20th-Century South Africa  •  William Beinart HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES Written by a prominent South African historian, this history focuses on the cultural, political and economic forces that have shaped the nation over the last 100 years. Beinart is a professor of history and fellow of St Anthony's College at Oxford. (SAF153, $24.95)
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 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  •  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)
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)
Anatomy of a Miracle, The End of Apartheid and the Birth of the New South Africa  •  Patti Waldmeir HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 289 PAGES A vividly written account of the extraordinary transition of power from de Klerk to Mandela from an insider's point of view. Waldmeir, who had access to all the principle players, is the Johannesburg bureau chief for the Financial Times. Told with verve and an eye for detail, this book is highly recommended for anyone seeking to understand this landmark event. (SAF47, $22.95)
The Behavior Guide to Africa's Mammals  •  Richard Estes NATURAL HISTORY •  1992 •  PAPER  • 611 PAGES A detailed overview of the ecology and behavior of African mammals with range maps, line drawings and extensive bibliography. It's a more technical, detailed version of The Safari Companion by the same author. (AFR54, $34.95)
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)
Birds of Southern Africa, Princeton Illustrated Checklists  •  Ber Van Perlo FIELD GUIDE •  2009 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES • COMING IN APRIL An admirably compact guide, featuring small illustrations of 1,250 species, brief descriptions and black-and-white range maps. A "Princeton Illustrated Checklist," this compact book is especially appealing for the advanced birder who doesn't require more extensive descriptions. (SAF79, $29.95)
Bitter Fruit  •  Achmat Dangor LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 281 PAGES A powerful family tale set in Johannesburg during the last months of Nelson Mandela's presidency. (SAF147, $13.00)
Black Liberation, A Comparative History of Black Ideologies in the United States and Africa  •  George M. Fredrickson HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 404 PAGES A history of black resistance in the United States and South Africa. Fredrickson, a prominent scholar in the field of race studies, examines not just the similarities and differences between the two societies, but also the sharing of ideas, political tactics and inspiration to bring about change. (SAF154, $42.00)
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)
Boyhood, Scenes from the Provincial Life  •  J.M. Coetzee BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1998 •  PAPER  • 166 PAGES Nobel Prize-winner J.M. Coetzee's affecting memoir of his adolescence, told in the third person. (SAF149, $14.00)
Bradt City Guide Johannesburg  •  Lizzie Williams GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A guide to the South African city in the authoritative, personal Bradt series. With practical information, annotated suggestions of where to eat, sleep and shop, suggested walking tours and color maps. (SAF176, $13.95)
Burger's Daughter  •  Nadine Gordimer LITERATURE •  1980 •  PAPER  • 361 PAGES The story of a young, white, South African woman, and her search for identity. Even after her parents' deaths while imprisoned for their anti-apartheid beliefs, Rosa Burger is under constant surveillance of the government and finds herself thrown into the role of a political activist. Written by Nobel Prize-winner Nadine Gordimer. (SAF84, $15.00)
The Cape Herders  •  Emile Boonzaier CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1998 •  PAPER  • 155 PAGES A scholarly portrait of the Khokhoi of the western cape of South Africa by several experts in the field, this illustrated book covers history, anthropology and modern realities. Called in colonial times the "Hottentots," the book explodes many cultural myths that have grown up around this herding people. (SAF65, $19.95)
Cape Town & Peninsula Adventure Map  •  National Geographic MAP One of the excellent Adventure Maps published by National Geographic, this full-color, folded map is printed on water- and tear-resistant paper. At a scale of 1:55,000, it covers hiking and walking trails, attractions and points of interest. Activities, in detail. On the reverse is a Cape Town city map and map of Cape Peninsula National Park. With contour lines and spot elevations. (SAF161, $9.95)
Cape Town Map  •  Borch Maps 2005 •  MAP A laminated map of the city center of Cape Town, at a scale of 1:15,000. (SAF105, $7.95)
Cape Winelands, A Touring Guide  •  Theresa Morrison  •  Lanz von Horsten GUIDEBOOK •  2000 •  PAPER  • 120 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE A nicely illustrated, informative guide to the Cape Winelands featuring 40 hand-picked estates, each with a double-page spread. The author, an expatriate American in the wine business, writes about her favorite wineries, chosen for their architecture and history, the wines they produce, agreeable ambience, landscape and character. With fold-out maps, excellent color photographs and good information on restaurants, picnic spots and places to stay. (SAF128, $20.00)
