MOUNTAIN TRAVEL-SOBEK

South Africa Hiking & Safari

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Books for

Enrich your travels with reading! Here's a hand-picked list prepared for your journey in conjunction with the book experts at Longitude.

Essential Reading

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Insight Guide South Africa

Insight Guide South Africa

by Insight Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

South Africa is brought to life in hundreds of color photographs and vividly written essays by a team of experts. Panoramic in scope, the guide takes us from Johannesburg out into the veldt, providing genuine insight into the history, nature and modern politics of this complex land. (SAF21, $24.99)

The Safari Companion

The Safari Companion

by Richard Estes

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 459 PAGES
  • BEST SELLER

An invaluable encyclopedic guide to Africa's mammals by a noted scientist. Written with the typical safari-goer in mind, this perennial bestseller includes black-and-white drawings, an overview of each group and in-depth information. (AFR06, $30.00)

My Traitor's Heart

My Traitor's Heart

by Rian Malan

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 425 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

The Afrikaner and journalist recounts his return to his homeland just before the collapse of Apartheid. Malan grapples with the black and white heart of South Africa, drawing on the 300-year history of his family in Africa, legends of the Zulu nation and some brutally honest reporting. (SAF19, $15.00)

The Wildlife of Southern Africa, A Field Guide to the Animals and Plants of the Region

The Wildlife of Southern Africa, A Field Guide to the Animals and Plants of the Region

by Vincent Carruthers | Kenneth Newman

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES
  • BEST SELLER

With 1,200 color illustrations by a range of experts, this compact field guide includes all the birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, fish and plants that a traveler is likely to encounter in Southern Africa. (SAF59, $29.95)

South Africa Travel Map

South Africa Travel Map

by Globetrotter

  • 2008
  • MAP
  • BEST SELLER

A colorful map at a scale of 1:2,400,000. (SAF09, $8.95)

 
Culture Smart! South Africa

Culture Smart! South Africa


by David Holt-Biddle

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 168 PAGES

This handy guide will help you navigate local customs, etiquette and culture. (SAF169, $9.95)

Eyewitness Guide South Africa

Eyewitness Guide South Africa


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 408 PAGES

This superb guide features color photography, dozens of excellent local maps and a region-by-region synopsis of the country's attractions. (SAF138, $27.00)

A History of South Africa

A History of South Africa


by Leonard Thompson

  • HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 358 PAGES

A succinct history of South Africa, especially strong on early Africans and European colonization. (SAF101, $17.95)

Beyond the Miracle, Inside the New South Africa

Beyond the Miracle, Inside the New South Africa


by Allister Sparks

  • HISTORY
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 408 PAGES

The South African journalist (Tomorrow is Another Country), continues the tale of the transformation of South Africa and its accomplishments, failures and challenges in the decade following the collapse of Apartheid. (SAF166, $20.00)

The Anatomy of the Zulu Army, From Shaka to Cetshwayo, 1818-1879


by Ian Knight

  • HISTORY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 282 PAGES

A detailed account of the structure of the Zulu army during the 60 years before they defeated the invading British army at Isandlwana in 1879. (SAF87, $22.95)

The Fate of Africa

The Fate of Africa


by Martin Meredith

  • HISTORY
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 792 PAGES

Ambitious in scope, immensely readable -- and as big as a doorstop -- Martin Meredith's blockbuster country-by-country overview of the tumult in Africa since independence is now revised and updated to reflect recent events. (AFR154, $21.99)

The Scramble for Africa

The Scramble for Africa


by Thomas Pakenham

  • HISTORY
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 738 PAGES

Absorbing and meticulously researched, this in-depth history of the Victorian land grab in Africa includes excellent portraits of the egomaniacal personalities who overran the continent. (AFR26, $23.99)

The Washing of the Spears

The Washing of the Spears


by Donald R. Morris

  • HISTORY
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 692 PAGES

Written at Hemingway's suggestion, this sprawling chronicle of the Zulu nation and particularly of the war of 1879, takes places in an "endless land of scattered riches and infinite variety." (SAF49, $27.95)

