading and very informative.
Review: I truely enjoyed this book as well as the companion book "The White Nile". I read this book while living in Nairobi, Kenya and found it enlightening to the politics of Colonial Africa.
Rating:
Summary: Truly absorbing!
Review: The Blue Nile and its companion, The White Nile are historical accounts with details that are almost beyond belief. Even as an avid reader of history and exploration, I was taken with accounts, that if presented as fiction, would be dismissed as too fantastic to be credible. The author's style is reminiscent of Daniel J. Boorstin and similarly readable. Details of the Marmelukes that ruled Egypt, and of the charismatic Islamic figure, The Mahdi, are only two of the portraits that will fascinate.
| 