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)
The Color Encyclopedia of Cape Bulbs  •  John C. Manning  •  Peter Goldblatt  •  Dee Snijman NATURAL HISTORY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 496 PAGES A definitive, richly illustrated account fo the remarkably diverse geophytes of the Cape Floral region by three leading botanists. With 611 color photos, two color maps and two tables. Peter Goldblatt is the B.A. Krukoff Curator of African Botany at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. (SAF160, $59.95)
A Complicated War, The Harrowing of Mozambique  •  William Finnegan HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 325 PAGES An eyewitness historical, political and social account of Mozambique and the civil war that has ravaged the country, organized as a travelogue of sorts -- and centered around the author's own travels and interviews. Finnegan, a staff writer for the New Yorker, risked his own life as he traveled through the war-torn country, seeking first-hand accounts from the refugees whose families have been murdered by the Mozambique National Resistance. Portions of this book originally appeared in the "New Yorker." (SAF94, $26.95)
Country of My Skull: Guilt, Sorrow, and the Limits of Forgiveness in the New South Africa  •  Antjie Krog  •  Luke Mitchell HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES In 1995, the newly established Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa began to hold hearings for personal testimonials on the atrocious crimes committed during Apartheid. Krog, a journalist covering the hearings, writes with passion and sensitivity in this account of the horrors that plagued South Africa. (SAF100, $16.00)
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)
Democratization in Africa  •  Larry Diamond  •  Marc F. Plattner HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES A scholarly analysis of the successes and failures of democratic movements in Africa through the 1990s, including South Africa. (AFR162, $19.95)
Devil's Valley  •  Andre Philippus Brink LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 401 PAGES Fantasy and mystery comingle in this novel of a washed up reporter who discovers a strange society of primitive Boer farmers deep in a South African mountain valley. (SAF148, $22.00)
Disgrace  •  J.M. Coetzee LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES A sobering novel set in Cape Town and on a remote farm in the Eastern Cape. Friendless and twice-divorced, David Lurie loses his professorship as a result of an affair with a student, and is further broken down when he and his daughter are viciously attacked by three intruders. Coetzee's spare, but multi-layered language conveys the devastating realities of racial politics, alienation and suffering in post-apartheid South Africa. This book made Coetzee the only author to win the Booker Prize twice; the first one was awarded for "The Life and Times of Michael K" (SAF17). (SAF89, $15.00)
A Dry White Season  •  Andre Philippus Brink LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 316 PAGES When a white teacher decides to investigate the suspicious death of a school janitor he is brought face to face with the ugly truths of Apartheid in this classic South African novel. (SAF179, $13.95)
Durban Street Plan  •  MapLink MAP Detailed map of Durban, published in South Africa. (SAF104, $19.95)
Elephantoms, Tracking the Elephant  •  Lyall Watson NATURAL HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 261 PAGES An evocative account of elephants, the natural history of South Africa, and growing up in the bush. Watson, a biologist with a well-developed sense of wonder who now lives in Ireland, looks back at his own childhood in South Africa, interweaving personal history, myth, symbol and lore of the elephant with good information on the ecology and conservation of these great beasts. (SAF129, $14.95)
A Far Off Place  •  Laurens van der Post LITERATURE •  1978 •  PAPER  • 310 PAGES The continutation of the tale begun with A Story Like the Wind of Francois Joubert and Xhabbo. After a massacre, the protagonists and companions must make their escape across the Kalahari. (SAF117, $15.00)
Fault Lines, Journeys Into the New South Africa  •  David Goodman  •  Paul Weinberg HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 418 PAGES An engrossing portrait of South Africa after apartheid and how the changing nation continues to confront its troubled past. (SAF111, $19.95)
Favorite African Folktales  •  Nelson Mandela LITERATURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES • FAMILY A collection of tales from all over the continent, including many traditional folktales from Southern Africa. A team of expert folklorists, poets and authors transcribe the tales, each selected by Mandela. (AFR142, $13.95)
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)
Flashman and the Tiger  •  George MacDonald Fraser LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES Fraser plumbs the annals of history to produce his factual, entertaining tales of folly in the service of her Majesty's empire. This 11th installment in The Flashman Papers (purportedly retrieved and not written by George Macdonald Fraser, a nice conceit), consists of three short adventures, which find our hero cavorting with Bismarck and Emperor Franz-Josef and the future Edward VI. (WAF58, $14.95)
