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READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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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

Item EXSAF245. Buy these 5 items as a set for $102 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Botswana, the Bradt Safari Guide

Botswana, the Bradt Safari Guide

by Chris McIntyre

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 518 PAGES

With comprehensive coverage of history, flora, fauna and practicalities, this third edition presents Okavango, Chobe, the Kalahari and other popular destinations in absorbing detail. (BOT18, $26.99)

Bradt Guide Zambia

Bradt Guide Zambia

by Chris McIntyre

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 518 PAGES

Safari guide McIntyre's practical and detailed overview of Zambia, its history, culture, attractions and natural history with color photographs, local maps and excellent travel information. Fourth edition. (ZMB01, $28.99)

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, $28.00)

Twenty Chickens for a Saddle

Twenty Chickens for a Saddle

by Robyn Scott

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 464 PAGES

Haphazardly schooled by her free-spirited mother and left to roam the bush, Scott writes with warmth and candor of her unconventional upbringing in Botswana, including her Grandpa Ivor (personal pilot to the first president of Botswana), physician father's work, unfortunate pets, siblings and adventures. (SAF203, $15.00)

Southern Africa Regional Map

Southern Africa Regional Map

by ITMB

  • 2008
  • MAP

A double-sided map of the continent south of the Zambezi River, at a scale of 1:2,125,000, with color photographs and notes on parks and major attractions. (SAF63, $12.95)

 
Culture Smart! Botswana

Culture Smart! Botswana


by Michael Main

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 168 PAGES

A concise, well-illustrated and practical guide to local customs, etiquette and culture. (SAF178, $9.95)

Africa, A Biography of the Continent

Africa, A Biography of the Continent


by John Reader

  • HISTORY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 816 PAGES

With the ease of a practiced journalist, Reader weaves a masterful and lively tale of the continent, from ancient cultures to modern times. Both authoritative and informal, this is a splendid introduction to all of Africa. (AFR49, $20.00)

The Harmless People

The Harmless People


by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 303 PAGES

A classic study of the Bushmen of the Kalahari, novelistic in its detail. Based on the author's fieldwork, the account is direct, informative, and strong on the character of the people and land. (SAF60, $15.95)

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)

Into Africa, The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone

Into Africa, The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone


by Martin Dugard

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 340 PAGES

A nicely paced tale of the Scottish explorer and Stanley's headline-grabbing efforts to locate him. Dugard has done his homework well, drawing on a wide variety of sources to paint a lively and nuanced portrait of the two men. (AFR130, $16.00)

Cry of the Kalahari, Seven Years in Africa's Last Great Wilderness

Cry of the Kalahari, Seven Years in Africa's Last Great Wilderness


by Mark Owens | Delia Owens

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1985
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

The story of a family thrown out of Botswana for its stance on conservation. While their approach to conservation is controversial, there's no doubt that the Owens are dedicated to the wildlife of southern Africa -- and are very good writers. (SAF13, $16.00)

Whatever You Do, Don't Run

Whatever You Do, Don't Run


by Peter Allison

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 246 PAGES

Allison spins captivating tales of wildlife, camps and the life of a safari guide into a hilarious, slyly informative introduction to Botswana. (BOT29, $16.95)

Mortals, A Novel

Mortals, A Novel


by Norman Rush

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 736 PAGES

A dazzling novel, set among American expatriates in 1990s Botswana. Rush pulls off the trick of making the sprawling book both personally and politically charged. (SAF141, $19.95)

Mrs. Pollifax on Safari

Mrs. Pollifax on Safari


by Dorothy Gilman

  • LITERATURE
  • 1991
  • PAPER

Mild-mannered, floral-hat-wearing CIA agent Mrs. Pollifax is on the trail of an assassin targeting the president of Zambia. (ZMB11, $7.99)

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency


by Alexander McCall Smith

  • MYSTERY
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 235 PAGES

The delightful introduction to Botswana's formidable female detective, evoking the cultures, customs and texture of Africa. (BOT10, $13.95)

Big Five of Africa

Big Five of Africa


by Gerald Hinde

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 143 PAGES

Hinde's stunning photographs celebrate Africa's lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos and buffalo. (AFR241, $20.00)

Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals

Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals


by Jonathan Kingdon

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

A convenient compact edition of Kingdon's gloriously illustrated Field Guide to African Mammals. With abbreviated information on identification, distribution, ecology and conservation status and the same 480 outstanding color illustrations and maps as its bigger cousin. (EAF128, $25.95)

National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife

National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife


by Bunny McBride | Duane Schlitter | Richard Estes | Peter Alden

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 988 PAGES

This comprehensive photo guide covers 850 birds, mammals and reptiles of Africa. With range maps and a good country-by-country overview of habitats and parks. (AFR25, $24.95)

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)

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)

More Recommendations

Here are some other groups of books that might be of interest

Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.