Africa Books

Your travel guide on Madagascar is excellent. Streets above all the rest! I've just returned from a recce-ing trip with my French/Dutch tour manager who was equipped with every French guide imaginable, but the only one we used for the entirety was yours! Very honest, reliable and above all easy to use. Comprehensive too. Well done! I have recommended it to all my potential participants.

Hilary Bradt has once again captured the feeling of Madagascar as well as imparting useful information. Not only are there color pictures of lemurs but some less well known mammals. Along with detailed information she includes amusing stories. A must for anyone going to Madagascar or just interested in this wonderful country

This is an excellent guide for anyone interested in Madagascar. It is full of facts and stories that give you a real feel for the country. I especially enjoy the detailed sections on Conservation, Wildlife and her encouragement of responsible tourism. If you are planning a trip here I recommend this travel guide over any others available.

Don't even think about traveling to Madagascar without the Bradt guide! It never left my side during my month-long adventure through the country. Excellent information on the natural and cultural diversity of the island, plus accurate logistical information on where to eat, sleep, etc. Great sidebars from recent and experienced travelers. Don't forget to bring along the Bradt guide to Maddy wildlife too! Bradt is the only source I trust for travel in Madagascar.

This is a long book, but well worth the time dedicated to reading it, especially if one is interested in understanding the real causes behind the adoption of mass slavery by Christian Nations as a basis for the economic development of the Americas. Mr. Blackburn is writing about an emotionally charged issue but never falls into the trap of emotion and sentiment. Quite the contrary: in the best tradition of historic studies, he seeks to explain and understand; as the author tells us it would have been theoretically possible to build the plantation economies of the new world upon free labour - but how much more convenient for the European colonizers to use an available (African) pool of slave labour right across the ocean. This was reinforced by the fact that not enough whites were willing to emigrate to the Americas in order to work under the harsh conditions predominant in the plantations.

Ideology also came to the rescue of the European nations; from the 15th to the 18th centuries the churches - either Catholic or Protestant - chose to legitimize black (as opposed to Indian) slavery with complicated, Bible-based theological arguments. That helped monarchs and colonizers maintain a clear conscience while enslaving millions; and Mr. Blackburn underlines the key distinction between ancient world slavery, as practised for instance by the Romans, and its modern era "Christian" version. While the former was intimately connected to the capture of POWs and was rarely perpetuated throughout the generations (manumission being a widespread practice), the latter - being a system geared for economic exploitation - was generally hostile to manumission and condemned for centuries a race QUA race to the horrors of enslavement (something that never happened in the ancient world).

This book should be mandatory reading for European" intellectuals": it would help them put in perspective the achievements of the civilisation they so much admire.

The rise of the modern world is beset by a contradiction: even as the institutions of a new freedom were emerging in a core area the cancer of slavery began to recur its periphery. We should conclude that we have a laboratory study of the nature of economic man in relation to the genuine self-consciousness able to create a new culture, and determined to be finished with the curse of history. This book contains some graphic portraiture of this faultline in modernity, and opens with a gripping depiction of the slavers arriving in the ancient Congo.
Superb work.

"The Making of New World Slavery" by Robin Blackburn. This is an incredibly rich book and for the casual reader, very academic on first glance, but it contains a superbly well researched and written examination of the early roots of chattel slavery which anyone studying the Caribbean or the development of the colonial Atlantic Community should read.

This is not a book you are likely to sit down to and read cover to cover on a long winter's night, but I find myself reading sections and then putting it down, then going back to study some facet or another, and noone would be wasting money to have it in their library if they have any serious interest in understanding Slavery, the "development" of the Americas,or the world we share in the Americas today. As the other reviews have so well stated, this work is delightfully free of ideology or cant and integrates a wealth of information on the subject. We can only hope that future work on the History of the Americas will be done with such impartiality.

