FIRST EDITION, Chatto & Windus, 2007, hardcover, 364 pages, index, condition: as new.
A compulsively readable account of a journey to the Congo a country virtually inaccessible to the outside world vividly told by a daring and adventurous journalist.
Ever since Stanley first charted its mighty river in the 1870s, the Congo has epitomized the dark and turbulent history of a failed continent. However, its troubles only served to increase the interest of Daily Telegraph correspondent Tim Butcher, who was sent to cover Africa in 2000. Before long he became obsessed with the idea of recreating Stanleys original expedition but travelling alone.
Despite warnings Butcher spent years poring over colonial-era maps and wooing rebel leaders before making his will and venturing to the Congos eastern border. He passed through once thriving cities of this country and saw the marks left behind by years of abuse and misrule. Almost, 2,500 harrowing miles later, he reached the Atlantic Ocean, a thinner and a wiser man.
Butchers journey was a remarkable feat. But the story of the Congo, vividly told in Blood River, is more remarkable still.
"A masterpiece." - John Le Carré
"A remarkable, fascinating book by a courageous and perceptive writer. One of the most exciting books to emerge from Africa in recent years."-- Alexander McCall Smith, bestselling author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
"Tim Butcher deserves a medal for this crazy feat. I marvel as his courage and his empathy with the unfortunate Congolese when he re-enacted Stanley's appalling journey across the continent."--Thomas Pakenham, author of The Scramble for Africa
"An intrepid adventure . . . It takes a lot of guts to yomp through the Congo and he obviously has plenty of those. But it is the wit and passion of the writing which keeps you engrossed."--Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland
"Blood River represents a remarkable marriage of travelogue and history, which deserves to make Tim Butcher a star for his prose, as well as his courage." --Max Hastings, author of Armageddon: The Battle for Germany
"The day of the solitary intrepid traveler is not over. Tim Butcher's extraordinary, audacious journey through the Congo is worthy of the great 19th century explorers. Completely enthralling but also a thoughtful and sobering portrait of modern Africa." --William Boyd, author of Restless
"The Congo is one of the most dangerous and unpredictable countries on earth, and to have penetrated into the depths of its darkness and described it so fully is a great achievement. It even left me with ore of an affection for Stanley than I have ever felt before. As for Butcher, I have nothing but admiration for him." - John Simpson, author of Simpson's World: Dispatches from the Front Line
