Author:Rupert Wright
Colourless, tasteless, odourless, ageless: water is both the simplest thing on earth and the most complex. We cannot live without it yet it kills six thousand children a day. It is the ultimate renewable resource but we pollute it without thinking twice. Why, if water is so valuable does nobody want to pay for it unless it comes in a designer bottle? Is it really the oil of the twenty-first century? Will we all soon be fighting over it, or can it lead countries into co-operation rather than conflict?
In this enthralling voyage of discovery, Rupert Wright sets out to discover exactly what water is and why it plays such an important role in history, culture, art and literature. Part reportage and part personal journey, Take Me to the Source is the fascinating story of the substance that makes life on earth possible.
It is to Wright's credit that that he manages to introduce so many ideas without his writing sounding glib or strained
—— Daily TelegraphSplendid omnium gatherum of water science, art and lore ... Wright's 10 commandments for water projects should be required reading for all engaged with water governance
—— Giles Foden , GuardianAn optimistic read in these ecologically-troubled times
—— Financial TimesAn entertaining tour of the world of water
—— Times Literary SupplementSuperb book
—— Alexandra Masters , ObserverMeticulously researched compendium... Poetic vignettes flow into journalistic reportage, ensuring you never reach for a glass in the same way again
—— Elizabeth Kirkwood , Daily TelegraphPaul's books will inspire even the most reluctant urban gardener.
—— Darina Allen , Irish ExaminerPacked with ideas, it's a book we should all read, and if we each follow just a fraction of Mr Waddington's advice, we'll be doing something positive to protect the environment.
—— Nottingham Evening PostThis is a terrific book for anyone who has toyed with any aspect of going back to the land...He is endlessly positive, but realistic too.
—— Kent on SundayA wonderful book- [which] bears favourable comparison with Jacob Bronowski's The Ascent of Man.
—— Sunday TelegraphJames Watson-is one of the greatest living biologists- [His] new book is an important event, for he is a scintillating writer
—— John Cornwell , The Sunday TimesJames Watson has been an eyewitness to each revolution in molecular biology, from the double helix to the genome. He sees further and clearer than anybody else in the field. Give this fabulously good book to anybody who wants to understand what all the excitement is about
—— Matt RidleyGabriel Weston's story succeeds better than any I have known...more riveting and thought-provoking than any fiction
—— The Lady, Susan HillGlinting like a tray of instruments, her prose is satisfyingly precise
—— Victoria Segal , The GuardianA curiously thrilling read, written with an elegance heightened by its clarity and economy
—— Elizabeth Day , ObserverA valuable and unflinching account, since it so clearly tells the truth
—— Christopher Hart , The Sunday TimesThis book is mesmerising
—— William Leith , ScotsmanHer description of the struggle to remain individual and hence moral is her real achievement. This, to me, is what female writing has to do, and she does it with style and humour and beauty
—— Rachel CuskThis much appreciated book should be a must-read for everyone who likes to travel, and should be translated into the languages of the world's tourism champions. It should also be a must-read for politicians and decision makers in development agencies to finally understand that tourism has lost the 'virginity' of a harmless leisure sector to develop into a dangerous global driving force which needs to be regulated and restricted.
—— Contours magazine