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READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Essential Reading

Item EXCAF12. Buy these 4 items as a set for $58 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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African Silences

African Silences

by Peter Matthiessen

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 225 PAGES

In this narrative of Equatorial Africa, Matthiessen recounts several trips to The Gambia, Senegal, Zaire and the Congo Basin in search of rhinos, elephants and other endangered wildlife. (WAF36, $13.00)

King Leopold's Ghost, A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa

King Leopold's Ghost, A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa

by Adam Hochschild

  • HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

An enthralling narrative of the 19th-century colonization of the Belgian Congo, written by an award-winning journalist. The focus of the book is Belgian King Leopold, who oversaw the colonization. (CAF08, $16.95)

No Mercy, A Journey to the Heart of the Congo

No Mercy, A Journey to the Heart of the Congo

by Redmond O'Hanlon

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 462 PAGES

A trek deep into the Congo with Redmond O'Hanlon, the eccentric, courageous, always-entertaining modern adventurer. (CAF01, $15.95)

Africa Map, Central and South, Madagascar 746

Africa Map, Central and South, Madagascar 746

by Michelin Travel Publications

  • 2007
  • MAP

This fine folded map covers the continent south of Gabon, Congo, Uganda and Kenya at a scale of 1:4,000,000. (AFR36, $14.95)

 
Congo Democratic Republic (Zaire) Map

Congo Democratic Republic (Zaire) Map


by Cartographia

  • MAP

This shaded relief map of the Democrtatc Republic of Congo (1:3.3 M), Rwanda and Burundi includes an inset map of Kinshasa. (AFR60, $12.00)

Nigeria Map

Nigeria Map


by ITMB

  • MAP

A shaded relief map of Nigeria at 1:600,000. (AFR39, $11.95)

Congo, The Bradt Travel Guide


by Sean Rorison

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

A practical guide in the popular Bradt series, noted for publishing travel guides to remote and little-visited destinations. (WAF125, $27.99)

Africa

Africa


by Phyllis Martin | Patrick O'Meara

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES

African history and prehistory, popular culture, art and economics -- it's all here in the most popular introductory text for undergraduate African studies courses in North America. With maps, photographs and drawings. (AFR07, $26.00)

Africa, A Biography of the Continent

Africa, A Biography of the Continent


by John Reader

  • HISTORY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 816 PAGES

With the ease of a practiced journalist, Reader weaves a masterful and lively tale of the continent, from ancient cultures to modern times. Both authoritative and informal, this is a splendid introduction to all of Africa. (AFR49, $18.95)

African Ceremonies


by Carol Beckwith | Angela Fisher

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1999
  • HARD COVER
  • 744 PAGES

Beckwith and Fisher team up to capture traditional ceremonies and contemporary culture throughout the continent in this lavishly produced, two-volume collection of 850 color photographs. Presented in a slip case. (AFR76, $150.00)

Another Day in the Life


by Ryszard Kapuscinski | William R. Brand | Katarzyna Mroczkowska-Brand

  • HISTORY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

Kapuscinski's vivid account of Portuguese withdrawal from Angola and the beginning of the civil war over three months in the 1960s. (CAF23, $15.00)

Cultural Atlas of Africa

Cultural Atlas of Africa


by Jocelyn Murray

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1998
  • HARD COVER
  • 240 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

A handsomely illustrated atlas of African history and culture with 96 outstanding maps, 250 color photographs and excellent essays. (AFR47, $50.00)

In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz, Living on the Brink of Disaster in Mobutu's Congo


by Michela Wrong

  • HISTORY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

This captivating book chronicles the rise and fall of Mobutu Sese Seko, the man who ruled Zaire for over 30 years through incompetence, violence and decadence. (CAF32, $14.99)

The Scramble for Africa

The Scramble for Africa


by Thomas Pakenham

  • HISTORY
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 738 PAGES

Absorbing and meticulously researched, this in-depth history of the Victorian land grab in Africa includes excellent portraits of the egomaniacal personalities who overran the continent. (AFR26, $23.99)

The Shadow of the Sun

The Shadow of the Sun


by Ryszard Kapuscinski | Klara Glowczewska

  • HISTORY
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 325 PAGES

A collection of intelligent, wide-ranging essays on Africa by the veteran author and war correspondent. He addresses important themes with insight, including the devastating impact of AIDS and recent political disasters in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Rwanda. (AFR88, $16.00)

African Art, An Introduction

African Art, An Introduction


by 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, $21.95)

Ake, the Years of Childhood


by Wole Soyinka

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1983
  • PAPER
  • 230 PAGES