This book although by by a writer from the left is a well researched well-written survey of slavery. Without emotion it explains how slavery, something which had practically ceased to exist following the collapse of the Roman World was re-created to provide labour in colonies of the new world.

It describes the setting up of the trade occurred and how it operated in practice. The brutality, the mechanics of how slaves were obtained how they were sold, what they did as slaves.

The absence of passion makes the book an even more powerful indictment of the institution of slavery. It describes how in most of the colonies slaves were over time worked to death. In Brazil, the usual life expectancy was seven years.

The book is challenging as it raises questions about the origin of our societies and seriously challenges the notions that European Society was either civilized or Christian.

This is a breathtakingly beautiful view of the animals of the South African Lowveld. Ms. Lumry and Mr. Thom have captured the unique experience of an African Safari with a stunning collection of photos that make you feel like you could reach out and touch the animals. If you're thinking about an African Safari or want to relive the thrill of one you've taken, this is a "must have" book.

This is an excellent example of what it is like at the game reserve. My wife and I spent 10 days at Malamala, and this book brought back all of the memorable experiences we had in the bush. We spent some time with Jamie while we were there and he is a true artist with a camera, as well as an enjoyable dinner companion.

My family and I just returned from a photographic safari on the MalaMala game reserve. We purchased the book from the onsite gift store as it represented so many wonderful memories of our adventure in South Africa. Jamie Thom is a wonderful guide and truely has a wonderful gift for photographing these many amazing animals. We highly recommend this photographic work of art to all who love nature.

This is a breathtakingly beautiful view of the animals of the South African Lowveld. Ms. Lumry and Mr. Thom have captured the unique experience of an African Safari with a stunning collection of photos that make you feel like you could reach out and touch the animals. If you're thinking about an African Safari or want to relive the thrill of one you've taken, this is a "must have" book.

The author discovers more than just a continent. He provides tremendous insight into the trials and tribulations of long term travel in close confinements. He writes with sensitivity and empathy and must be commended on his extraordinary insight into human nature.

Malachite is a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining read. It is essentially a tale of two parallel journeys: the author's external journey through Africa on the forever faithful Bedford truck and the author's internal journey which examines his values, attitudes and, perhaps most importantly, fortitude. For a debut novel, Malachite is very well written and I look forward to reading his next book.

Paul Marketos offered me a unique, open and honest insight to what it is to be a white middle-class South African experiencing Africa after apartheid. Marketos not only reflects on his values and attitudes and those of his travelling companions, but he also provides a frank and sometimes humorous insight into group dynamics. Malachite is also a journey into Africa and is a wonderful account of the "Dark Continent". Right from the first paragraph I felt the author's excitement for this once in a lifetime adventure. I shared his amazement at the group's close encounter with wild gorillas, his frustration at the many senseless wars and consequent poverty of African countries, his humility when offered food and gifts from starving locals, his admiration (and at times loathing) for the dependable Bedford, and his intense belief in the future of Africa. Malachite is a wonderful book complete with adventure, humour and sadness, and history. And for anybody interested in mechanics, it also provides a detailed account of the workings of a 1962 Bedford.

The author shares his most intimate thoughts and fears he experiences over a seven month overland journey from Cape Town to Algeria with four (and sometimes six) others. The way the relationships develop and unfold between these young, daring travellers is acutely observed and described. The harsh conditions and the unforgiving roads north of Zimbabwe batter their otherwise loyal Bedford truck and their otherwise hardy friendships. The author's rather introspective account of his physical and mental suffering in the last half of the trip may just take the edge off for some. When they arrive in London, where he discovers the real cause of his suffering, it becomes evident that his own journey is truely a personal triumph. I was inspired.

I lived in Africa for many years - Rhodesia, also I've spent time in Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Angola - but to my eternal regret I never travelled to Kenya. This author's history of the British-built railway there and how it opened up towns and cities and agriculture and other forms of development there, is very good and very interesting.

