Africa  •  Michael Lewis  •  John Reader CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 320 PAGES An informative survey of the geography, culture and wildlife of Africa featuring 175 color photographs and accompanying text by John Reader (Africa: A Biography of the Continent). Organized geographically, it's the companion volume to an eight-hour television series by PBS and National Geographic. (AFR111, $50.00)
African Art, An Introduction  •  Frank Willett ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES A concise, well illustrated overview of the art and culture of Africa, portraying the range of spectacular art produced throughout the ages. (AFR18, $18.95)
African Wildlife  •  Raymond Leung  •  James Kavanaugh FIELD GUIDE •  1999 •  PLASTIC CARD A laminated foldout guide illustrating almost 150 species of African animals. This pocket guide is designed for quick reference in the field. (AFR109, $5.95)
Bradt Guide Mauritius, Rodriques & Reunion  •  Royston Ellis  •  Derek Schuurman GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES A comprehensive guide to Mauritius and the Mascarenes for the independent traveler with excellent suggestions for where to go and what to do. Half the book is devoted to Mauritius itself. (MTS01, $22.95)
Desertion  •  Abdulrazak Gurnah LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES Set in Zanzibar, this novel of a troubled love affair spans sixty years and paints a vivid portrait of turn-of-the-century colonial Africa. The time-skipping tale is opens in 1899, following the fate of a British adventurer lost in the East African desert. Rescued by a Muslim shopkeeper, he begins a love affair with the man's sister, Rehana. Skipping to the 1950s, the story follows the lives of two brother: a Zanzibari in England Rashid, and Amin, who is having an affair with Rehana's granddaughter. (EAF138, $13.95)
The Dodo And Mauritius Island, Imaginary Encounters  •  Harri Kallio NATURAL HISTORY •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 128 PAGES A beautifully illustrated pictorial salute to the extinct dodo and its island home, accompanied by Kallio's winning photographs. (MTS07, $45.00)
Gap in Nature, Discovering the World's Extinct Animals  •  Tim F. Flannery  •  Peter Schouten SCIENCE •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 184 PAGES An illustrated, informative tribute to 103 species that have perished in the last 500 years. Not surprisingly, islands are well represented, including (famously) the dodo which once roamed the forests of Mauritius and many birds and mammals from New Zealand. Flannery and Schouten, who visited museums around the world to see specimens and collect information, focus on animals that could be realistically re-created. The paintings, which are spectacular, were all drawn at life size in the original. Organized by date of extinction from the Upland Moa (1500), Dodo (1681) and Steller's Sea Cow (1768) to the Passenger Pigeon (1914), Darwin's Rice Rat (1929) and Guam Flying-fox (1974). (SCI55, $34.95)
The Girl Who Married a Lion and Other Tales from Africa  •  Alexander McCall Smith LITERATURE •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES McCall Smith brings together a collection of often hilarious, often bizarre folktales which he heard as a child growing up in Zimbabwe. In addition to the tales from his previous collection, Children of Wax, the best-selling author includes seven new tales from Botswana. In an interesting twist on a writer's creation, the title character of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency provides an introduction. (AFR141, $22.00)
A Hundred Horizons, The Indian Ocean in the Age of Global Empire  •  Sugata Bose HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 264 PAGES In this sophisticated and scholarly history, Bose examines the commerce between cultures fringing the Indian Ocean. He argues that the body of water served to unite these disparate peoples, even in the face of European imperialism. (IDA305, $27.95)
Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide  •  Gerald Allen  •  Roger Steene FIELD GUIDE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 378 PAGES • COMING IN This comprehensive identification guide to coral reef fishes and invertebrates from Hawaii to the Red Sea features 1,800 color photographs. It also includes chapter on marine mammals, turtles and birds. The authors, Gerald Allen and Roger Steene are the reigning authorities on the region (and fine photographers). Highly recommended. (DIV48, $40.00)
Journey to Mauritius  •  Bernardin de Saint-Pierre  •  Jason Wilson TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A lyrical account of colonial society, daily life and nature in Mauritius, newly translated and with an introduction by Jason Wilson. De Saint-Pierre, an author, friend and disciple of Rousseau (best known for his pastoral novel Paul et Virginie also set in the Indian Ocean) lived in Mauritius from 1778-1780. (MTS06, $15.00)
