Terje Tvedt is Professor of Geography at the University of Bergen and has been Professor of Political Science and of Global History at the University of Oslo, Norway. He has published extensively on water-related topics. His books include The River Nile in the Age of the British (2004), A Journey in the Future of Water (2013), and he is the Series Editor of the pioneering History of Water series. He has also made three award-winning TV-documentaries on water: A Journey in the History of Water, The Future of Water and The Nile Quest.

"[A] vivid travelogue." New Statesman
"Has much to offer." The Spectator
"Sparks the imagination." BBC History Magazine
"A fascinating study." BBC History Revealed Magazine
"Essential reading." All About History
"Valiant, valuable and entertaining." Times Literary Supplement

The greatest river in the world has a long and fascinating history. Professor Terje Tvedt, one of the world's leading experts on the history of waterways, travels upstream along the river's mouth to its sources. The result is a travelogue through 5000 years and 11 countries, from the Mediterranean to Central Africa. This is the fascinating story of the immense economic, political and mythical significance of the river. Brimming with accounts of central characters in the struggle for the Nile - from Caesar and Cleopatra, to Churchill and Mussolini, and on to the political leaders of today, The Nile is also the story of water as it nourished a civilization.