Africa Books

This book tells of the discovery of the Rosetta Stone and about attempts to break the code of the hieroglyphs and demotic script. We learn of the various men who tried to break the code and about the successful young man who finally did break the code. The book also tells about who currently owns the Rosetta Stone and the journey and literal fighting that took place over its ownership.

Through this story the reader is introduced to what hieroglyphs are and what demotic script is. Battles are very lightly touched upon, enough to explain why the Egyptians began writing in Greek as well. (The Rosetta stone tells the same story in Hieroglyphs, Demotic script, and Greek and was the key to breaking the hieroglyphic code.) The reader is kept in suspense about the meaning and the decoding of the hieroglyphs...as the discoveries are made the code is revealed to us in bits and pieces. For example we start off not knowing if the symbols stand for sounds of a spoken word or for literal translations to objects/animals, etc. In the end the hieroglyphs are spelled out and the reader is given several examples to try to interpret their meaning. Some of the basic writing rules are clearly discussed such as that the writing can go left to right or right to left, and we are to follow the face of the animal shapes to tell us which way to go. Writing can be vertical and the symbols can be backwards or forwards! There are no punctuation marks, sentences or paragraphs, it all runs together.

There are photographs, illustrations, timelines, and maps throughout this book, which add to the experience. This is loaded with text, it is not as skimpy in text or detail as some books that publishers group into this same age category. Yet it is not as loaded or illustration-driven as the DK/Eyewitness books (as a comparison comment, not a complaint).

I especially enjoyed the details about the life of Jean Francios Champollion, the man who broke the code of the hieroglyphs. Taught to read at a young age and homeschooled by his older brother for most of his life, he was devoted to reading and learning foreign languages from an early age. He disliked math and science and chose instead to study languages. His devotion to his passion lead to his decoding the Rosetta Stone and later to fundraising to pay for an expedition to Egypt. He was so passionate about the bringing history of Egypt to others that he persuaded the King of France to acquire many Egyptian artifacts and he became the curator of the Egyptian museum of the Louvre, which still is on display today. This is all told in an interesting way in this book. We can all learn something from Champollion, to follow our interests, teach our children what they are most interested in, and to excel in one area (of study) can lead to great things if the passion is allowed to flourish. This is a great contrast to our American public educational system today, which wants excellence in many areas of study (and covers each lightly) and doesn't allow time or energy to be spend one or two areas of specialized interest.

My only complaint is that I found the questions posed to the children annoying ("what do you think this means..." and such). I don't think children need to be directed to think about something, it happens to each of us as we read. Perhaps we don't all wonder about the same thing at the same paragraph in a book but that is OK. Sometimes the questions asked the child to interpret something but then the true answer is never revealed which is annoying and I feel leaves the reader feeling incompetent and possibly frustrated to have a curiosity sparked but left without the correct answer, wondering if they are correct or not.

This is a great book to tell the story of unlocking the mystery of the Rosetta Stone and an easily understood introduction to hieroglyphics (and the two other languages) used by the Egyptians. This book really brings history to life.

This short (48 pages) book simply and intelligently tells the story of the decipherment of the Egyptian hieroglyphs for children. It is illustrated with beautiful artwork and is a worthy gift for an artistic, curious middle-school child.

This is a must read for environmentalist, conservationists and everyone who donates money to the cause of saving endangered species. From Oates own experiences in Africa and Asia, Oates tells us how the myth of sustainable development is failing to protect species and parks. He informs us about that what is needed is a return to protecting nature for its own sake. It is a well written book that weaves personal history with the history of the conservation organizations that are telling us they are "saving life on earth." The reality is they are failing and they must change tactics and soon.

If you are at all interested in conservation, then you have to read this book. John Oates shows how the modern concept of community based conservation that looks so good on paper, in reality has been a dismal failure in West Africa. He provieds several examples from his 30 year long career in West Africa. He shows that you have to be realistic when designing conservation programs, and that many people making conservation decisions are more interested in prestige and money than they are in preserving natural ecosystems. It is sad when you read that the World Wildlife Fund conservation planners are not interested to even go see the areas that they are supposed to protect. The intrinsic value of nature is a hard sell, but finally the utilitarian view of nature seems to always lead to exploitation, and increased pressure on the areas that are supposed to be protected. He also very clearly demonstrates that the idea of using zoos for conservation is a bad one. Zoos are probabally the best way to educate the public about conservation, but are very poor ways to protect species, in fact zoos can even do more harm that good. This book really open your eyes, the situation isn't hopeless, but if conservation projects in Africa are going to work, then it has to be done with a realistic approach and the intrinsic value of nature needs to be on the fore front of the effort.

