Journey to the Source of the Nile

Christopher Ondaatje has given us a superb travelogue, blended skillfully with perspectives on the great 19th-Century Nile explorations. His maps, both current and historical, are well-crafted. The book's best feature, however, is its multitude of stunning photographs that bring to life this enormous, majestic realm of water, wilderness, and vibrant inhabitants both human and animal. Ondaatje must be an even better photographer than he is a writer, and is obviously in tune with the people he meets. They gaze directly and warmly into his lens as if he were a member of their own group. The depictions of rivers, mountains, and savannahs are simply breathtaking.