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READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Essential Reading

Item EXCAF12. Buy these 4 items as a set for $56 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, $12.95)

 
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)

Congo, The Bradt Travel Guide


by Sean Rorison

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

Bradt series is noted for publishing travel guides to remote and little-visited destinations, and this is no exception. This is the first full guidebook on both the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire, and the Republic of Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, in over a decade. (WAF125, $28.99)

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, $20.00)

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

The veteran journalist looks back on his three decade-long odyssey through Africa in this remarkable memoir. Kapuscinski captures the impossible extremes of the continent, recounting with an unfailing generosity of spirit its beauty and brutality. (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)

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, $16.00)

Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa

Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa


by Mungo Park

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

Park chronicles 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)

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, $16.00)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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, $16.99)

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)

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)

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, $18.99)

Forests of Central Africa


by Jean Pierre Vende Weghe

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2012
  • HARD COVER
  • 365 PAGES

A sumptuous pictorial guide to the largest region of tropical forest outside of the Amazon, an area which covers 11 countries and includes the Congo Basin. Featuring beautiful portraits of the bewildering array of flora and fauna, the book examines the ecology, climate and natural history of the forests as well as conservation efforts to save them. (CAF57, $82.00)

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, $18.50)

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, $30.95)

National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife

National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife


by Bunny McBride | Duane Schlitter | Richard Estes | 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.