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)
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 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 Wildlife  •  Raymond Leung  •  James Kavanaugh FIELD GUIDE •  1999 •  PLASTIC CARD • BEST SELLER 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)
African Wildlife  •  National Geographic NATURAL HISTORY •  NTSC VIDEO An overview of wildlife throughout the continent featuring National Geographic's usual meticulous attention to detail and stunning photography. (SAF52, $19.99)
The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives, An Illustrated Guide to Their Evolution and Natural History  •  Alan Turner  •  Mauricio Anton NATURAL HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A thoroughly researched and accessible guide to modern felines and their prehistoric ancestors. From the sabertooth tiger to the average house cat, this far-reaching natural history finds links between present-day species and fossil evidence to form an account of the anatomy, behavior and evolution of cats. Includes almost 200 amazingly detailed drawings. (BST50, $26.95)
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)
Cats of Africa  •  Anthony Hall-Martin FIELD GUIDE •  1998 •  HARD COVER  • 152 PAGES A species-by-species guide to Africa's wild cats, gorgeously illustrated by Paul Bosman. With range maps, conservation status and descriptions. (BST24, $49.95)
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)
Field Guide to the Birds of Southern Africa  •  Ian Sinclair  •  Phil Hockey  •  Warwick Tarboton FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 447 PAGES With over 900 species and legions of bird watchers, Southern Africa supports as many popular bird guides as North America. Here's a comprehensive field guide by eminent ornithologist Ian Sinclair, a third edition of the popular SASOL guide. The text and 200 color plates by Peter Hayman and Norman Arlott are integrated, making this book a pleasure to use in the field. (SAF12, $35.00)
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)
The Heart of the Hunter  •  Laurens van der Post CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1980 •  PAPER  • 279 PAGES We also carry The Heart of the Hunter, a continuation of the story of Van der Post's encounters with the Bushmen in Southwestern Africa. (SAF32, $13.00)
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)
Horn of Darkness, Rhinos on the Edge  •  Carol Cunningham  •  Joel Berger NATURAL HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A lively account of field work, combining adventure, natural history and thoughtful commentary on the plight of the severely endangered black rhinoceros in Namibia. Berger and Cunningham, a husband-and-wife team, were invited to study the impact of Namibia's controversial program to de-horn the rhinos, a novel approach to controlling poachers. (NMB07, $45.00)
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)
Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals  •  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. Text, range maps and illustrations are integrated on facing pages for ease of use in the field. (EAF128, $24.95)
Lonely Planet South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 680 PAGES A comprehensive practical guide to South Africa geared for independent travelers. (AFR44, $25.99)
Newman's Birds of Southern Africa  •  Kenneth Newman FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 527 PAGES With over 900 species and legions of birdwatchers, South Africa supports as many bird guides as does the United States. This classic field guide features hundreds of large color plates, a comprehensive checklist, and revised information on habitats and distribution. Maps, text and illustrations are grouped together for easy reference. This is the book to carry anywhere south of the Zambezi. Fully revised (and with a snazzy new yellow cover), now in its Eighth Edition. (SAF29, $28.00)
North of South, An African Journey  •  Shiva Naipaul TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1979 •  PAPER  • 349 PAGES • FAVORITE This is a great book -- engaging and unafraid of controversy. North of South is a sharp portrait of Africa, sensitive to issues black, white and brown -- and occasionally quite humorous. It's the best, most insightful thing we've read about Africa. A brilliant and provocative observer, Naipaul meditates on the travelers, government officials, shopkeepers and European exiles he encounters on a six-month-long journey through Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. Fittingly, the book opens at the outdoor cafe of the New Stanley Hotel in Nairobi. (EAF28, $16.00)
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)
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 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)
Southern Africa Regional Map  •  ITMB 2004 •  MAP This double-sided map at a scale of 1:2,125,000 shows the continent south of the Zambezi, including all of Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, with the western portion on one side and the eastern on the other. With color photographs and notes on parks and major attractions. Designed for the traveler, this is by far the best scale map available that covers the southern part of the continent. (SAF63, $12.95)
Southern African Wildlife, A Visitor's Guide  •  Mike Unwin FIELD GUIDE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 284 PAGES A popular photographic guide to the mammals, birds, reptiles and habitats south of the Zambezi. With 300 color photographs and illuminating text. Though the bulk of the book is devoted to animals, it also includes chapters on habitats, tracks and signs, planning and where to go. (SAF131, $24.95)
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)