A Nobel Prize-winning playwright, recalls his Yoruba childhood in Nigeria during World War II. (WAF47, $14.95)

Blood River, Retracing Stanley's Journey to Africa's Broken Heart

Blood River, Retracing Stanley's Journey to Africa's Broken Heart


by Tim Butcher

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

Correspondent for the Telegraph, Butcher retraces Stanley's 3,000-mile journey down the Congo in this harrowing, utterly absorbing and compassionate tale of hard travel through "the most daunting, backward country on earth." (AFR228, $16.00)

Chimpanzee Travels, On and Off the Road in Africa


by Dale Peterson

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 279 PAGES

Peterson's enjoyable tales of travels across Africa captures the thrill and adventure of primate research from Tanzania to Gabon. (AFR276, $19.95)

Facing the Congo, A Modern-Day Journey into the Heart of Darkness


by Jeffrey Taylor

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 260 PAGES

In this richly oberved travelogue Taylor, a journalist based in Moscow, recounts his adventures on the Congo in the footsteps of Stanley. (CAF10, $16.00)

I Married Adventure, The Lives of Osa and Martin Johnson

I Married Adventure, The Lives of Osa and Martin Johnson


by Osa Johnson

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 448 PAGES

Sweetly told, homespun and engrossing, Johnson's 1940 memoir chronicles her marriage to explorer and wildlife cinematographer Martin Johnson -- their life on a houseboat in Borneo, their encounters with cannibals, their exploits with wild animals in Kenya and their filming expeditions in the Congo. Osa Johnson also established the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum in her hometown of Chanute, Kansas. (PAC110, $19.95)

In Sorcery's Shadow


by Paul Stoller | Cheryl Olkes

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 235 PAGES

An anthropologist's account of his time in Niger and his experiences with local sorcerers and traditional healers. It's an excellent introduction to the role of magic and its moral complications in African culture. (WAF55, $22.50)

Into Africa, The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone

Into Africa, The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone


by Martin Dugard

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 340 PAGES

A nicely paced tale of the Scottish explorer and Stanley's headline-grabbing efforts to locate him. Dugard has done his homework well, drawing on a wide variety of sources to paint a lively and nuanced portrait of the two men. (AFR130, $15.95)

Mango Elephants in the Sun

Mango Elephants in the Sun


by Susana Herrera

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 270 PAGES

Teens will especially respond to this lively tale of the transformation of a 23-year-old Californian from bumbling volunteer to a member of the community in this tale of Herrera's two years teaching English in northern Cameroon. (WAF20, $22.95)

Riding the Demon, On the Road in West Africa

Riding the Demon, On the Road in West Africa


by Peter Chilson

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1999
  • HARD COVER
  • 216 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

Peter Chilson took to the road in Niger for this portrait of a turbulent and fascinating nation, where rickety bush taxis, packed to the gills with passengers, provide an eye-opening perspective on the nation. (WAF54, $24.95)

The Innocent Anthropologist, Notes from a Mud Hut

The Innocent Anthropologist, Notes from a Mud Hut


by Nigel Barley

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 190 PAGES

British anthropologist Barley's refreshingly candid, witty account of the perils of fieldwork among the Dowayo of northern Cameroon. (CAF14, $17.95)

The Ponds of Kalambayi

The Ponds of Kalambayi


by Mike Tidwell

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

A disarmingly forthright, charming account of adventures in Zaire by a young peace corps volunteer, much more about cultures and character than Tilapia, the fish in question. (CAF12, $16.95)

Through the Dark Continent, Volume 1

Through the Dark Continent, Volume 1


by Henry M. Stanley

  • EXPLORATION
  • 1988
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES

A reprint of the original accounts of Henry Morton Stanley in Africa. (CAF06, $24.95)

To the Heart of the Nile, Lady Florence Baker and the Exploration of Central Africa

To the Heart of the Nile, Lady Florence Baker and the Exploration of Central Africa


by Pat Shipman

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 448 PAGES

A lively account of the adventurous, eventful life of Lady Florence Baker (1845-1916). (CAF30, $16.95)

Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa

Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa


by Mungo Park

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

Park chronicles of the culture, society and nature of West Africa before the colonial period in this classic account of a 24-year-old Scotsman exploring, often alone, in uncharted Africa. First published in 1799. (WAF40, $12.95)

Half of a Yellow Sun

Half of a Yellow Sun


by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

  • LITERATURE
  • 2007
  • PAPER

This second novel by the author of Red Hibiscus conjures the terror and hope of the 960s struggle of Biafra to establish an independent republic in Nigeria. (AFR194, $15.95)

