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Adventure, betrayal & beetles: the quest for the source of the Nile
Episode 1597

Adventure, betrayal & beetles: the quest for the source of the Nile

Candice Millard recounts the trials and tribulations of a gruelling Victorian expedition to locate the source of the River Nile, from deadly diseases to bitter rivalries

HistoryExtra podcast · Immediate

March 3, 202334m 23s

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Show Notes

In the mid 19th century, a team of explorers set off in search of an elusive goal – the source of the River Nile. Set against a backdrop of imperial expansion into Africa, the expedition was led by Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke – two men who should have been great partners, but became bitter rivals. Candice Millard tells Ellie Cawthorne about Burton and Speke’s gruelling, dangerous journey, and the guide who made it possible – Sidi Mubarak Bombay.


(Ad) Candice Millard is the author of River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile (Swift Press, 2022). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/River-Gods-Genius-Courage-Betrayal-ebook/dp/B0B6MXG1CZ/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty

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