Long Walk to Freedom

Long Walk to Freedom


by Nelson Mandela

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 640 PAGES

An unpretentious tale of an extraordinary life, Mandela's autobiography is essential reading for an understanding of South Africa. His grace and his love for his country shine throughout. (SAF15, $17.99)

The Mirror at Midnight, A South African Journey

The Mirror at Midnight, A South African Journey


by Adam Hochschild

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 308 PAGES

Hochschild provides a new epilogue for this paper edition of his 1990 report from South Africa, a riveting blend of journalism, travel and history. (SAF190, $14.95)

Cry, The Beloved Country

Cry, The Beloved Country


by Alan Paton

  • LITERATURE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 317 PAGES

The deeply moving story of Reverend Kumalo's quest for justice. First published in 1948, it is a striking, poetic tribute to the power of the individual and a trenchant indictment of Apartheid. (SAF30, $15.00)

Life & Times of Michael K

Life & Times of Michael K


by J.M. Coetzee

  • LITERATURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 184 PAGES

Coetzee sets this short, hallucinatory novel, the powerful tale of a troubled boy, in South Africa in the midst of civil war. (SAF17, $14.00)

Skinner's Drift, A Novel

Skinner's Drift, A Novel


by Lisa Fugard

  • LITERATURE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

This family drama, by the daughter of playwright Athol Fugard, unspools in Johannesburg, where the main character returns to care for her dying father. (SAF168, $19.99)

The Covenant

The Covenant


by James Michener

  • LITERATURE
  • 1987
  • PAPER
  • 1238 PAGES

Michener's saga of war, adventure, politics and love follows several generations of characters as they give birth to the mighty Zulu nation. (SAF85, $8.99)

The Reader's Companion to South Africa

The Reader's Companion to South Africa


by Alan Ryan

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 310 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

A collection of 19 mostly classic traveler's accounts of South Africa. It is a vivid introduction to the land by foreign luminaries and comic masters, including Mark Twain, Alan Moorhead, Michael Palin and P.J. O'Rourke. (SAF61, $16.00)

South Africa Safari Companion

South Africa Safari Companion


by Alain Pons

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER

From Cape Town and Fynbos, Kruger National Park and private reserves, this slim photographic survey introduces the parks, wildlife and habitats of South Africa. (SAF189, $14.95)

The Snorkeller's Guide to the Coral Reef, From the Red Sea to the Pacific Ocean

The Snorkeller's Guide to the Coral Reef, From the Red Sea to the Pacific Ocean


by Paddy Ryan

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 184 PAGES

The best-selling, take-along guide to coral reefs, coral-reef fishes, invertebrates and plants of the Indo-Pacific. With 200 color photographs. (DIV18, $21.99)

Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals

Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals


by Jonathan Kingdon

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

An artist and biologist, Kingdon provides both delightful full-color illustrations and informative text. (EAF128, $24.95)

Marine Invertebrates Indian Ocean and the Central Pacific

Marine Invertebrates Indian Ocean and the Central Pacific


by Idaz Greenberg

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • PLASTIC CARD

This double-sided plastic card shows 50 of the most commonly encountered marine invertebrates of the Indian Ocean in full-color illustrations, convenient for snorkeling trips. (DIV15, $7.50)

Newman's Birds of Southern Africa

Newman's Birds of Southern Africa


by Kenneth Newman

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 538 PAGES

This commemorative tenth edition celebrates the contribution of the late author, Kenneth Newman, fully revised and updated by his daughter, Vanessa Newman, to reflect the latest research, taxonomy and common names. (SAF29, $26.00)

Southern African Wildflowers

Southern African Wildflowers


by John Manning | Colin Patterson-Jones

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER
  • 176 PAGES

This illustrated botanical odyssey, organized geographically, showcases interesting and unusual plants from the Zambezi, south to the Cape and across to the desert of the west. (SAF162, $39.95)

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