Heinemann Book of Contemporary African Short Stories

Heinemann Book of Contemporary African Short Stories


by Chinua Achebe | Lynn Innes

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 196 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

A single-volume introduction to the vast literature of Africa, containing stories from the past 37 years. (AFR10, $14.94)

News from Home, Stories


by Sefi Atta

  • LITERATURE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 293 PAGES

This heartfelt collection of 11 short stories conveys the Nigerian spirit through its colorful host of characters, some at home in Nigeria and others living abroad. (CAF51, $15.00)

Pandora in the Congo

Pandora in the Congo


by Albert Sanchez Pinol

  • LITERATURE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 441 PAGES

In this wry sendup of tales discovery and darkest Africa ala Joseph Conrad, Albert Sanchez Pinol mixes adventure, invention and historical incident into the kind of thoroughly enjoyable, pulpy chronicle that would have appeared in a turn-of-the-century magazine. (CAF44, $15.95)

Still Waters in Niger


by Kathleen Hill

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 216 PAGES

An atmospheric novel set in America and Niger. After living for in the United States for 17 years, an Irish-American woman returns to a small village in Niger where she had once lived with her husband and three daughters. (WAF53, $15.95)

The Famished Road


by Ben Okri

  • LITERATURE
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 500 PAGES

The haunting, Booker Prize-winning novel set in a Yoruba village in modern Nigeria. (WAF39, $16.95)

The Poisonwood Bible

The Poisonwood Bible


by Barbara Kingsolver

  • LITERATURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 546 PAGES

Kingsolver sends her naive missionaries into the Belgian Congo in this best-selling novel. (CAF02, $16.99)

The Poor Christ of Bomba


by Mongo Beti

  • LITERATURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 219 PAGES

This devastating satire of colonial folly and brutality in the Camaroon, originally published in 1956, established Mongo as an important voice. (CAF43, $12.50)

Tropic Moon

Tropic Moon


by Georges Simenon

  • LITERATURE
  • 2005
  • PAPER

In Simenon's dark tale of degeneracy and corruption in a colonial outpost, a young Frenchman, Joseph Timar, travels to Gabon. (CAF34, $12.95)

Jungles

Jungles


by Frans Lanting | Christine Eckstrom

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 256 PAGES

The wildlife of Central America, the Congo, Amazon, Borneo and Madagascar are all featured in this portfolio of 120 extraordinary color photographs. (AMZ65, $19.99)

Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo

Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo


by Kate Jackson

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 336 PAGES

In this action-packed memoir of life in the field, Jackson writes with matter-of-fact good humor of her adventures in search of reptiles and amphibians (naturally, many are venomous) in the forested swampland of the northern Congo. (CAF40, $17.95)

Virunga


by Marc Languy

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 208 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

Marc Languy and Emmanuel de Merode, directors of Virunga National Park, bring together dozens of expert contributors for this wide-ranging overview of the park, its wildlife, history, ecology and conservation. (CAF45, $52.50)

A Guide to the Birds of Western Africa


by Nik Borrow | Ron Demey

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2001
  • HARD COVER
  • 816 PAGES

A comprehensive handbook and guide to the birds of Central and Western Africa from Senegal to Chad and the Congo, featuring 142 original color plates. (WAF59, $115.00)

Birds of Western Africa

Birds of Western Africa


by Nik Borrow | Ron Demey

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 496 PAGES

A compact field edition of Barrow and Demey's comprehensive handbook, covering nearly 1,300 species from Senegal to Congo and featuring 150 color plates. (WAF76, $45.00)

Birds of Western and Central Africa, Princeton Illustrated Checklist

Birds of Western and Central Africa, Princeton Illustrated Checklist


by Ber Van Perlo

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

An admirably compact, comprehensive guide to 1,500 species throughout Western and Central Africa featuring 109 color plates. (WAF02, $29.95)

National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife

National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife


by Peter Alden

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 988 PAGES

This comprehensive photo guide covers 850 birds, mammals and reptiles of Africa. With range maps and a good country-by-country overview of habitats and parks. (AFR25, $24.95)

The Safari Companion

The Safari Companion


by Richard Estes

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 459 PAGES
  • BEST SELLER

An invaluable encyclopedic guide to Africa's mammals by a noted scientist. Written with the typical safari-goer in mind, this perennial bestseller includes black-and-white drawings, an overview of each group and in-depth information. (AFR06, $30.00)

More Recommendations

Here are some other groups of books that might be of interest

Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.