SNAILHAM The Blue Nile Revealed.

↗ 1968 ↘ 1968

UGS : 0196899 Catégories : ,

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Réf. Biblethiophile

Réf. Pankhurst Partie

Réf. Pankhurst Page

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The mile-deep gorge made by the Blue Nile as it flows out of the highlands of North-West Ethiopia into the broad plains of the Sudan is one of the greatest natural features of the world. It remained virtually unexplored until 1968. That summer an expedition sponsored by the Army, the Daily Tele­graph and the Royal Geographical Society, set out to investigate this gorge and to navigate 500 miles of the river – known in Ethiopia as the Great Abbai -200 miles of which had not previously been visited by Europeans, except at occasional fording places. The expedition, led by Captain John Blashford Snell, R.E., was a major feat of exploration. The Great Abbai is a forbidding river, infested with crocodiles and riven by cataracts, and its passage required great courage and resourcefulness. The climax of the expedition, the penetration of the Northern gorge, was unhappily marked by the death of one of the members of the expedition by drown­ing, and two attacks by bandits. In these harsh conditions a group of scientists – mainly zoologists -were able to carry out a valuable scientific investiga­tion of the area.

The story of the Great Abbai expedition has been told here by one of its members, Richard Snailham, a Civilian lecturer at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. While paying due regard to the technical and scientific aspects of the expedition, he has written a very human account of this immensely exciting adventure. The book is fully illustrated with photographs and maps.

 

From the reviews

‘An engrossing, frequently thrilling, often hilarious book… full of moments of sheer comedy, described with great aplomb.’

Michael Maxwell scott, Daily Telegraph

‘A real adventure, told with humour and plenty of absorbing down-to-earth detail – and utterly without the pretentiousness that sometimes marks travel books.’                                                    

Oxford Times

Richard Snailham was educated at Oakham and Keble College, Oxford, where he read modern history. His wide travels in Europe, Africa and the Middle East led to a particular interest in Ethiopia. He collaborated in the writing of a handbook, The Expedition Organiser’s Guide, for the Scientific Exploration Society, and has published articles on travel in The Times Educational Supplement and the Geographical Magazine. Since 1965 Mr. Snailham has been Senior Lecturer in history at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

Source: revers de jaquette