Welcome!

Enrich Your Travels with Longitude

We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.

SIGN UP FOR

Longitude News

Get our monthly e-mail update

GET A

Catalog

BEST OF 2011

Wild Coast

John Gimlette

SEE ALL >

FOR THE HOLIDAYS

To the Arctic

Florian Schultz

SEE ALL >

OUR FAVORITES

Arctic Dreams

Barry Lopez

SEE ALL >

GLOBES

The Pioneer

Replogle

SEE ALL >

WILDLAND ADVENTURES

Southern Africa

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

  • E-MAIL
  • PRINT

Kids

Books for

Essential Reading

Item EXSAF111. Buy these 4 items as a set for $96 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

ADD SET
TO BOOKBAG
Lonely Planet Southern Africa

Lonely Planet Southern Africa

by Alan Murphy

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 808 PAGES

This hefty practical guide to the nine nations of southern Africa, including Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland, Malawi, Mozambique and Lesotho, is ideal for independent travelers on a multicountry tour. (SAF121, $32.99)

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)

The Wildlife of Southern Africa, A Field Guide to the Animals and Plants of the Region

The Wildlife of Southern Africa, A Field Guide to the Animals and Plants of the Region

by Vincent Carruthers | Kenneth Newman

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES
  • BEST SELLER

With 1,200 color illustrations by a range of experts, this compact field guide includes all the birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, fish and plants that a traveler is likely to encounter in Southern Africa. (SAF59, $29.95)

Southern Africa Regional Map

Southern Africa Regional Map

by ITMB

  • 2008
  • MAP

A double-sided map of the continent south of the Zambezi River, at a scale of 1:2,125,000, with color photographs and notes on parks and major attractions. (SAF63, $12.95)

 
Botswana, the Bradt Safari Guide

Botswana, the Bradt Safari Guide


by Chris McIntyre

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 518 PAGES

With comprehensive coverage of history, flora, fauna and practicalities, this third edition presents Okavango, Chobe, the Kalahari and other popular destinations in absorbing detail. (BOT18, $26.99)

Bradt Guide Namibia

Bradt Guide Namibia


by Chris McIntyre

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 544 PAGES

From the desolate Skeleton Coast to the lush Kavango and Caprivi Strip, or the picturesque capital, Windhoek, Bradt has it covered. (NMB06, $26.99)

Insight Guide South Africa

Insight Guide South Africa


by Insight Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

South Africa is brought to life in hundreds of color photographs and vividly written essays by a team of experts. Panoramic in scope, the guide takes us from Johannesburg out into the veldt, providing genuine insight into the history, nature and modern politics of this complex land. (SAF21, $24.99)

Lonely Planet Cape Town

Lonely Planet Cape Town


by Simon Richmond

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 236 PAGES

Geared for independent travelers, this savvy guide features color photographs and dozens of excellent maps. (SAF27, $19.99)

Victoria Falls & Surrounds, The Insider's Guide

Victoria Falls & Surrounds, The Insider's Guide


by Ian Michler

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 160 PAGES

Dr. Livingstone, I presume? This gorgeously illustrated guide covers the history, culture and nature of the Zambezi, with suggested excursions from rivers to ropes and rafting in nearby Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana. (SAF247, $25.95)

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)

Tomorrow is Another Country, The Inside Story of South Africa's Road to Change

Tomorrow is Another Country, The Inside Story of South Africa's Road to Change


by Allister Sparks

  • HISTORY
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 254 PAGES

Sparks explores the extraordinary developments that led to multiracial democracy in South Africa, an essential key to understanding South Africa today, (SAF31, $25.00)

Cry of the Kalahari, Seven Years in Africa's Last Great Wilderness

Cry of the Kalahari, Seven Years in Africa's Last Great Wilderness


by Mark Owens | Delia Owens

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1985
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

The story of a family thrown out of Botswana for its stance on conservation. While their approach to conservation is controversial, there's no doubt that the Owens are dedicated to the wildlife of southern Africa -- and are very good writers. (SAF13, $16.00)

Long Walk to Freedom

Long Walk to Freedom


by Nelson Mandela

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 640 PAGES

An unpretentious tale of an extraordinary life, Mandela's autobiography is essential reading for an understanding of South Africa. His grace and his love for his country shine throughout. (SAF15, $17.99)

My Traitor's Heart

My Traitor's Heart


by Rian Malan

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 425 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

The Afrikaner and journalist recounts his return to his homeland just before the collapse of Apartheid. Malan grapples with the black and white heart of South Africa, drawing on the 300-year history of his family in Africa, legends of the Zulu nation and some brutally honest reporting. (SAF19, $15.00)