Fodor's Exploring South Africa  •  Fodor's Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES With its many photographs, great introductory chapters and practical travel information, this book is an excellent overview of South Africa and its attractions for visitors. (SAF170, $24.95)
Footprint South Africa Handbook  •  Sebastain Ballard GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 834 PAGES A comprehensive guide to South Africa featuring detailed travel information, local maps and a good, brief overview of the history, culture and wildlife of the region. With a color section on wildlife. This exhaustive guide, by the publishers of the venerable "South America Handbook," is especially valuable for independent travelers. (SAF96, $22.95)
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)
The Harmless People  •  Elizabeth Marshall Thomas CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1989 •  PAPER  • 303 PAGES A classic study of the Bushmen of the Kalahari, first published in 1959 and updated by the author in the 1980s. It's an account of the author's fieldwork, direct and informative, strong on the character of the people and land. (SAF60, $15.95)
The Healing Land, The Bushmen and the Kalahari Desert  •  Rupert Isaacson TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 278 PAGES This dark contemporary tale of discovery works as an antidote to the nostalgia of Van der Post's classic Lost World of the Kalahari. Isaacson, a journalist and travel writer raised with tales of Southern Africa and the San, documents the poverty, social disruption and struggle of a people who have been displaced from their land. The tale revolves around Dawid Kruiper, a traditional Xhomani Bushmen leader and healer, who introduces the author to ancient notions of power, wisdom, healing and strength. Without losing site of his main goal of reporting on the predicament of the Bushmen across their original lands, Isaacson embarks on his own spiritual quest. (SAF135, $13.00)
The Heart of Redness, A Novel  •  Zakes Mda LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 277 PAGES A haunting novel set in a contemporary South African village, where a modernizing world and the traditions of the past come into conflict. Mda brilliantly renivents the history, lives, myths and people of Qolorha-by-Sea in the wild Eastern Cape. (SAF155, $14.00)
A History of Sub-Saharan Africa  •  Robert O. Collins  •  James M. Burns HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES A clear, brief survey of the history and development of Africa, aimed at undergraduates and interested readers, organized thematically. With chapters on climate and geography, the rise of states and empires, the slave trade within Africa and beyond to the Americas, the European conquest, and Africa in the 20th century. (AFR174, $27.99)
The House Gun  •  Nadine Gordimer LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 294 PAGES From a popular South African Nobel Prize-winner comes the story of a privileged white family and their struggles with their own beliefs. Faced with the reality of their son's being a murderer, the Lindgards must reconcile their cooperation in a culture of racism and violence. Always perceptive, Gordimer dissects psychological distortions underlying apartheid. (SAF78, $15.00)
A Human Being Died That Night, A South African Woman Confronts the Legacy of Apartheid  •  Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2004 •  PAPER  • 208 PAGES Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, a South African clinical psychologist, recounts dialogue with Eugene de Kock, a commanding officer of an apartheid era state-sanctioned death squad who is currently serving a 212-year sentence for crimes against humanity. A poignant exploration of accountability and forgiveness. (SAF186, $13.00)
Hunters and Herders of Southern Africa  •  Alan Barnard CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1992 •  PAPER  • 379 PAGES Subtitled "A Comparative Ethnography of Khoisan Peoples, " this scholarly book looks at the environment and its influence on the cultural and social organization among San ("Bushmen"), Khokhoi ("Hottentot") and Damara of the Kalahari and surrounding areas. It looks at the culture of some of the best-known and most mythologized African peoples. Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology 85. (SAF67, $43.00)
I Write What I Like, Selected Writings  •  Steve Biko ANTHOLOGY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES An anthology of essays by activist and martyr Steve Biko (1946-1977), from his election as president of the South African Students' Organization in 1969 to 1972, when he was forbidden to publish. Although most people believe that Biko was killed by the police, no one has been brought to justice. (SAF157, $17.00)
Illustrated Guide to the Game Parks and Nature Reserves of Southern Africa  •  Reader's Digest FIELD GUIDE •  1990 •  HARD COVER  • 440 PAGES A comprehensive guide to 700 parks and reserves with a good overview of each region along with profiles of individual reserves. This thoroughly illustrated resource also includes a key to common plants, insects, reptiles, fishes, birds, and mammals. With excellent maps. (SAF02, $30.00)
Imaginings of Sand  •  Andre Philippus Brink LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES When her grandmother falls ill, a young woman returns home to South Africa during the first democratic elections in this evocative novel. South African author Andre Brink brilliantly conjures magical stories of the Africa of old along with modern political commentary. (SAF180, $23.00)
