AA Gill is Away  •  A. A. Gill TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 307 PAGES In Britain, AA Gill is a household word, as an exceedingly popular restaurant and media critic for the Times of London. He hates to travel, but his readers love it when he does, because he so frequently comes back with a hilarious, intricately observed report. This book is a collection of those essays. The range is staggering -- included are reports from famine-plagued Sudan, Tokyo, Scotland, Tanzania and the Kalahari, and Los Angeles where he investigates the adult-film (AKA porn) industry. Gill manages to be both very funny and very moving throughout this book: no mean feat. One caveat: despite the introduction written specifically for an American audience, these essays remain very British, with a fair amount of mystifying slang. (TVL76, $14.00)
Africa  •  Phyllis Martin  •  Patrick O'Meara CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1995 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES African history and prehistory, popular culture, art and economics with dozens of maps, photographs and drawings. We especially liked the chapter on the contemporary map of Africa. It's all here. Pick and choose those areas that interest you. It's the most popular introductory text for undergraduate African studies courses in North America -- refreshingly free of cant and completely revised in 1995 to reflect changes in African politics. (AFR07, $20.95)
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)
Africa on Six Wheels, A Semester on Safari  •  Betty Levitov BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2007 •  PAPER  • 184 PAGES Levitov writes of a trek across Africa with thirteen Nebraska college students and an Australian bus driver. From Tanzania to Cape town, through the bustling streets of Nairobi and the serenity of Lamu Island, they immerse themselves in local culture, literature and society. Levitov's entertaining book blends anecdote and personality with engaging descriptions of the places she encounters. (EAF181, $17.95)
Africa, A Biography of the Continent  •  John Reader HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 816 PAGES With the ease of a practiced journalist, Reader weaves a lively tale of the continent in this masterful history of Africa from ancient cultures to modern times. Both authoritative and informal, this is a splendid introduction to all of Africa. (AFR49, $18.95)
African Predators  •  M.G.L. Mills  •  Gus Mills  •  Martin Harvey NATURAL HISTORY •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 160 PAGES A natural history of the giant cats and other predators of Africa, covering evolution, behavior and conservation, and complemented by full-color photographs. (AFR114, $39.95)
African Voices, African Lives: Personal Narratives from a Swahili Village  •  Patricia Caplan CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1997 •  PAPER  • 267 PAGES An enormously detailed ethnographic portrait of life on the Swahili coast based on the author's interviews, encounters and research over several decades. She incorporates dialogue, her own observations and excerpts of the diary that her primary informant Mohammed kept at her request. (EAF88, $43.95)
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)
Ancestral Passions, The Leakey Family and the Quest for Humankind's Beginnings  •  Virginia Morell BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1996 •  PAPER  • 640 PAGES A biography of the Leakey family, documenting their discoveries and their vast contributions to the field of paleontology. Controversial, but dedicated to their science, the Leakeys have been instrumental in tracing human origins to East Africa. The book covers the lives and work of Richard, Louis and Mary as well as successive generations of the family. (EAF76, $38.95)
Animal, The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife  •  Don E. Wilson  •  David Burnie NATURAL HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 624 PAGES A giant reference to wildlife throughout the world, compiled by the Smithsonian and a group of zoologists. From insects, marine life and amphibians to birds and mammals, it runs the gamut. While, obviously, not all of the Earth's recorded species could be catalogued, the book does an admirable job introducing a wide and varied selection, not to mention the fact that the numerous photographs are superb. (BST80, $25.00)
Lonely Planet Tanzania  •  Mary Fitzpatrick GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 392 PAGES A comprehensive, practical guide to Tanzania featuring maps, a good overview of culture, history and nature and much nuts-and-bolts information on excursions, accommodations and sightseeing. It includes sketch maps of cities, towns, parks and reserves. (EAF95, $24.99)
Arusha National Park Map  •  Ma Company (Tanzania) 1997 •  MAP A full color handsome topographic map and souvenir of Mt. Meru and Arusha National Park at a scale of 1:39,000. The hand-drawn map shows trekking routes, camps, geographic features and topography. (EAF106, $11.95)
