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

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.

Joyce Tyldesley, BBC History Magazine

[Tvedt] is an engaging, idiosyncratic guide, charting the ways in which the river has shaped everything from culture and agriculture to empire and religion. Packed with surprising detours and larger-than-life characters, it's both a fascinating study of a specific region and an illuminating look at the relationship between humans and the physical world we inhabit.

BBC History Revealed Magazine

In this involving and richly nuanced narrative, [Tvedt] invites the reader to join him on his journey in a book that is part history, part travelogue, and always involving… Tvedt's love for his subject is evident on every page. Readers will find much to enjoy here, whether they are students of history, or simply looking for a book that is as accessible as it is ambitious. With a scope as vast as the Nile itself … The Nile is essential reading.

All About History

Terje Tvedt's fascinating book is an account of all this – and an attempt to underline the importance of the Nile waters in the political, economic and social life of the countries clustered around their banks. Like a heron flitting from riverbank to rock to rushing water in search of fish, Tvedt's narrative lands in a dizzying array of destinations…. Valiant, valuable and entertaining.

James Copnall, Times Literary Supplement