Many years ago I read Patterson's memoir THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO of his days building parts of the railway and his attempts to stop man-eating lions who were steadily devouring his Indian labour force and many tribal locals too, even dragging off at least one white colonial. It is still available in the modern Capstick library edition and other re-issues.

The present author does cite Patterson quite a bit as well as provides many fascinating details which he unearthed to round out the story of the man-eaters quite a bit more. Additionally, he provides much modern information on the tourist industry and conditions on Zanzibar, at Mombassa and Nairobi, and points in between and beyond. Refreshingly, there is little of the all too common colonialism-bashing political correctness found in other works on Africa, and that alone gives this another star.

Altogether it is a great book to read and I highly recommend it. I am now going to find and read the author's earlier AFRICAN LIVES.

_Man Eaters Motel_ is a fun, quirky, entertaining book about Kenya, or perhaps more specifically, the railroad that created it. "To appreciate fully Kenya's enormous success," wrote author Denis Boyles, "it must be seen in the odd manner in which it was achieved." Kenya was essentially almost accidentally created. To bridge the "unhappy gap" between the East African coast, particularly the region once controlled by the then mighty and storied Zanzibar, and the lakes of Uganda, a railroad was created. The railroad was originally constructed to help safeguard the route to India and the headwaters of the Nile but had huge unintended consequences. "One thing lead to another" and people started to disembark from the train early, first to farm, then to hunt, and later for tourism, along the way making the final destination of the railway, a sleepy town on the shores of Lake Victoria, "somewhat incidental." Essentially, "Kenya was invented in the space of a lifetime along the tracks of a railway going nowhere." Without the railroad, there would have been little or no development of Kenya and Uganda, and indirectly, Tanganyika.

For those looking for a technical history of the railway from Mombassa to Kisumu they will be somewhat disappointed, as the author's admits in his introduction that he used the railway as essentially a plot device to provide a framework for stories from Kenya's past and the author's own observations. This is not to say that railroad is not covered, as Boyles discussed the railway stations, those who built the railway and operate it today, and what it is like to ride the train, noting what might be seen (and not seen) along the railway.

One of the things not seen, and something that may surprise tourists, is just about anything marking the famed attacks of the man-eaters of Tsavo. The author searched high and low in the area where the attacks occurred and interviewed a number of people resident in the area but found any memorial or indication of the attacks hard to come by (other than the hotel mentioned in the book's title). Happily, this did not stop the author from telling the tale of how two man-eaters held up the construction of the Uganda railway for nearly a year (in 1898), of the fight against the lions, and the personalities involved in the famed incident, notably of course Colonel John Henry Patterson (who was known for many things, the fight against the man-eaters being only one incident; other things he was noted for include fighting in the Boer War, commanding the Jewish Legion in World War I, and being a keen supporter of the foundation of Israel).

The Tsavo man-eaters were easily my favorite part of the book and read like a great adventure story (did you know that twice the workmen of the railway tried to murder Patterson?) but it is not by any means the only thing in this book. Boyles gives the reader a tour of Zanzibar, once a rich and influential island kingdom that ruled over much of the East African coast, at one time the richest place in Africa, sort of a "Hong Kong" for Africa, though boasting a wealth that was acquired in "hideous ways," from not only the ivory trade but most especially the slave trade. Now it is a sleepy, rundown place of ornate though neglected fascinating architecture, reeking and rusting ancient freighters in the harbor, and sleepy dreams of becoming a booming tourist resort (at least this was the case in 1991, I don't know what it is now).

Boyles interviewed a number of Kenyan whites, an odd class of people, descendents from the days when Britain ruled Kenya (if not resident themselves during British rule), a people unsure of their place and future in a black Kenya, an unease shared by many black Kenyans as well. Boyles never came to any firm conclusions as to their future, as some whites felt discriminated against and others felt quite the opposite. He did however have some pointed words about a few famous white Kenyans and others, such as Karen Blixen, the "precious, affected, patronizing, self-absorbed Dane" who was more worried about her aristocratic title than anything else in her life, portrayed on the silver screen by Meryl Streep in the "only version of her life that matters," and Henry Morton Stanley, a "murderous" explorer who was unfortunately "canonized" in the movies by Spencer Tracy.