Bats in Question, The Smithsonian Answer Book  •  Don E. Wilson  •  Merlin D. Tuttle NATURAL HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES A illustrated natural history of bats, presented as a Q-and-A session. Author Don E. Wilson is a renowned authority on mammals with a talent for presenting stimulating science geared to the curious layperson. (BST81, $24.95)
Birds of East Africa  •  Terry Stevenson  •  John Fanshawe FIELD GUIDE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 602 PAGES A comprehensive guide to 1,388 species of birds of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi featuring 286 excellent color plates by Brian Small, John Gale and Norman Arlott. Illustrations, range maps and text are on facing pages for easy reference in the field. A worthy contender among the several excellent bird guides to the region, this book has the advantage of covering the western limits in detail. With introductory chapters on conservation, bird habitats and taxonomy. Co-author Stevenson is a long-time resident of Kenya and popular tour leader. (EAF92, $40.00)
Birds of Eastern Africa, Princeton Illustrated Checklists  •  Ber Van Perlo FIELD GUIDE •  2009 •  PAPER  • 302 PAGES • COMING IN APRIL This handy guide illustrates and briefly describes most East African birds, including those of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Yemen's Socotra Island. It's a remarkably small book, featuring 96 color plates, 1,487 species -- and essential information for quick reference in the field. Best for someone already familiar with birds of the region, illustrations are small and information about each species condensed to a few words. (EAF40, $29.95)
The Black Man's Burden, Africa and the Curse of the Nation-State  •  Basil Davidson HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 355 PAGES An evocative work by one of Africa's foremost historians. Davidson compares the optimism of Africans when they finally emerged from foreign rule in the 1950s with today's continuing state of crisis, which he blames, in part, on the colonial legacy. (AFR92, $15.00)
Black Mischief  •  Evelyn Waugh LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 312 PAGES Waugh's devilish third novel, a send up of British colonial Africa and home-grown potentates on the fictional island of Anzania. Although you might guess Waugh takes Zanzibar as his model, Waugh's Africa is fictional -- and hilarious. He lampoons just about everybody on the island, an equatorial backwater, east of Somaliland and west of the Gulf of Aden. A facsimile reprint of the original 1932 edition. (AFR20, $13.95)
Bradt Guide Sudan  •  Paul Clammer GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES A practical guide in the popular Bradt series, noted for publishing travel guides to remote and little-visited destinations. (AFR152, $21.95)
Bradt Guide Tanzania  •  Philip Briggs GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 646 PAGES A comprehensive guide to Tanzania, its history, wildlife and major attractions in the series of Africa guides by Philip Briggs for Bradt. Geared for the independent traveler, it also includes maps, town plans and lots of practical travel information. It covers not just the popular safari destinations in the north but also Gombe Stream, Mahale Mountains and Selous Game Reserve. (EAF39, $25.95)
Bradt Guide Zanzibar  •  David Else  •  Sarah Chanter GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 342 PAGES A personal, detailed guide to Zanzibar, its history, culture, attractions and natural history. With color photographs, maps and excellent travel information. (EAF33, $21.95)
Captain Sir Richard Burton, A Biography  •  Edward Rice BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2001 •  PAPER  • 688 PAGES A splendid, absorbing account of the Victorian explorer, a man of oversize appetites, ambitions and intellect. (AFR99, $27.50)
Cultural Atlas of Africa  •  Jocelyn Murray CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1998 •  HARD COVER  • 240 PAGES This book is a handsomely illustrated atlas of African history and culture with 96 outstanding maps, 250 color photographs and excellent essays. (AFR47, $50.00)
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)
Explore Mount Kilimanjaro  •  Jacquetta Megarry GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 96 PAGES An ingenious, full color, water resistant guide to trekking Africa's highest mountain with a focus on exploring the habitats, landscapes and camps en route to Uhuru. The author, a dedicated walker, includes detailed information on preparing for the trip, and a camp-to-camp overview of the Marungu, Machame and Rongai routes as well as an overview of climbing neighboring Mt. Meru. With a fold out topographic map of the routes. Go slow and drink plenty of water. (EAF102, $15.95)
Footprint Tanzania  •  Lizzie Williams GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 398 PAGES • COMING IN A compact, comprehensive guide in the British series. With a good overview and maps of national parks, a section on wildlife, color maps and plenty of practical information. (EAF145, $19.95)