In the Footsteps of Eve, The Mystery of Human Origins  •  Lee R. Berger SCIENCE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES Berger challenges the orthodoxy on a critical point of debate in the field of paleoanthropology. Based on an important find he made in 1997 -- the oldest footprint of a modern human ever found -- he claims that humans evolved near the Cape of Good Hope, rather than in East Africa as convention holds. With black-and-white photographs and illustrations. (ATP10, $14.00)
Journey to the Vanished City, the Search for a Lost Tribe of Israel  •  Tudor Parfitt TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES The author, a noted scholar of Judaic Diaspora, probes the mystery of the Lemba people of South Africa in this book, which combines history, myth -- and a first-person account of his furiously entertaining trip from South Africa to Zimbabwe, Malawi and Tanzania. The vanished city in question is Senna, the mysterious Arabian city where the Lemba may have originated. Despite prevailing wisdom, the Lemba believe they are a lost tribe of Israel, descended from Solomon, who traveled to southern Africa -- and built the ancient city of Great Zimbabwe. Whatever your opinion of the author's conclusions, anyone planning a visit to the World Heritage Site of Great Zimbabwe will find the book of great interest. (SAF92, $14.00)
July's People  •  Nadine Gordimer LITERATURE •  1982 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES When the cities in South Africa become volatile battlefields, one household servant rescues the liberal white family he works for and brings them to his village for safety. Gordimer's political novel raises questions of understanding and misunderstanding between whites and blacks. (SAF95, $14.00)
Kaffir Boy, The True Story a Black Youth's Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa  •  Mark Mathabane BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1998 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES The affecting memoir of a young South African athlete under Apartheid. Mathabane escaped the fate of many poor, black youth of the time through a tennis scholarship to an American university. (SAF158, $15.00)
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)
Lonely Planet Cape Town  •  Simon Richmond GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 210 PAGES This is a comprehensive, practical guide to the city and its history. Apart from its useful travel information, it features an excellent overview of bird life, Cape flora, wine countries and other highlights of the region. With dozens of excellent maps, color photographs and short glossary. (SAF27, $19.99)
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)
Lonely Planet Southern Africa  •  Alan Murphy GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 816 PAGES A hefty practical guide to the nine nations of southern Africa, including Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland, Malawi, Mozambique and Lesotho. Ideal for independent travelers on a multicountry tour, this guide includes exhaustive information about where to sleep and eat, and what to see and do, as well as a useful overview of the region. (SAF121, $31.99)
Mandela & de Klerk  •  Inge Sargent LITERATURE •  1997 •  DVD A tevision docu-drama starring Sydney Poitier the jailed hero and Michael Caine as de Klerk, filmed on location in South Africa and at Robbin Island. The film dramatizes the end of Apartheid. DVD (SAF51, $9.98)
Mandela, The Authorized Biography  •  Anthony Sampson BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2001 •  PAPER  • 736 PAGES A comprehensive biography of Mandela by a prolific British journalist, who once edited a magazine in Johannesburg. A long-term acquaintance and admirer of the great leader, Sampson had complete access to Mandela, his unpublished letters and documents. (SAF118, $20.00)
Master Harold...and the Boys  •  Athol Fugard LITERATURE •  1984 •  PAPER  • 60 PAGES Athol Fugard's play of a young white man and the racial tensions that destroy his friendship to an older black waiter at his parent's restaurant, set at the dawn of Apartheid in South Africa. (SAF151, $12.00)
My Son's Story  •  Nadine Gordimer LITERATURE •  1991 •  PAPER  • 277 PAGES A complex story of the effects of apartheid on one black family in a segregated township near Johannesburg. With her characteristic insight into human relationships, Gordimer follows the lives of a black activist schoolteacher, his son and a white fellow activist. (SAF77, $15.00)
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)
No Future Without Forgiveness  •  Desmond Tutu BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2000 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Nobel Peace Prize recipient Desmond Tutu writes an insightful memoir on South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. After Apartheid, Nelson Mendela named Tutu the chairman of the TRC, an establishment which aims for racial reconciliation in South Africa. The oppression in South Africa cannot be forgotten, but Tutu, in his sincerity, believes it can be forgiven. (SAF97, $15.95)