The author spent some time on President Daniel arap Moi, the dictator who shaped much of post-colonial Kenya, discussing his corruption, a corruption that is suspected to include covering up the murder of political rivals.

The history of tourism - particularly of the safari - in Kenya is well-covered,, from the early days of the large, expensive practically paramilitary hunting expeditions, ones with many porters, trucks, good china, professional chefs, and often lasting months, to the modern economical package tours of today, in large part made affordable to the middle-class thanks to the advent of low-cost international jet travel. Interestingly, Boyles wrote that the abolition of hunting in Kenya in 1977 had the opposite effect intended, as many former hunters stated that without hunters to keep tabs on animal numbers and to go after poachers many thousands of elephants and hundreds of rhinos were slaughtered. Without a hunter police force, not even Kenya's military can keep poachers in check, though others dispute this, noting that many Kenyan law enforcement officials are neck-deep in corrupt ties with the poachers.

I am planning a trip to Africa, so I bought this book (used) and "Ghosts of Tsavo" by Phillip Caputo and "Man Eaters," which is Patterson's book (he is the British officer who shot the man eating lions). I liked this one best of the three. It is really exciting in some places and tells the story of the man eating lions in Tsavo better than Paterson does, and he was there! I enjoyed the travel aspect too, where Boyles takes the train ride from Mombassa to Lake Victoria and gives a stop-by-stop account of the journey. This book is also very funny in places. I'm glad I took the trouble to get this book. I recommend it completely.

I read Boyles's other African book (African Lives) and loved it. When we decided to visit Kenya this year on vacation, I started looking for this book, which I had found discussed in some newsgroups, but it was "out of stock" (whatever that means!). My local public library did a search for it, but couldn't locate the book before we left. When we got home, it was there and I read it. I can't tell you how much I wish I'd had this book before I went. Not only is the writing wonderful, but since the book follows the railroad (telling the story and describing the places along the way) from the coast to Lake Victoria, the details are exactly the kind of things a visitor really needs. Our vacation was expensive and tame, even though we enjoyed the people and the scenery. This book was better than the trip, since it was free (from the library) and very exciting (funny, too).

The best things in it are hard to pick out, but I recommend the story of Patterson and the man-eaters (better than the hokie movie, by far), the depiction of Zanzibar, the social scene in Nairobi and the description of Lake Victoria. If we had known about the little winery in Naivasha, we would have gone there. This book is full of things I wish I'd known, but didn't. Find this book if you can.

This is one of Farwell's earliest works. I think I have read everything he has written and I am always amazed at the high quality and readability. This book is about Henry M. Stanley, and Africa through his eyes. Farwell refuses to allow modern prejudices to enter into the story. Stanley is unique - emotionless yet idealistic, shy yet driven. Read this book not only to find out about the man, but for the incredible adventures. For an excellent 1 volume history of African exploration, read Africa Explored by Christopher Hibbert.

Is this kind of man even made anymore?!

I just finished reading this a second time (last was 1998), and it amazed me even more this time around.

If you ever think you've gotten into a tough situation, read about HMS & realize that, in fact, your situation is really quite trivial.

Excellent biography of Stanley, who had an incredible life. He was illegitimate, abandoned by his mother, put into a work-house, and had an all-round awful childhood until meeting the kindly fellow in America who adopted him. But the meat of the book is Stanley's three major trips in Africa: to find Livingstone, to explore and continue Livingstone's work, and to relieve Emin Pasha. Each involves amazing hardships and adventures and Farwell does a wonderful job of giving lots of detail and colour as he relates these exciting trips. Worth reading by anyone who has an interest in Burton but isn't sure what to turn to next.