The Fossil Trail, How We Know What We Think We Know About Human Evolution  •  Ian Tattersall SCIENCE •  1997 •  PAPER A balanced, thought-provoking survey of the physical evidence for human evolution by the American Museum of Natural History anthropologist. (ATP08, $19.95)
Ghosts of Tsavo, Stalking the Mystery Lions of East Africa  •  Philp Caputo TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 275 PAGES An account of Caputo's adventures in Tsavo National Park and Southern Uganda on the trail of some very big lions. He set out in the company of with legendary guide Iain Allan and two researchers from the Field Museum in Chicago. With a 16-page section of photographs. This book is the latest chapter in the Victorian tale of two lions that killed and ate 140 railway workers building a bridge over the Tsavo River. (EAF93, $16.00)
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)
Heinemann Book of Contemporary African Short Stories  •  Chinua Achebe  •  Lynn Innes ANTHOLOGY •  1992 •  PAPER  • 196 PAGES All written in the last 25 years, these 20 outstanding stories showcase both established African writers and new voices in the field. A single-volume introduction to the vast literature of all of Africa. (AFR10, $11.95)
Hemingway in Africa, The Last Safari  •  Christopher Ondaatje BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 240 PAGES Ernest Hemingway's love of East Africa can be glimpsed in "The Green Hills of Africa" and "The Snows of Kilimanjaro"-- Christopher Ondaatje traveled to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to retrace the steps of Hemingway's inspiration for this amply illustrated biography. Ondaatje examines Hemingway's travels with a literary attention to detail, and documents his findings with 98 color photographs, including one of the actual leopard which inspired the short story "The Snows of Kilimanjaro." (AFR139, $37.50)
I Dreamed of Africa  •  Kuki Gallman BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2000 •  PAPER  • 315 PAGES Enormously popular, this bestseller is a highly personal account of tragedy and magic in Kenya, as much catharsis as literature. Italian-born Gallman tells of her move to Ol Ari Nyiro, a ranch set in the highland plain in the shadow of Mount Kenya. Although Gallman loses both her husband and eldest son to terrible accidents in Africa, she perseveres -- and her childhood love of Africa grows stronger. Wistful and romantic, this is nonetheless a powerful book, vivid in its detail of life in Africa. It is now a major motion picture (and re-released with a new cover). (EAF23, $15.95)
An Ice-Cream War, A Novel  •  William Boyd LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES This finely wrought, sensitive novel captures the drama and day-to-day reality of friends and family caught up in WWI in German East Africa. (EAF146, $15.95)
In the Dust of Kilimanjaro  •  David Western NATURAL HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 250 PAGES Published in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Kenya Wildlife Service and written by its former director, Western writes eloquently of his immersion in the natural history and cultures of Kenya. (EAF48, $24.00)
In the Shadow of Man  •  Jane Goodall  •  Stephen Jay Gould  •  David A. Hamburg NATURAL HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Goodall's popular account of studying chimpanzees in Tanzania. First enlisted by the legendary scientist Louis Leakey, Goodall has gone on to do almost half a century of revolutionary primate research. This book, which is followed by "Through a Window," tells the story of her early years with the chimps and her monumental discoveries concerning primate behavior. Complemented by 80 photographs. (EAF74, $15.00)
Into Africa, The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone  •  Martin Dugard EXPLORATION •  2004 •  PAPER  • 340 PAGES A nicely paced tale of the missing Scottish explorer and Stanley's headline-grabbing efforts to locate him. Though the story is well known, Dugard (who has also written about Captain James Cook) has done his homework well, drawing together research, diary extracts and contemporary accounts into a nuanced, lively portrait of the two men and their time. (AFR130, $15.95)
Into Africa, With a New Postcript  •  Craig Packer NATURAL HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER An account by a noted field biologist of two months among the animals at Serengeti and Gombe National Parks in Tanzania. (EAF77, $24.00)
Investigating Olduvai, Archaeology of Human Origins  •  Jeanne Septis CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1997 •  AUDIO CD Created for university students, this interactive CD-ROM is divided into three sections: data, analysis and investigation. The data section includes excellent information about East Africa, its geology, wildlife and history in addition to the fossil finds themselves and stratigraphy of the fossil site. The analysis section illustrates issues and controversies surrounding human evolution. For Macintosh or PC. (EAF90, $39.95)