This is the best guide book to Namibia published in English. I have been living in Namibia for awhile and have all recently published English language guide books to Namibia. My family all agrees that the Bradt guide is by far the most comprehensive and up to date - it has by far more listings, more details about history and attractions, and more travel information than any other guide. It is the only book that gives detailed tips on best roads/routes to take as well. It also has details on where petrol stations are, where good bookstores are, where to shop, etc., and describes lesser known attractions that aren't listed in other books. As of mid 2008, it's prices are also the most accurate for lodging - and putting the prices in Namibian dollars actually is quite helpful as the prices really vary depending on the value of the rand. The book also has some basic descriptions of some of the common Namibian mammals & birds, though we use other books for identifying animals and birds. We also appreciate the authors advice for touring/travellng responsibly. Whenever we plan an excursion in Namibia (and we have travelled extensively), we always use the "green book", as we call it for its green binding - though it looks blue from the front, as our first source. We lent it out for two weeks to a visitor and relied on other common guide books. We ended up taking the wrong route and stayed in a campground that wasn't comfortable based on the information from the other guide books. When we got the green book/Bradt guide back, we looked up the details and saw that the Bradt book would have pointed us on the faster route and would have steered us clear of that particular camping ground. We will be careful lending it out again!

If you have a desire to travel to Namibia, Chris McIntyre's book is the perfect read. Anything and everything about Namibia is included and is superior to any other guide on the subject.

When I first read this book I was suprised at how good it really was.I liked the elements of magic and the magical fruit when it turned into the little boy.The art was great too.

Taking place in a wonderful land where magic is in the air and colorful spirits roam the earth Nandi's Magic Garden is a must read for everyone.

Itis necessary to read this book special to those how are related to the political search or how related to the horn Africa, Also from this book you can know the relation between Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia

i like to order this book and get as fast as you ca

A wonderful book with some great stories about an amazing nature sanctuary. Tom Lithgow weaves a wonderful tale and there are some great photos too.

This book combines current and historical pictures with an engrossing story told by a man who spent most of his life near the area he describes. For those with an interest in the history as well as the wildlife of Africa, this book can't be topped.

I am a former Peace Corps volunteer who served for two years in Niger. Ms. Geels has captured the heart, soul and understanding of this wonderful country in her new book. It is full of extremely useful and accurate information, written in a clear, user-friendly way. The maps alone are worth the price of admission. Ms. Geels tells many illuminating stories, as well giving excellent background information and history of the former French colony. In addition she Introduces the reader to the kind and generous Nigerien people and its warm and unique culture. I'm planning a return trip to Niger this coming year and couldn't imagine traveling there without this book. Thank you Jolijn Geels.

In the last year i've travelled twice to Niger and each time i've found jolijn's book a tremendous help. Its thoroughly researched, the maps are great and all the interesting tidbits make for fascinating reading. As a solo female traveller i had no problems at all going off the beaten track armed with the bradt guide. Definately the best guide book i've ever used !!

This book provides a deeply moving portrait of the authors' time in Angola, working with MSF. They describe the most distressing work under difficult circumstances, in a country I knew little about. The book is written in an honest and sincere tone, which effectively expresses the enormous human tragedy. The sterling work done by the authors and other volunteers is presented in an unassuming way, but I am in awe of what they have done.
You must read this book. You will cry, you will sit up half the night to finish it and you will realise how fortunate we are - but you will not forget those who died in Angola.

As a political scientist interested in Angola I find myself caught-up in detailing battles, troop movements, political parties and leaders, etc. Upon reading this excellent book by two people, Doctors Without Borders vounteers) who spent time in Kuito, Angola I was stunned to realize that I often forget the human cost of warfare. Anyone who reads this book will get a gripping reminder, some with pictures, as to what a bullet or landmine can do to a human body. These brave people volunteered their time to work in conditions so primitive that one is in awe that they saved anyone at all. Yet, in this war torn city they performed miracles on a daily basis. The next time I read about injuries and casualties in warfare, this book will remind me that it is more than a word. It denotes human suffering that few of us can imagine. The authors do a good job of telling their story without being too judgmental of the government and rebels. As with many nations in the world, the people of Angola deserve our humanitarian aid, respect as human beings, and our prayers. An excellent book, buy it!

A most excellent read. Sandra Meek's gift of language will lead you on an emotional roller coaster. Her words will truly reach the depths of your soul. Nomadic Foundations is an outstanding work and one of her best. I give it my highest recommendation.

Each poem is a looking glass through which Dr. Meek tries to convey the beauty of Batswana and the dimensions of human experience. Her use of language is as stunning as it is beautiful. Very impressive collection! Highly recommend!

While this book doesn't go in too much depth, it covers a ton of different cultures' artforms. It is enough for the non-art person to understand but still satisfy a passionate art lover (at least in my case). I bought the book to study for the NYSTCE CSTs in visual arts and I thought it was helpful in that regard. It covered a lot of areas in a short amount of time and gave me an understanding those non-western cultures.

I thought this book was a great text book. The chapters were orgaized well and so was the information in them. I also thought that the information was easy to follow. One suggestion, the chapter numbers on each page were very hard to read becasue they were almost stuck in the binding of the book, I would suggest puting them on the bottom or top right hand and left hand corners.