The Old Way, A Story of the First People

The Old Way, A Story of the First People


by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

Marshall (Harmless People) returns after 50 years to southwest Africa and the land of her youth in this beautifully observed reprise of her classic account of the Bushmen of the Kalahari. (SAF183, $16.00)

Twenty Chickens for a Saddle

Twenty Chickens for a Saddle


by Robyn Scott

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 464 PAGES

Haphazardly schooled by her free-spirited mother and left to roam the bush, Scott writes with warmth and candor of her unconventional upbringing in Botswana, including her Grandpa Ivor (personal pilot to the first president of Botswana), physician father's work, unfortunate pets, siblings and adventures. (SAF203, $15.00)

Whatever You Do, Don't Run

Whatever You Do, Don't Run


by Peter Allison

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 246 PAGES

Allison spins captivating tales of wildlife, camps and the life of a Safari guide into a hilarious, slyly informative introduction to Botswana. (BOT29, $16.95)

Blood Safari

Blood Safari


by Deon Meyer

  • MYSTERY
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES

In this suspenseful tale of murder, set in and around the game preserves of South Africa, bodyguard Martin Lemmer helps to uncover the truth in the murder of four poachers. (SAF255, $7.99)

Cry, The Beloved Country

Cry, The Beloved Country


by Alan Paton

  • LITERATURE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 317 PAGES

The deeply moving story of Reverend Kumalo's quest for justice. First published in 1948, it is a striking, poetic tribute to the power of the individual and a trenchant indictment of Apartheid. (SAF30, $15.00)

Life & Times of Michael K

Life & Times of Michael K


by J.M. Coetzee

  • LITERATURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 184 PAGES

Coetzee sets this short, hallucinatory novel, the powerful tale of a troubled boy, in South Africa in the midst of civil war. (SAF17, $14.00)

None to Accompany Me

None to Accompany Me


by Nadine Gordimer

  • LITERATURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 324 PAGES

With keen attention to character and racial politics, Nobel Prize-winner Gordimer traces the experiences of two families during turbulent, post-Apartheid South Africa. (SAF76, $16.00)

South Africa, A Traveler's Literary Companion

South Africa, A Traveler's Literary Companion


by Isabel Balseiro | Tobias Hecht

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 239 PAGES

This diverse collection of short stories reveals South Africa through the eyes of its writers, including numerous renowned names such as Nadine Gordimer, J.M. Coetzee and Alan Paton. (SAF236, $14.95)

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency


by Alexander McCall Smith

  • MYSTERY
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 235 PAGES

The delightful introduction to Botswana's formidable female detective, evoking the cultures, customs and texture of Africa. (BOT10, $13.95)

The Smell of Apples


by Mark Behr

  • LITERATURE
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 200 PAGES

Behr, who was born in Tanzania and grew up in South Africa, tells a haunting tale of social turmoil, racial oppression and lost innocence. (SAF276, $17.00)

Wild at Heart

Wild at Heart


by Peter Godwin | Chris Johns

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2007
  • HARD COVER
  • 176 PAGES

This lush collection of full-color photographs tackles conservation, development and tradition in Southern Africa. It's a well-illustrated portrait of the region by National Geographic photographer Chris Johns and veteran journalist Peter Godwin. (SAF130, $65.00)

Field Guide to the Mammals of Southern Africa

Field Guide to the Mammals of Southern Africa


by Chris Stuart

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 307 PAGES

Featuring 475 large color photographs, this compact, comprehensive guide covers all the mammals of Southern Africa in splendid detail. (SAF193, $29.95)

Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals

Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals


by Jonathan Kingdon

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

An artist and biologist, Kingdon provides both delightful full-color illustrations and informative text. (EAF128, $24.95)

Newman's Birds of Southern Africa

Newman's Birds of Southern Africa


by Kenneth Newman

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 538 PAGES

This commemorative tenth edition celebrates the contribution of the late author, Kenneth Newman, fully revised and updated by his daughter, Vanessa Newman, to reflect the latest research, taxonomy and common names. (SAF29, $26.00)

Southern African Birds, A Photographic Guide

Southern African Birds, A Photographic Guide


by Ian Sinclair

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

Lightweight and handy for the field, this pocket guide to the 265 most conspicuous birds south of the Zambezi River includes color photographs, brief descriptions and range maps. (SAF14, $15.95)

Southern African Wildlife, A Visitor's Guide

Southern African Wildlife, A Visitor's Guide


by Mike Unwin

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 234 PAGES

A popular photographic guide to the mammals, birds, reptiles and habitats south of the Zambezi. With 300 color photographs and illuminating text. (SAF131, $26.99)

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.