[Red Nile] [By: Twigger, Robert] [April, 2014] Paperback

Highly engaging and informative, this work ranges from Pharaonic times to Napoleon, and from Alexander the Great to Anwar Sadat and the Arab Spring. Not a straightforward “what-led-to-what, and when” historical rendering, but a succession of sub-stories about the complex connections of the Nile with native and European peoples and their cultures, settlements and cities, wars, inventions, religions, and allegiances. One comes away with a deep sense of the demanding physical conditions of the Nile Basin, along with the flora and fauna of the entire region, as well as the profound ecological impact of specific engineering decisions on the African continent.

Fun and informative to read with some mildly naughty bits too. Decent illustrations.

Twigger is an excellent story teller with a great story to tell which he does with brio!A true biography of the longest river in the world.I am an avid reader with a good memory and interest in History and I must say he wrote a history that I was not fully aware of.Fascinating personalities populate his book, with biographical information I knew very little about and which I found fascinating.Personages such as: Pharaoh Menes, Cleopatra, King Herod,Mary Mother of Jesus,Hypatia, Ibn al-Haythem, Anwar the Druze, Maimonides, Duke of Abruzzi, Flaubert and Kuchuk Hanem, Samuel Baker, Jean Baptiste Marchand, Hiram Maxim, Iroquois Indians on the Nile, Ferdinand de Lesseps, Churchill, Orde Wingate, Wilfred Thesiger, Agatha Christi, Sadat.This fascinating list of engaging historical personages just fills the pages of this history with mesmerizing information. This is just one aspect of this engaging history. It is a grand sweep of the historical Nile and a geography on an exceptionally erudite level.The best book I have read in two or three years!

A great pleasure to find. Triggers book is an Odyssey, a very readable exploration of the Nile River as it has influenced 5000 years of history. Well researched and filled with anecdotes trivia and action. The book moves quickly and ties great swaths of change and adventure around the central theme of this great river. Moving back and forth seamlessly from present to ancient events this is history in the hands of an accomplished spinner of tales. An extremely entertaining and rewarding doorway into Africa and the compelling physical and historical narrative that this river and region have engendered.

excellent

A number of books have been written about the Nile. This book adds significantly to the literature on our fascination with the Nile, its history, origin and exploration. It is set into a solid historical base, and exposes episodes which are not covered by much of the previous literature. As a piece of analytical historical writing with an acute sense of the interesting it is a stand out contribution in the genre of Vanished Kingdoms, another piece of fascinating historical writing and analysis about "what makes history."

Although I sometimes wanted to keep notes on what I had read, I appreciate the amount of history covered by the author. I want to find other sources that go into more detail on specific areas and times

An incredible history of the Nile and all things connected with itbased on excellent research and personal experience.A must read for general knowledge. Geology, history, personal historiesof pharaos, kings, explorers of various parts of Africa, geography etc.,etc. and much, much more. It is all there.......

The author has condensed information from a plethora of sources to create a wonderful book to read about a historic natural feature that is the river Nile.

I didn't want this book to end. Twigger approaches his subject with meticulous research and infectious enthusiasm. His anecdotes, historical and descriptive passages are second to none. I felt I was reading a book by a real expert and someone with both the imagination and the ability to bring in many tales which, even though some only lightly touched the Nile as subject matter, still came across as gripping and valid. I was incredulous that the high standard he began with continued unceasingly throughout the book. Taking into account its great length this was a feat in itself. I would unreservedly recommend this to everyone and may yet buy the hardback so I can have it on the bookshelves as well as on the Kindle. It is a darned good read and one to keep you occupied through grim winter evenings and to reread again often.

amazing detail...dose zip back and forth through both Egypt and time!!! but is very interesting....some of the detail is rather graphic but I,m still enjoying this long read.

What a marvellous writer he is. He notices stuff of interest wherever he looks. And he communicates a sense of meaning so you feel the world's bounds loosen and enlightenment creep in. I read the book slowly, savouring it, sometimes just a short section a day (- you can dip in and out though there are threads of continuity.I didn't know I would be interested by a river's biography - how wrong I was.I cant resist quoting a couple of section headings;section 18 of part 2: "Christian mob murder attractive female philosopher"section 35 of part 5: "Iroquois Indians on the River Nile" (yes there were - worth getting the book just for this)

The first thing to say is that this a long book, but don't let that deter you from reading it. The author has created a fascinating and very detailed account of the River Nile and its many aspects; amongst others he covers its geography, its history, its exploration (especially its source), the many historical characters associated with it, its involvement in national and international politics and several others I did not expect to find in this book. A very interesting and enjoyable read I would recommend to other potential readers.