Journey to the Source of the Nile  •  Christopher Ondaatje EXPLORATION •  1999 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES A modern journey in the footsteps of the Victorian explorers by an appreciative British adventurer and historian. With maps, color photographs, bibliography, and helpful chronology. Ondaatje has also written a well received biography of Richard Burton. (AFR96, $25.00)
Kenya & Northern Tanzania Map  •  World Mapping Project 2004 •  MAP A clear map of Kenya and Northern Tanzania at a scale of 1:950,000 with national parks and reserves clearly indicated, including Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Arusha and Samburu. Printed on rip-proof, waterproof paper and based on World Mapping Project cartography. With an Index. (EAF140, $9.99)
Kenya and Tanzania Map  •  Cartographia 1999 •  MAP A colorful, double-sided map of Kenya and Tanzania at a scale of 1:2,500,000. With index (EAF97, $12.00)
Kilimanjaro, To the Roof of Africa  •  David Breashears EXPLORATION •  2002 •  DVD A strikingly beautiful celebration of the mountain, shot on large format film and originally presented in IMAX theaters. Narrated by an experienced guide with accompanying African music and commentary by the six climbers on the expedition, including twelve-year-old Nicole Wineland-Thomson and author-historian Audrey Salkeld (who wrote an accompanying book about Africa's highest mountain). Breshears focuses on the history, nature and beauty of the mountain along with the varied experiences of the trekkers. The DVD includes a bonus 22-minute "making of" documentary, the theatrical trailer from the IMAX film, trivia and a slide show. (EAF112, $19.99)
The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals  •  Jonathan Kingdon FIELD GUIDE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 476 PAGES An authoritative, beautifully illustrated guide. It features identification, classification and species information for all known African mammals, including many newly discovered species. Written by one of the foremost authorities on African mammals, this concise guide provides full information on identification, distribution, ecology and conservation status on more than 1,100 species. It includes 480 outstanding color illustrations by the author and 280 maps. (AFR32, $47.50)
The Lake Regions of Central Africa  •  Richard Francis Burton EXPLORATION •  1995 •  PAPER  • 572 PAGES A reprint of Burton's original (and insightful) account of exploration between Zanzibar and Lake Tanganyika. (AFR98, $16.95)
Lonely Planet East Africa  •  Hugh Finlay GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 688 PAGES This practical guide to East Africa by Lonely Planet features maps, a good overview of culture, history and nature, and much nuts-and-bolts information on excursions, accommodations and sightseeing. With color photographs and excellent travel information. Lonely Planet also publishes "Trekking in East Africa". (EAF81, $29.99)
Lonely Planet Swahili Phrasebook  •  Lonely Planet LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  1998 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES A compact reference for the traveler, covering useful idioms, vocabulary and basic grammar. (EAF96, $8.99)
Lucy's Legacy, Sex and Intelligence in Human Evolution  •  Alison Jolly SCIENCE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 528 PAGES Jolly brings the perspective of a sociobiologist -- and of her decades of field work on the female-dominated ring-tailed Lemur -- to this lively account of who we are as a species. She looks particularly at the evolution of gender and intelligence. (AFR104, $18.95)
Lucy, The Beginnings of Humankind  •  Maitland Armstrong Edey  •  Donald Johanson ARCHAEOLOGY •  1990 •  PAPER  • 409 PAGES The original, influential account of the development of human evolution and, especially, of the thrilling discovery of Lucy in 1974. It includes an account of the four field seasons in Hadar, Ethiopia from 1967-1977. (ATP06, $17.00)
Mimi and Toutou's Big Adventure, The Bizarre Battle of Lake Tanganyika  •  Giles Foden HISTORY •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 272 PAGES Award-winning author Giles Foden recounts the true story that inspired the classic film, The African Queen. During World War I, a lowly British naval lieutenant is ordered to make an impossible raid against powerful German steamers on Lake Tanganyika. Foden also wrote Zanzibar and The Last King of Scotland. He grew up in Africa. (EAF131, $24.00)
