Hardcover, 448 pages, Bantam Press (March 2009), ISBN: 9780593058787. RRP: £17.99 (paperback to be released in February 2010).

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. Along the way, he knocks on the door of the occasional Schloss in the hope of accommodation for the night and meets a real live Hohenzollern; he travels through areas of intensive heavy industry as well as completely rural areas where wolves still roam and tribal fisherman live on islands thatched with reeds.

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. ‘Blue River, Black Sea’ is an absorbing and highly entertaining book which explores how much we really know about the New Europe.

‘Blue River, Black Sea’ is available to purchase in selected bookshops or online from Amazon.co.uk, Waterstones.com, and Play.com. Prices start at £13.49.