The White Nile

I love reading history and fancy myself to be quite well read on a variety of historical topics, however I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that much of what I read in this book was completely new to me. This book deals with the Upper Nile region of Sudan and Central Africa, primarily in the latter half of the 19th century. Parts of the book dealing with Speke, David Livingstone and Henry Stanley were somewhat familiar to me, however historical characters such as Burton, Gordon, Emin, the Mahdi and various of the other Pashas and Khedives were new and absolutely fertile ground. This book is extremely well written and at almost all times captivating. The descriptions of the Sudd region of the Nile raised visions of Humphrey Bogart dragging the African Queen and Kathrine Hepburn through the reed choked channels of another African river. The chapters on the fall of Khartoum and the struggles of Emin in Equatoria were riveting. I highly recommend this book, if for no other reason than the fact that unless you are a student of central Africa, you have probably never been exposed to much of this history. For anyone seeking a more detailed treatment of specific African explorations, I recommend Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone by Martin Dugard. Another captivating read from this period would be King Leopold's Ghost, dealing with colonization of the Belgian Congo.

Don't let political correctness and revisionist history keep you away from this book. This is a fascinating, well written book. Hightly recommended to anyone interested in the exploration and history surrounding the Nile.

Alan Moorehead is one of the finest writers of history books for the lay reader, and "The White Nile" is one of his best books. Moorehead focuses on the period of 1856-1899, telling the story of European discovery, conquest, and colonization of the Nile region. The first part, "Exploration", covers Burton, Speke, Baker, Mutesa, Livingstone, and Stanley. The second part, "Exploitation", covers growing European influence in Khedive Ismail's Egypt and Barghash's Zanzibar in the 1860's, and introduces General Gordon. The third part, "The Moslem Revolt" sees General Gordon defeated by the Mahdi at Khartoum and Emin Pasha rescued by Stanley. The last part, "The Christian Victory" tells of Marchand's march to Fashoda, Kitchener's victory in Khartoum, and the arrival of Thomas Cook cruises. Some may object to Moorehead's emphasis on Europeans, but this is part of the history of the region. It is fascinating history and it is brought to life in this book, which has deservedly become a classic. Well worth reading not only for the history itself, but also for Moorehead's well-crafted prose. Five stars.

I can't believe that I first read this book when I was 16 years old in 1965!! It mesmerized me back then. I did not do my homework I was so engrossed by this book! I bought the book at one of those discount stores, that sold paperback books with the front cover ripped off. I consider this book to be one of the best books I ever read! Last year I bought a mint condition hard cover first edition copy of the White Nile, reading this book again convinces me that Alan Moorehead was one of the greatest popular history writers of all time.Why did he give up writing?In high school I determined to read everything else Moorehead wrote, The Blue Nile-Fantastic, The Russian Revolution-truly great, Cooper's Creek-outstanding book of early Australian explorers. I wonder how many teenagers were launched into the world of books, literature and history by Alan Moorehead.Sincerely, Armand

Alan Moorehead's pair of Nile historys (the other being The Blue Nile) are, quite simply, wonderful. If history had been like this when I was in school they would never had gotten me out of the classroom! The White Nile tells the story of the search for the fabled source of the Nile River and the subsequent "opening up" of the African interior. An incredible cast of characters is served up, including Speke, Burton, Baker, Gordon, and many others, and their exploits could keep Hollywood in business for years. My only question is, why is this book no longer in print? Find it if you can and if you do, don't let it go