The Nile - by Terje Tvedt (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"[A] vivid travelogue." New Statesman
"Has much to offer."The Spectator
"Sparks the imagination." BBC History Magazine
"Afascinating study." BBC History Revealed Magazine
"Essential reading."All About History
"Valiant, valuable and entertaining." Times Literary Supplement

The greatest river in the world has a long and fascinating history. Professor Terje Tvedt, one of the world's leading experts on the history of waterways, travels upstream along the river's mouth to its sources. The result is a travelogue through 5000 years and 11 countries, from the Mediterranean to Central Africa. This is the fascinating story of the immense economic, political and mythical significance of the river. Brimming with accounts of central characters in the struggle for the Nile - from Caesar and Cleopatra, to Churchill and Mussolini, and on to the political leaders of today, The Nile is also the story of water as it nourished a civilization.

Review Quotes

A wide-ranging, idiosyncratic exploration of the ways in which the river Nile has shaped life throughout Africa across the course of centuries... This book sparks the imagination, encouraging readers to discover more about lives lived along the Nile, past and present.
BBC History Magazine

In his vivid travelogue and cultural history, the Norwegian professor Terje Tvedt journeys from mouth to source, presenting a deluge of detail about the sediments of history, folklore and nature along the Nile's banks... Tvedt, switching effortlessly from history to reportage, also brings the Nile into the present with discursions on everything from Barack Obama's family origins in Kenya and George W Bush's role in South Sudan's gaining independence in 2011 to Idi Amin feeding human bodies to the crocodiles.
New Statesman

When Terje Tveldt's survey of the great river leaves Egypt for the upper reaches, we begin to learn some satisfyingly arcane facts... For those with time to spare - perhaps when taking a long sail up the great river - the book has much to offer if treated as a compendium to dip into judiciously.
The Spectator

About the Author

Terje Tvedt is Professor of Geography at the University of Bergen and Professor of Political Science and of Global History at the University of Oslo, Norway. He has published extensively on water related topics and presented three successful television documentaries on water, shown in 150 countries worldwide. He is the Series Editor of the pioneering History of Water Series, published by I.B.Tauris.