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 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 • 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)
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)
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)
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)
Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania, Field Guide Edition  •  Dale Zimmerman  •  Donald Turner  •  David Pearson FIELD GUIDE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 576 PAGES This compact, comprehensive field guide features 124 stunning color plates, covering 1,114 bird species in Kenya and Northern Tanzania. A good choice for anyone interested in birds, species descriptions include detailed information on range and occurrence in popular national parks. (FG39, $35.00)
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)
Bones of Contention, Controversies in the Search for Human Origins  •  Roger Lewin NATURAL HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 3605 PAGES Tackling the giants. Lewin, a science writer who has worked with Richard Leakey, outlines the issues, debates and personalities in paleoanthropology this even-handed, fascinating account. (ATP05, $27.50)
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)
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)
Exploration of Africa, From Cairo to the Cape  •  Ann Hugon EXPLORATION •  1993 •  PAPER  • 173 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE This jewel of a book chronicles the 19th-century exploration of Africa with hundreds of contemporary paintings and prints, brief chapters on the expeditions, and a very useful chronology. Livingstone, Burton and others speak for themselves in a series of journal excerpts. (AFR03, $12.95)
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)
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)
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)
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 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, The Great White Mountain of Africa  •  Muhammed Amin  •  David Pluth  •  Graham Mercer NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES • COMING IN FEBRUARY A nicely illustrated, oversize picture book with concise text covering the history and nature of Kilimanajro, produced by the Camerapix team in Nairobi (publishers of the excellent Spectrum guides). With 150 full color photographs. (EAF103, $60.00)
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 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)
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)
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)
The Nile: History, Adventure, and Discovery  •  Gianni Guadalupi EXPLORATION •  2008 •  HARD COVER  • 352 PAGES This profusely illustrated oversized history of discovery, jammed with hundreds of archival photographs, drawings, paintings and maps includes not only the discoveries of Sir Richard Francis Burton, Sir Benjamin Baker, John Hanning Speke, Sir Henry Morton Stanley, David Livingstone and other 19th-century adventurers but also lesser-known and African explorers throughout history. (EGY77, $45.00)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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, Natural Order on the African Plain  •  Mitsuaki Iwago NATURAL HISTORY •  1987 •  HARD COVER  • 280 PAGES • BEST SELLER • 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)
The Ukimwi Road: From Kenya to Zimbabwe  •  Dervla Murphy TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1995 •  HARD COVER  • 276 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE An Irish grandmother and award-winning travel writer, Murphy rewards herself on her 60th birthday in 1992 with a state-of-the-art mountain bike and an adventure from Kenya to Zimbabwe, including a sojourn in Zambia. She frames her portrait of contemporary Africa around the AIDS crisis, providing a unique glimpse into the life of Africans in each of the countries she visits. But, beware: Murphy's attitude towards the international, animal-watching tourist trade is less than kind. Still, it's a vastly entertaining and eye-opening book. (AFR01, $22.95)