Henry M. Stanley was the first human to cross equatorial Africa. And he did it roughly four times, fighting beast, insects, disease and the most violent, primitive peoples ever encountered by an explorer. This account of his entire life is fascinating: raised in a Scottish orphanage, adopted by a New Orleans merchant, fought in the Civil War on the side of the South, journalist and -- all training for the hardships of his true calling -- explorer. On his first trip he finds Stanley to deliver the famous quote -- two more trips each more astounding than the preceding are to follow. He retires as a hero of the British exploration community. This book is a gem, well written by an author who rightly reveres deeply his subject. This is a must read for anyone who enjoyed "Undaunted Courage." Stanley is 20 Lewis and Clark's rolled into one man. Maps are good for a paperback.

Looking at these great pictures in this book, make you think that you are in Maroc. They are so real, and really it feels like the soul of Maroc is in this book. I think it's really special for people who have lived in Maroc and have moved to another country.

This is a visually stunning work. If you enjoyed Cyclops, Watson's previous book, you will absolutely love this one. It is luscious, sumptuous, a veritable feast for your eyes.

This new book is as good as Watson's Cyclops. The intensity of the images is unsurpassed by any I've ever seen. The photos of the old woman's face and the gloved hands of a worker show the experience seen by the subjects. Albert Watson continues to outdo himself.

Truly great B&W photography. Best I have seen

As a European historian who was preparing to travel to South Africa for the first time in the spring of 1998, I found Sparks's analysis of South African thought, culture, and society since the mid-17th century to be extremely helpful. The book is both informative and lively, and I recommend it without hesitation.

I suppose that this was the book that I most wanted to find after my trip to South Africa. I wanted something that would try to explain what the white South Africans were thinking. I wanted to know how a system as pernicious and self-evidently evil emerged-- because basically I don't accept that people are evil. No bad dogs or kids, that sort of thinking.

I'm not going to say that Allister Sparks totally succeeds in providing an explanation. However, he at least explained the combination of religious and political beliefs that led up to the system being instituted. It was fascinating (as an expat in the Netherlands) to read how much influence Holland has really had on the country. Wacky conservative Dutch leaders seemed to find open arms there, particularly after the war. And this is, of course, one of the points of the book. Before WWII, South Africa was more or less in step with world thinking. The real divergence came post-WWII, as they rejected the message of freedom and the end of the colonial era that was sweeping the rest of the world.

The book is also interesting in that it was originally written in 1990, on the very eve of the change. So, of course, although some predictions and fears turned out to be true, others are less so. Mugabe, for instance, turned out to be much less benign than Sparks hoped based on the events of the 1980s.

It helped me put some of the thinking behind the historical facts of the apartheid era. Sparks (a well-established and experienced journalist) is a good writer, if not a great one. The Mind of Africa flowed well and was relatively easy to read. Recommended.

Okay, so we all know what took place once the Afrikaaners came to South Africa, but just exactly 'why' did they feel so superior to all people and all races. Where did this mentality come from? Allistar Sparks goes into great detail about the minds of Afrikaaners before they came to South Africa and after. I have read many a book about South Africa and by far this is one of the best. Truthful, and holding nothing back. I applaud Mr. Sparks !

As a black South African I have read a lot of history books about my country and found a lot of distortions. Allister Sparks has come out with the most straight story of how it all came to be. This book tells you both sides of the story: Thank you Allister for representing the truth.

This gets four stars because I think it is lean on recipes.

It does, however, have a wealth of text and images. I normally avoid cookbooks with pictures of food in them, but this one is definitely worth and exception to the rule. The ingrediants are attainable too, and I live in a small town far from a large city. I especially like that the recipes are in metric. Sadly, since this is a British cookbook, it isn't a sign that America is modernizing.

