Andrew Eames — Blue River, Black Sea

Black Swan 2010 Paperback, 466pp. The river Danube flows through more countries than any other river on earth. It runs like an artery from the heart of Europe in the Black Forest to Europe's furthest flung fringes, where it joins the Black Sea in the Danube Delta in Romania. A journey along its length takes in all of European history, and encompasses the very latest developments in what can be called the New Europe. Starting at the river's source in Germany, Andrew Eames here takes a fascinating and revelatory journey by bicycle, boat and on foot. He passes through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania and the Ukraine - as well as a brief stopover with Count Dracula in Transylvania. Andrew Eames doesn't shrink from analysing the difficult issues of race and cultural identity he is bound to encounter along the way and his book seeks to find an answer to some of the most complex problems facing Europeans today. Spine creased. (ISBN: 9780552775076). Good.