As the title indicates the book reveals the true story of the River Nile. It starts with an exploration of one of the world's greatest civilisations: ancient Egypt. Then readers will be taken on a modern journey upstream to where the river splits into its two main arms: the White Nile and the Blue Nile.

Readers will also follow in the footsteps of the great Victorian explorers - among them Burton, Speke, Stanley and Livingstone - as they raced to solve the riddle of the river's source, deep in the heart of Africa. Nile brings to light how the ancient Egyptians never understood the floods that each year replenished the rich farming land along the river's banks. They invented a complex mythology to explain the cycles of the river, but the mystery of how the Nile came to be such a powerful, fluctuating force continued to torment people for thousands of years.

The book includes new photography and detailed maps of one of the world's greatest natural wonders. Following Nile, the second title in BBC Books' series will be Yangtze. This will be published in September 2004.