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, 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 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, $28.95)
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)
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 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)
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)
Dhow of the Monsoon, From Zanzibar to Oman in the Wake of Sindbad  •  William M. Holden TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 261 PAGES Holden weaves history, mythology and geography, introducing us to a cast of memorable characters and bringing to life the sights and sounds of the sea. (EAF157, $24.95)
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)
Green Hills of Africa  •  Ernest Hemingway BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1935 •  PAPER  • 295 PAGES A classic, wonderfully readable tale of hunting in the Lake Manyara area. Reissued with its original pencil drawings, Hemingway paints a real life story of his ramblings in East Africa, including portraits of the eccentric white hunter and some of the best writing ever describing the land itself. (EAF25, $15.00)
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)
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)
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)
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, 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)
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)
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)
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)
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, $18.00)
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)
The Safari Companion, A Guide to Watching African Mammals  •  Richard Estes FIELD GUIDE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 459 PAGES • BEST SELLER 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)
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, Natural Order on the African Plain  •  Mitsuaki Iwago NATURAL HISTORY •  1987 •  HARD COVER  • 280 PAGES • FAVORITE • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE This handsomely produced volume by celebrated Tokyo photographer Iwago features 300 full-color images of the Serengeti plains. It's one of our favorite photo collections -- beautiful and timeless. (EAF04, $35.00)
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)
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)
Tanzania Map  •  Nelles 2008 •  MAP A clear, color double-sided map of Tanzania at a scale of 1:1,500,000 with a cardboard cover. With an inset of Zanzibar, and maps of attractions on the reverse. (EAF08, $10.95)
The Tree Where Man Was Born  •  Peter Matthiessen TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1972 •  PAPER  • 430 PAGES A vivid portrait of East Africa, enthralling in its masterful detail on nature and daily life. Matthiessen ranges from prehistory to modern East Africa, circa 1961, deftly combining the finest of nature writing and sensitive commentary on social and political history. In this far-ranging book, we travel with him to Maasailand, Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, the Kenyan Highlands and out into the bush to witness the animals. It's an enduring classic, fully as interesting today as when it was first published by the "New Yorker" in 1972. (EAF27, $17.00)
West with the Night  •  Beryl Markham BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1983 •  PAPER  • 294 PAGES • FAVORITE A direct, stylish, and engrossing story of a marvelous life well lived. Markham describes her childhood in Kenya and her experiences as a bush pilot in the 1930s, evoking the landscapes, people, and wildlife of East Africa in rich detail. (EAF10, $15.00)
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 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)