The Myth of Wild Africa  •  Jonathan Adams  •  Thomas McShane NATURAL HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 290 PAGES Thomas Lovejoy called this book essential reading. It's a no-holds-barred attack on old-style conservation in Africa provocative, fascinating and dead-on. The authors, associated with the World Wildlife Fund, explode the romantic fallacy of an untouched continent where animals roam freely in sanctuaries. The relationship of wildlife -- and the people who share the continent with them -- is central to the future of conservation. (AFR15, $22.95)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife  •  Peter Alden FIELD GUIDE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 988 PAGES A compact introduction to the landforms, wild areas, mammals, birds, reptiles and insects of Africa, featuring contributions by experts and almost 600 color photographs. Most of the book is a field guide to commonly encountered birds, mammals and other creatures of the African continent. (AFR25, $23.95)
New Map of Kilimanjaro National Park  •  Ma Company (Tanzania) 1998 •  MAP A full color handsome souvenir sketch map of Kilimanjaro at a scale of 1:59,000 showing trekking routes, camps, geographic features and topography. (EAF104, $14.95)
Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tourist Map and Guide  •  Harms IC Verlag 1999 •  MAP An excellent map of the entire conservation area (at a scale of 1:230,000) with a nicely detailed topographic map of the crater itself on the reverse. With good information on roads, natural features, attractions and habitat. (EAF122, $15.95)
The Nile  •  Robert O. Collins HISTORY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 384 PAGES Collins draws on a lifetime of study and travel in this revealing portrait of the 4,000-mile-long river, its political geography and environmental history. (AFR129, $48.00)
Nomads of the Serengeti  •  Robyn Stewart NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 176 PAGES A coffee-table survey of the wildlife of the Serengeti, with a focus on the birds, migrating herds, and predators, featuring 200 color photographs. (EAF149, $32.95)
Origins Reconsidered, In Search of What Makes Us Human  •  Richard Leakey  •  Roger Lewin SCIENCE •  1993 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES A personal account of hominid evolution by paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey with science writer Richard Lewin. They look back at the evidence and conclusions from the original 1977 book "Origins," augmented with a thoughtful consideration of what makes us human. (ATP07, $17.95)
Out of Africa and Shadows on the Grass  •  Isak Dinesen BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1985 •  PAPER  • 466 PAGES The famous tale of a naive young woman who leaves Denmark for East Africa. First published in 1937 and now a perennial bestseller, Out of Africa draws us into life on a struggling coffee plantation with its lyrical tone. Profoundly introspective and romantic, it's a moving story inspired by a love for Kenya and its people. Dinesen's home in what is now a suburb of Nairobi called "Karen" was made into a national museum after the release of the movie version of this classic book. (EAF22, $14.95)
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, Southern, Central, and East African Mammals  •  Chris Stuart  •  Tilde Stuart FIELD GUIDE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES A compact guide designed for the field. The Stuarts present 152 African mammals, including almost all of the conspicuous species and a good sampling of the smaller or more secretive animals. In addition to highlighting characteristic features, the authors give some information on diet, habitats and behavior. And, the book fits in your shirt pocket. 2nd edition. (EAF16, $15.95)
The Remarkable Baobab  •  Thomas Pakenham NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 144 PAGES It was inevitable that Pakenham, an historian of Africa with a penchant for the world's most striking and bizarre trees, would discover the baobab. In this followup to Remarkable Trees of the World and Meetings with Remarkable Trees, he focuses on the tremendous, twisted boabab trees of Africa, Madagascar and Australia. Of the world's eight species, six are found in Madagascar. With 60 large-format color photographs. (NAT71, $19.95)
Rough Waters, Nature and Development in an East African Marine Park  •  Christine J. Walley NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES A scholarly account of the establishment of Tanzania's Mafia Island Marine Park, taking in issues of conservation, local peoples and political tensions. (EAF129, $25.95)
Safari Living  •  Tim Beddow ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 168 PAGES Beddow captures the beauty and setting of lodges and camps, highland estates and coast retreats in 100 color photos in this handsome overview of architecture and interior design in East Africa. (EAF147, $16.95)
The Scramble for Africa  •  Thomas Pakenham HISTORY •  1992 •  PAPER  • 738 PAGES A well-written, meticulously researched history of the Victorian land grab in Africa. The book includes excellent portraits of the egomaniacal personalities that overran the continent, including Kitchener, Rhodes, Gordon and King Leopold. Subtitled "white man's conquest of the dark continent from 1876 to 1912, " it's an absorbing tale of adventure, tragedy and farce. (AFR26, $23.95)
