AUTHOR & BOOK EVENT OVERVIEW: Candice Millard, New York Times Bestselling Author, will be In Conversation with a PowerPoint Presentation about her New Hardcover River of The Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza, Sanctuary, 707 W 47th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64112.
ABOUT THE NEW BOOK RIVER OF THE GODS: The harrowing story of one of the great feats of exploration of all time and its complicated legacy, from The New York Times Bestselling Author of The River of Doubt, and Destiny of the Republic, and Hero of the Empire.
For millennia the location of the Nile River's headwaters was shrouded in mystery. In the 19th century, there was a frenzy of interest in ancient Egypt. At the same time, European powers sent off waves of explorations intended to map the unknown corners of the globe, and extend their colonial empires.
Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke were sent by the Royal Geographical Society to claim the prize for England. Burton spoke twenty-nine languages, and was a decorated soldier. He was also mercurial, subtle, and an iconoclastic atheist. Speke was a young aristocrat and Army officer determined to make his mark, passionate about hunting, Burton's opposite in temperament and beliefs.
From the start the two men clashed. They would endure tremendous hardships, illness, and constant setbacks. Two years in, deep in the African interior, Burton became too sick to press on, but Speke did, and claimed he found the source in a great lake that he christened Lake Victoria. When they returned to England, Speke rushed to take credit, disparaging Burton. Burton disputed his claim, and Speke launched another expedition to Africa to prove it. The two became venomous enemies, with the public siding with the more charismatic Burton, to Speke's great envy. The day before they were to publicly debate, Speke shot himself.
Yet there was a third man on both expeditions, his name obscured by imperial annals, whose exploits were even more extraordinary. This was Sidi Mubarak Bombay, who was enslaved and shipped from his home village in East Africa to India. When the man who purchased him died, he made his way into the local Sultan's army, and eventually traveled back to Africa, where he used his resourcefulness, linguistic prowess and raw courage to forge a living as a guide. Without Bombay and men like him, who led, carried, and protected the expedition, neither Englishman would have come close to the headwaters of the Nile, or perhaps even survived.
In River of the Gods Candice Millard has written another peerless story of courage and adventure, set against the backdrop of the race to exploit Africa by the colonial powers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Candice Millard is the Author of The New York Times Bestsellers: The River of Doubt, Destiny of the Republic, and Hero of the Empire. She lives in Kansas City, Kansas, with her husband and 3 children.
EVENT DATE & TIME: Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at 7:00 PM
EVENT LOCATION: Unity Temple on The Plaza, Sanctuary, 707 W 47th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64112. Complimentary parking is available in the parking garage immediately adjacent to the Unity Temple.
ADMISSION PACKAGE: $32.50 plus Kansas Sales Tax includes 1 Hardcover of River of The Gods, 1 Reservation, and 1 Guest Reservation (if needed). It's your choice, for the same Price.
All Admission Packages will be held at Will Call at our Sales & Service Table in the Lobby of Unity Temple, available for Pick-Up beginning on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at 6:00 PM.
Walk-In Admission Packages will be available at our Sales & Service Table in the Unity Temple on The Plaza, Lobby, on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, beginning at 6:00 PM. As of Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at 1:30 PM, Online Ordering of Admission Packages will end.
EVENT FORMAT: Candice Millard will be In Conversation with a PowerPoint Presentation about her New Hardcover River of The Gods. The Conversation & Presentation will last approximately 1 Hour.
DISCLAIMER: All Author Event sales are final and non-refundable. Kansas Sales Tax is charged on all domestic orders, regardless of destination. Unless otherwise indicated, Authors will only sign Books purchased from Rainy Day Books accompanied by a Stamped Admission Ticket. Additional signed copies are available for purchase at our Author Event.
AUTOGRAPHED BOOK: Author Autographed Hardcover of River of The Gods