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    Explorers of the Nile: The Triumph and Tragedy of a Great Victorian Adventure
    Explorers of the Nile: The Triumph and Tragedy of a Great Victorian Adventure
    Explorers of the Nile: The Triumph and Tragedy of a Great Victorian Adventure
    Audiobook14 hours

    Explorers of the Nile: The Triumph and Tragedy of a Great Victorian Adventure

    Written by Tim Jeal

    Narrated by Clive Chafer

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    About this audiobook

    Nothing obsessed explorers of the mid-nineteenth century more than
    the quest to discover the source of the White Nile. It was the planet's most elusive secret, the prize coveted above all others. Between 1856 and 1876, six larger-than-life men and one extraordinary woman accepted
    the challenge. Showing extreme courage and resilience, Richard Burton, John Hanning Speke, James Augustus Grant, Samuel Baker, Florence von Sass, David Livingstone, and Henry Morton Stanley risked their lives and
    reputations in the fierce competition. Award-winning author Tim Jeal deploys fascinating new research to provide a vivid tableau of the unmapped "Dark Continent," its jungle deprivations, and the courage-as well as malicious tactics-of the explorers.On multiple forays launched into east and central Africa, the travelers passed through almost impenetrable terrain and suffered the ravages of flesh-eating ulcers, paralysis, malaria, deep spear wounds, and even death. They discovered Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria and became the first white people to encounter the kingdoms of Buganda and Bunyoro. Jeal weaves the story with authentic new detail and examines the tragic unintended legacy of the Nile search that still casts a long shadow over the people of Uganda and Sudan.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateDec 26, 2011
    ISBN9781452675428

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    Reviews for Explorers of the Nile

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      Good eye opening account of the tribulations of African exploration definitely not a walk in the park.
    • 4/5
      The Nile River might have been one of the cradles of early civilization, but the source of that great river remained a mystery until the Victorian Era. As scientific exploration all around the planet became in vogue, much of it sponsored in England. The source of the Nile, as well as the exploration of central Africa, received considerable attention at this time.Among those who sought to confirm their theories was Richard Burton, John Speke, David Livingstone, Henry Stanley, and Samuel Baker. Raising money to fund an expedition was the least of their worries...once one the move, expeditions would run afoul of local wars, slave traders, cannibals, and endless biological agents - infections, diseases, and other critters. In many cases, a large number of the original party would succumb, and sometimes even their famous leaders.The difficulties of the challenge cannot be overestimated. A year or more could be spent pursuing a dead end, a lake with other tributaries, or a morass of shifting channels. The region was rife with tribal warfare, and Caucasian explorers were only sometimes tolerated. Local diplomacy was a necessary skill that all explorers had to work on, although some, like Burton, couldn't ever overcome his prejudices to be successful. A good map would be a welcome accompiament to this book. Google Maps was often insufficient in locating every place covered in this book. I was a little surprised though about how far west into central Africa the quest took some explorers: indeed, it was often an elaborate detour to figure out if a particular river was a tributary to the Nile or the Congo. At the end of the book, Jeal takes us from Stanley's second expedition (his first was to locate Dr. Livingstone) up to modern times. Some of the tribal discord discovered then holds true today. It was a nice touch to see the continuity from this period of time to the present, and helps to understand some of what goes on in the world's backwater.