Last Chance to See  •  Douglas Adams  •  Mark Carwardine NATURAL HISTORY •  1992 •  PAPER  • 222 PAGES A whirlwind visit to remote habitats around the world by two wonderfully entertaining traveling companions. Sponsored by BBC radio, Douglas Adams and Mark Cowardine traveled to Zaire, New Zealand, China, Mauritius and other far-flung places in search of endangered animals. Often hilarious, this book is also a portrait of threatened animals. This is such a wonderfully entertaining and informed book, we can forgive its focus on charismatic species. Adams is the author of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Cawardine, a biologist, has been a staff zoologist for World Wildlife Fund. (CON04, $14.95)
Living Fossil, The Story of the Coelacanth  •  Keith Stewart Thomson NATURAL HISTORY •  1992 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Thomson relates the remarkable discovery of the long-thought-extinct fossil fish in the deep waters of the Mozambique channel and Comoros Islands. It's a great story and engaging account of the biology and conservation of a living fossil. (BST09, $9.95)
Lonely Planet Mauritius, Reunion & Seychelles  •  Tom Masters GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 324 PAGES A practical guide to Mauritius, Reunion and Seychelles by Lonely Planet featuring 45 maps including Reunion hiking maps, a good overview of the culture, history and nature of the islands, as well as much nuts-and-bolts information on language, excursions, accommodations and sightseeing. (SEY04, $23.99)
Mauritius and Reunion Map  •  Hildebrand MAP (AFR40, $12.95)
The Mauritius Command  •  Patrick O'Brian LITERATURE •  1991 •  PAPER  • 348 PAGES The rousing tale of a mission to the Mascarene Islands to take Rodriguez, Mauritius and Reunion from the French and install a proper British governor. It's the fourth of the series of hugely popular Aubrey-Maturin novels, rich in the geopolitics and ambience of the Napoleanic-era British navy. (SEY18, $14.95)
Mauritius Map  •  Globetrotter MAP A topographic map of the island at a very good scale of 1:80,000. (MTS04, $8.95)
The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide  •  Tom Rosenbauer REFERENCE •  2007 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES An introduction to the techniques and equipment necessary for fly fishing. This instructional guide is by no means comprehensive, but it is a perfect place to start for a beginner and a handy reference for the more experienced angler. (FSH04, $24.95)
The Peopling of Africa, A Geographic Interpretation  •  James L. Newman CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1997 •  PAPER  • 252 PAGES An anthropological study of Africa, which considers, among other factors, genetics, religion, language and technology. With 50 maps. (AFR140, $23.00)
A Photographic Guide to the Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands  •  Ian Sinclair  •  Olivier Langrand FIELD GUIDE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 128 PAGES Featuring large color photographs of 128 of the most commonly encountered and extraordinary birds of Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Reunion and the Comoros. French/English. (MAD46, $16.00)
The Safari Companion, A Guide to Watching African Mammals  •  Richard Estes FIELD GUIDE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 459 PAGES An invaluable encyclopedic guide to Africa's mammals by a noted scientist. Estes describes 100 large African mammals: their diet, habitats and behavior. Written with the typical safari-goer in mind, and including black-and-white drawings. (AFR06, $30.00)
Seabirds of the World, The Complete Reference  •  Jim Enticott FIELD GUIDE •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 240 PAGES • COMING IN An excellent addition to the library of any ocean-going birder, this handsome oversize book features hundreds of photographs and good descriptive information on all the world's seabirds. (FG23, $49.95)
Spectrum Guide to Mauritius  •  Camerapix GUIDEBOOK •  1997 •  PAPER Comprehensive, beautifully illustrated and well written, this guide produced in Nairobi is an excellent overview of the history, nature and attractions of Mauritius. It features great maps and a good overview of wildlife, culture, history and economics. (MTS03, $19.95)
The World of the Swahili  •  John Middleton CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1994 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A scholarly ethnography of the people of the coast by a leading Africanist at Yale. It is an excellent overview of the culture. (AFR17, $28.00)