None to Accompany Me  •  Nadine Gordimer LITERATURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 324 PAGES A portrait of life in South Africa after the collapse of Apartheid. With keen attention to character and racial politics, Nobel Prize-winner Gordimer traces the experiences of two families during this turbulent time in recent South African history. (SAF76, $15.00)
Not Either an Experimental Doll, The Separate Worlds of Three South Africa Women  •  Lily Patience Moya CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1988 •  PAPER  • 234 PAGES A collection of eye-opening letters by two black women and a liberal white women in apartheid South Africa. Written from 1949-1951, the letters reveal life in a segregated society. (SAF156, $15.95)
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)
Picture Cape Town, Landmarks of a New Generation  •  Getty Trust Publications ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1997 •  PAPER An inspired collection of photographs of the city, culled from hundreds taken by a group of South African youths on assignment to capture the city's distinctive landmarks on film. (SAF126, $19.95)
Plant Life in the World's Mediterranean Climates  •  Paul Dallman NATURAL HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 210 PAGES Richly illustrated, clearly written and engaging, this book is an ecological overview of the landscapes, plants and vegetation types found in Mediterranean climates. It's an eye-opening guide to California, Chile, South Africa, Australia and -- naturally -- the Mediterranean. (MED21, $35.95)
The Post-Apartheid Constitutions, Perspectives on South Africa's Basic Law  •  Stephen Ellmann  •  Penelope Andrews REFERENCE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 606 PAGES (SAF133, $29.95)
Power Lines, Two Years on South Africa's Borders  •  Jason Carter  •  Jimmy Carter BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2003 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Jimmy Carter wrote the introduction for his grandson Jason's memoir about working in South Africa for two years as a member of the Peace Corps and living with a South African family. This is essentially a story about an American abroad, with all the familiar struggles with language (Carter learned both Zulu and Siswati during his stay) and assimilation, but this book has an added political element, as he observes life among the South Africans in the late 1990s as they were rebuilding their lives after the era of apartheid. (SAF146, $14.00)
The Power of One  •  Bryce Courtenay LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 518 PAGES This riveting novel tells of the coming-of-age of a six-year-old English boy in South Africa during the darkest days of largely pro-Nazi South Africa. It's an inspirational story with a great sense of time and place, combining strong characters, stunning locales and serious social issues. Based on the author's own experiences as a child. (SAF26, $14.95)
Robben Island and Prisoner Resistance to Apartheid  •  Fran Lisa Buntman HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 358 PAGES A fascinating and inspiring glimpse inside the prison in which Nelson Mandela, along with other anti-apartheid activists, was held for almost three decades. Buntman studies the ways the prisoners managed to stragegize and resist even while behind bars. (SAF185, $27.99)
The Rough Guide to Cape Town and the Garden Route  •  Rough Guide GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 324 PAGES This guide features helpful information on Cape Town attractions and Garden Route adventure activities, as well as reviews on accommodations, food and drink. With a color section and maps on every area. (SAF165, $19.99)
Shaka Zulu  •  E. A. Ritter HISTORY •  1986 •  NTSC VIDEO  • 416 PAGES Made as a mini-series for British audiences by the South African director William Faure, this is the sweeping story of the Zulu nation's rise to power and especially of its warrior-king Shaka Zulu. (SAF54, $14.98)
South Africa, A Narrative History  •  Frank Welsh HISTORY •  1998 •  HARD COVER  • 648 PAGES Following the region from the settlement of Cape Town to post-Apartheid politics, this sweeping narrative takes in the complex history of South Africa, including portraits of key figures such as the Zulu chief Shaka, Cecil Rhodes, Nelson Mandela and lesser-known modern leaders. From the 17th-century Dutch decision to exploit slave labor to the terrible history of the diamond mines and crueler aspects of Apartheid, this opinionated history is an excellent guide to understanding the country. (SAF57, $35.00)
South from the Limpopo, Travels Through South Africa  •  Dervla Murphy TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES No blushing violet, Murphy has journeyed by bicycle and foot through some of the most difficult, complicated places on the planet including India, Madagascar and Africa. She's an open-minded, engaged reporter and this account of South Africa and her 6,000-mile journey is an excellent example of her humorous, thoughtful approach to the world. She captures the excitement, contradictions and challenges of South Africa on her travels as the first majority elections were taking place in 1994. (SAF102, $16.95)
Southern African Birds, A Photographic Guide  •  Ian Sinclair FIELD GUIDE •  1990 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES A pocket guide to the 265 most conspicuous birds south of the Zambezi River featuring color photographs, with brief descriptions and range maps. (SAF14, $15.95)
