Explorers of the Nile: The Triumph and Tragedy of a Great Victorian Adventure, from Tim Jeal - author of the bestselling Stanley - is the epic Victorian story of the search for the source of the Nile.
Tim Jeal is the author of acclaimed biographies of Livingstone and Baden-Powell. His memoir, Swimming with My Father, was shortlisted for the PEN Ackerley Prize for Autobiography. His biography of Henry Morton Stanley, Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer, was published in 2007 and was named Sunday Times Biography of the Year.
"[A] wonderfully entertaining and authoritative account of the
search for the Nile and its consequences...There is something
intensely moving about the way in which Jeal has sought to restore
Speke's reputation."--John Preston, "Sunday Telegraph"--John
Preston "Sunday Telegraph "
""Explorers of the Nile" is a brilliant, scholarly and at times
almost unreadably vivid account of the two decades in the middle of
the 19th century when the search for the Nile's source in central
Africa was at its height."--Ben Macintyre, "New York Times Book
Review"--Ben Macintyre "New York Times Book Review "
"Elegantly written and skillfully crafted...The greatest strengths
of this highly enjoyable and readable book are Jeal's passion for
his subject and his mastery of personalities as complex as the
geography they battled to understand."--Diane Preston, "Washington
Post "--Diane Preston "Washington Post "
"Epic in proportion...An absorbing adventure and a thought
provoking morality tale."--Peter Burton, "Daily Express"--Peter
Burton "Daily Express "
"If there is one book about the search for the sources of the Nile
to read and keep on the shelf, this is it."--Tim Severin, "Irish
Examiner"--Tim Severin "Irish Examiner "
"Jeal's lengthy, comprehensive, and revisionist book is exciting
reading both about the adventures in the field and about the clash
of personalities."--Rob Hardy, "The Dispatch"--Rob Hardy "The
Dispatch "
"Masterly...One of the fascinations of Jeal's book and his account
of this astonishing period of exploration is that it makes great
efforts to strip away the accumulated myths and through this
process we can begin to see these 'heroic' figures plain, to
imagine them as they were to their contemporaries."--William Boyd,
"TLS"--William Boyd "TLS "
"Masterly...The complicated narrative is well told with exemplary
scholarship and great and compelling lucidity...One of the
fascinations of Jeal's book and his account of this astonishing
period of exploration is that it makes great efforts to strip away
the accumulated myths and through this process we can begin to see
these 'heroic' figures plain, to imagine them as they were to their
contemporaries."--William Boyd, "TLS"--William Boyd "TLS "
"Superb narrative . . . Jeal's judicious account is a must-read for
anyone hoping to understand the internal dynamics of modern
state-building in central Africa."--Brian Odom, "Booklist"--Brian
Odom "Booklist "
"There are few greater stories than the race to the Nile's
source... Tim Jeal gives a fine reprise, bringing together in one
well-paced narrative the interlocking Nilotic adventures ... Its
place [is] alongside the classics of Victorian explorer
history."--Tim Butcher, "Daily Telegraph"--Tim Butcher "Daily
Telegraph "
"Tim Jeal's gripping book pulls the whole astonishing story
together. . . . It's as intricate and unexpected as the source of
the river itself. . . All the main players were. . . examples of
grit, resourcefulness and courage on a heroic scale. . . . How
intimately Tim Jeal knows them all, and brings them back to life
for us."--Tom Stacey, "The Spectator"--Tom Stacey "The Spectator
"
"Tim Jeal's masterly book ... can safely supplant Alan Moorehead's
1960 classic, The White Nile... Jeal also knows how to tell a
fabulous story, and he lets old-fashioned epic adventure sit at the
heart of his fine book." --James McConnachie, "Sunday Times"--James
McConnachie "Sunday Times "
"Tim Jeal's wonderful book is filled with anecdotes and brilliant
cameos, which keep the narrative fresh and sparklingly alive. His
treatment of these legendary figures is authoritative and
compassionate."--Alexander Maitland, "Literary Review"--Alexander
Maitland "Literary Review "
Runner-up for the General Non-fiction category at the Los Angeles
Book Festival.--Los Angeles Book Festival "Runner-up General
Non-Fiction "
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