From Publishers Weekly
Explorers have always clamored to be the first, and after centuries of such conquests, there are precious few left. One first that hadn't been fully achieved, however, was navigating the Nile from its source in Ethiopia to where it pours into the Mediterranean near Alexandria. In 2004, Scaturro and Gordon Brown, two men with shockingly little regard for their own safety, undertook this expedition, running the 3,000 miles of river in some terrible conditions. Ostensibly, the point of this trip was to make an IMAX film of it (which will be released in February), but readers soon learn that the journey was an end in itself. The book's beginning, as the pair start out in Ethiopia, is fascinating; they explore ancient churches and convince suspicious locals they aren't a threat. Bangs, an expert river guide, and geophysicist Scaturro explain how the team undergoes harrowing stretches of whitewater and evades flotillas of aggressive crocodiles, painfully negotiating their way north, through the Sudan and into Egypt. The material for a raw and thrilling adventure is definitely here, but alas, the narrative never sustains much momentum, constantly flashing back to other exciting episodes in Scaturro's life in a manner that eventually feels like padding. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Scaturro and his partner, Gordon Brown, led an expedition that on April 28, 2004, completed the first descent of the Blue Nile River; it took 114 days. They traveled 3,260 miles by kayak and raft, from the highlands of Ethiopia and through Sudan and Eygpt. Bangs and Scaturro are longtime friends, and Bangs relied on Scaturro's journals in writing this book. He describes the journey's perils--dangerous rapids, armed guerrillas, man-eating crocodiles, polluted water, temperatures as high as 125 degrees, sandstorms, windstorms, and exhaustion. Bangs declares that at one point during the journey "they scanned the horizon in all directions. There was nothing at all. They were in the middle of nowhere." With a 16-page color insert and a brief history of earlier explorations, this is a moving account of an incredible journey. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
A thrilling account of the greatest geographical expedition of our time-the first-ever complete descent of the Nile River.

Over the past century, many explorers have attempted to run the magnificent Nile, but none succeeded. At least a dozen men died trying, and since 1964, three explorers have been shot, two have drowned, and another simply disappeared.

In April 2004, the renowned adventurer Pasquale Scaturro made history when he completed his epic journey down the Nile in 114 days, traveling 3,250 miles by kayak, from its source in Ethiopia to the shores of Alexandria, where it flows into the Mediterranean Sea. He ran the great river in the face of such obstacles as deadly crocodiles and hippos, arrests by Ethiopian and Egyptian militia, gunfire from Sudanese bandits, extreme temperatures, violent sandstorms, and exposure to malaria.

He details his historical quest here, with critically acclaimed coauthor Richard Bangs, in a breathtaking tale that features a beautiful collection of photographs. MacGillivray Freeman Films is releasing an IMAX movie in conjunction with the book.

About the Author
Richard Bangs is the author of The Lost River, for which he was awarded the National Outdoor Book Award. The founder of Mountain Travel Sobek, an adventure-travel firm, he has written more than five hundred magazine articles and eleven books.

Pasquale Scaturro is a renowned geophysicist and adventurer. In 2001 he led the successful Mount Everest expedition that broke four Everest climbing records. In 2004 he became the first person to complete a successful descent of the Nile. Scaturro lives in Colorado, where he heads Exploration Specialists International, which leads expeditions around the globe.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"On April 28, 2004, renowned adventurer Pasquale Scaturro, along with his partner, Gordon Brown, made history. Leading an expedition that completed the epic first descent of the Blue Nile and Nile in 114 days, they traveled more than 3,000 miles by kayak and raft, from the source at the site of the holy springs of Gish in Ethiopia, to the shores near Alexandria, where the river debouches into the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Battling the world's most dangerous rapids, man-eating crocodiles, and AK-47-toting guerillas, Scaturro and his team ran the great river from the stark highlands of Ethiopia, through troubled Sudan, and past the ancient wonders of Egypt. From violent militia and bandits to extreme temperatures, blinding sandstorms, and exposure to tropical diseases, they faced nearly every imaginable peril" Mystery of the Nile combines the story of this triumphant journey with the rich history of previous exploration attempts.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Explorers have always clamored to be the first, and after centuries of such conquests, there are precious few left. One first that hadn't been fully achieved, however, was navigating the Nile from its source in Ethiopia to where it pours into the Mediterranean near Alexandria. In 2004, Scaturro and Gordon Brown, two men with shockingly little regard for their own safety, undertook this expedition, running the 3,000 miles of river in some terrible conditions. Ostensibly, the point of this trip was to make an IMAX film of it (which will be released in February), but readers soon learn that the journey was an end in itself. The book's beginning, as the pair start out in Ethiopia, is fascinating; they explore ancient churches and convince suspicious locals they aren't a threat. Bangs, an expert river guide, and geophysicist Scaturro explain how the team undergoes harrowing stretches of whitewater and evades flotillas of aggressive crocodiles, painfully negotiating their way north, through the Sudan and into Egypt. The material for a raw and thrilling adventure is definitely here, but alas, the narrative never sustains much momentum, constantly flashing back to other exciting episodes in Scaturro's life in a manner that eventually feels like padding. Agent, Howard Morhaim. (Feb. 3) Forecast: Putnam will launch the book with a national author tour coinciding with the release of the IMAX film, which could bump sales slightly. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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