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)
Southern Night Sky  •  Pocket Naturalist FIELD GUIDE •  2001 •  PLASTIC CARD A glow in the dark laminated card showing the most conspicuous stars, constellations and celestial objects of the Southern Hemisphere. (SCI30, $5.95)
Soweto Inside Out, Stories About Africa's Famous Township  •  Adam Roberts HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 237 PAGES A collection of stories compiled to mark the centennial of the first expulsion of black Africans from Johannesburg to Soweto. (SAF184, $18.00)
A Story Like the Wind  •  Laurens van der Post LITERATURE •  1978 •  PAPER  • 370 PAGES The epic tale set in the Kalahari of the frienship between young Francois Joubert and Xhabbo. (SAF116, $15.00)
The Story of an African Farm  •  Olive Shreiner LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 328 PAGES First published in 1883, this novel is considered a landmark in feminist literature for its controversial views on marriage, pregnancy, religion and gender. The orphaned heroine Lyndall is full of philosophical revelations in her search for self in colonial South Africa. (SAF86, $12.95)
Time Out Cape Town  •  Time Out GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 280 PAGES Compact and up-to-date, this is an outstanding guide for where to go and what to do in Cape Town. With maps and introductory chapters on culture and history. (SAF164, $19.95)
To My Children's Children  •  Sindiwe Magona BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1998 •  HARD COVER  • 176 PAGES Sindiwe Magona's widely acclaimed memoir of the changes she and her Xhosa village endured under apartheid. Magona candidly relates her experiences of growing into womanhood the first 23 years of her life (she was forced to leave her teaching post to work as a servant in a white family's home) while chronicling the transforming social climate around her. (SAF83, $11.95)
Tomorrow is Another Country, The Inside Story of South Africa's Road to Change  •  Allister Sparks HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 254 PAGES A comprehensive account of the extraordinary developments that led to the new multiracial democracy in South Africa. It's a detailed study of personalities and political intrigue before, during and after the elections -- essential to an understanding of South Africa today. By a foremost South African journalist. (SAF31, $19.00)
Traveller's History of South Africa  •  David Mason HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES A compact guide in the popular series, this one rather dry. (SAF142, $14.95)
Tree Shaker: The Story of Nelson Mandela  •  Bill Keller BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2008 •  HARD COVER  • 128 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Written by New York Times executive editor Bill Keller, this inspiring biography follows Mandela from his tribal homeland and the struggle for racial equality to his leadership of an-apartheid-free South Africa. (SAF188, $17.95)
Vegetation of Southern Africa  •  R. M. Cowling NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 649 PAGES A comprehensive survey of the habits, climatic and geological setting, evolution and types of vegetation in Southern Africa by a team of scholars. Geared for professionals, the book includes chapters on fynbos and other distinctive biomes of the region. With 134 line diagrams, 123 blac-and-white photographs and 106 tables. (SAF159, $90.00)
Waiting for the Barbarians  •  J.M. Coetzee LITERATURE •  1982 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES (SAF150, $14.00)
Ways of Dying  •  Zakes Mda LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 212 PAGES A best-seller in South Africa, Mda's novel unfolds in a strife-ridden, poverty-stricken South African city; yet for all its gravity and violence, it's a love story. (SAF132, $14.00)
The World Atlas of Wine  •  Hugh Johnson  •  Jancis Robinson FOOD •  2007 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES An invaluable, illustrated guide and atlas, covering wine-producing regions around the world. This revised fifth edition takes in new grapes, new wines and new wine-producing regions. Although France is given emphasis, California, Spain, Italy, South America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and other regions are also well covered. With hundreds of color photographs, illustrations and excellent full color maps (which vary in scale according to region). (GEN244, $50.00)
Woza Albert  •  Percy Mtwa  •  Mbongeni Ngema  •  Barney Simon LITERATURE •  1991 •  PAPER  • 122 PAGES The second coming of Christ occurs in South Africa in this biting, satircal play. (SAF152, $14.95)
Zulu Wilderness, Shadow and Soul  •  Ian Player BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1998 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES A celebration and tribute to Magquba Ntombela -- a formidable Zulu chief, storyteller and game warden who the author met in South Africa in 1952. Ian Player, a veteran conservationist and warden, was a young man when he met the Zulu elder and, against tremendous odds, the two formed a lifelong bond. In this heartfelt memoir, Player touches on many themes including the Ndumu and Mfolozo game reserves where the two worked, Zulu and apartheid history, conservation and wilderness values. (SAF107, $21.95)