Serengeti Journey, On Safari in Africa  •  Gare Thompson NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 48 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) A fun and informative overview of the Serengeti and its wildlife for readers ages 4 to 8. (EAF150, $17.90)
The Serengeti Lion, A Study of Predator-Prey Relations  •  George Schaller NATURAL HISTORY •  1972 •  PAPER  • 480 PAGES A classic study in field biology and winner of the National Book Award, this book is the result of Schaller's long-term study of the ecology of the Serengeti lion. Well worth browsing for its excellent general information on the habitats and animals of the Serengeti, you may find yourself drawn to the many charts, tables and maps. It's an elegant study, marvelously written. This book is part of a series of monographs on African mammals published by the University of Chicago Press. (EAF13, $45.00)
Serengeti National Park Map  •  Ma Company (Tanzania) MAP This detailed, full-color sketch map of the Serengeti ecosystem at a scale of 1:260,000 shows the park during the dry season on one side and during the rainy season on the reverse. (EAF130, $14.95)
The Shadow of Kilimanjaro  •  Rick Ridgeway TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES Lucky Ridgeway, he got to walk across Kenya, albeit in the company of armed park rangers, while the rest of us tool around in mini-vans and Toyotas. The veteran of high peaks, Antarctica, the Amazon and other formidable destinations recounts his walk from Mount Kilimanjaro across Tsavo National Park to the Indian Ocean in the company of Iain Allan (and an armed guard). It's a perceptive overview of Kenya, its wildlife and conservation by an appreciative observer. He weaves history, philosophy and thoughtful observation into this marvelous account. (EAF61, $17.00)
Smithsonian Handbooks, Mammals  •  Juliet Clutton-Brock  •  Don E. Wilson FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES In the trademark, graphic Eyewitness style, this sturdy field guide colorfully describes 500 of the world's mammals with numerous illustrations, range maps, and a few paragraphs on each species. (BST76, $20.00)
The Snows of Kilimanjaro  •  Ernest Hemingway LITERATURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 156 PAGES A collection of 10 excellent Hemingway stories set in Africa, including The Snows of Kilimanjaro and The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber (which begin and end the collection, respectively). The latter is a chilling masterpiece concerning an American couple on a big-game safari. Originally published in 1936, the book draws from stories written over the previous nine years, when Hemingway's prose was at it's best; a classic not to be missed. (EAF26, $13.00)
Surrender or Starve: Travels in Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea  •  Robert D. Kaplan TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES Robert Kaplan, the prolific journalist and author of Balkan Ghosts, travelled through Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea for this illuminating travelogue examining the culture, religion, and politics of the region. Kaplan also pays particular attention to the formidable impact of the 1980s famine. (AFR155, $13.95)
Swahili, Start Speaking Today  •  Educational Services Corporation LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  1995 •  CASETTE TAPE A 90-minute crash course in Swahili on two audio casettes tapes, which focuses on useful words and expressions for the traveler. (EAF110, $21.95)
Wildlife of East Africa  •  Martin B. Withers  •  David Hosking FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES • BEST SELLER A compact guide to 475 common species of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, trees and flowers of East Africa. Designed for the field, the guide features full-color photographs with detailed descriptions of each species on facing pages. With a map covering parks and reserves of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, and an introductory chapter with Safari information. (EAF108, $19.95)
The Wisdom of the Bones, In Search of Human Origins  •  Alan Walker  •  Pat Shipman SCIENCE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES A dramatic account of the discovery, in 1984, and significance of a remarkably intact skeleton of Homo erectus in northern Kenya. (ATP09, $15.00)
The Worlds of a Maasai Warrior, An Autobiography  •  Ole Saitoti BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1988 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES Wonderfully evocative of life in Maasailand. Raised in a traditional Kraal, on the open plains of Africa's Rift Valley in the 1950s, Saitoti became the first in his family to leave the family compound and attend bush school. He went on to become one of the first safari guides, featured in a National Geographic film and later educated in Munich and New York. Here he looks back on his life as a Maasai and spokesperson for his people, bridging several worlds with tremendous grace. (EAF29, $19.95)