I picked up this book as soon as I saw the cover and when I scaned the insides I knew immediately that I had to own this book. I adore books that take my hand and draw me in and effortlessly and skillfully transport me to another place. With spell-binding precision,this book gives us a glimpse into the people, the markets, the food and the land of North Africa, and creates a mood that prepares us for the aromas, flavors and colors of these traditional savory and sweet dishes. I was impressed with the number of tagine recipes given, and immediately made the Chicken Tagine with Honeyed Pears and Cinnamon. This was easy to prepare and as delicious as it suggested. I have also made and loved the Soup of Chick-peas, Pumpkin and Aniseed which I served with the Couscous with Fish (in an improvised couscoussier ) to a small group for dinner. The recipe for Tomato Confit with Golden Sesame Seeds is a wonderful example of how ethnically diverse a simple tomato can be.

What a gorgeous book! The photography is unbelievable--I'm tempted to buy a second copy just to cut out and frame selected prints. But this treasure goes beyond appearances--the recipes are delightful and do-able. Some may complain that many of the ingredients are too exotic, but I find that to be much of the appeal of world cuisines. And while the book is indeed a British publication and measurements are most often given in metrics, American ounces are also given (in any case, a good-quality food scale is a great investment for the home chef). This title will be on my holiday gift-giving list for culinary friends and armchair travellers. As good as or better than my vast Paula Wolfert/Kitty Morse/Claudia Roden collection, and that ain't small potatoes! Or small pastilla...

This N.African now restauranteer in Europe desires to share his passion for his native cuisine, with its simplicity, mystery, and satisfying qualities.

It is cuisine that is not difficult to prepare, nor difficult to secure its ingredients. It is also cuisine that can use ingredient substitutes with success. It is above all cuisine to relax with and enjoy, not fast food but sensual cusine which takes in all the senses for a feast. I find this cuisine highly attractive and relaxing, a real cuisine to share with special friends.

This cookbook endeavors to be as its cuisine, attractive to the senses -- it has great photos as well as great accompanying copy -- the recipes and history behind them are chosen carefully, so that there is not just an abundance, but some very good ones.

There are fine sections on the people, the ingredients, then three countries' cuisine: Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. I'm especially fond of this cuisine. These recipes caught my attention and palette: "Harira-- Moroccan soup which is yummy, loaded with lentils and chickpeas, veggies, grains, and lamb or beef. Then one of my favorites due to its being part of my first Moroccan meal -- Pigeon Pastilla, which I substitute with chicken with outstanding results. The King Prawn Tagine is scrumptuous, with its layering in tagine of fennels and tomatoes with prawns cooking on top of this aromatic bed. Or a knockout of main course: Confit of Duck Tagine with pears, figs and glazed carrots. Amazingly refreshing Couscous Seffa--a sugary delight with raisines and tea and orange blossom water with buttermilk, a Moroccan rice pudding type dish.

An Algerian hit is "Lamb Ribs in a Coriander Crust".

There is additional aids on Wines and Drinks, menu ideas, glossary, book references.

Stanford University graduate and experienced businessman Moget Africa presents Moolah or Bummer! A Humorous Look at Finance and Investing, an amusing fusion of basic finance information and humor, in the forms of brief free- verse poems, each of which teaches the reader about a specific aspect of stock market and related interests. Each poem is only a page or two long, succinctly defining a given term for lay readers as well as its implications for someone looking to make Moolah and avoid a Bummer. Arranged in alphabetical order by subject, the poems combine to give a refreshing and easy-to-remember introduction to the perils and pitfalls of investing before risking hard-earned dollars. "P/E Ratio: Price/Earnings Ratio": It's a corporation's current stock price / divided by its EPS (earnings per share) / for the past twelve months. / A higher P/E ratio / means investors have higher expectations / for future growth.

Informative as well as very entertaining book on investing and finance. Perfect for young adults, college students and other financial novices first starting out on the road to investing and personal finance.

With no background or education in finance, I was pleased to read a book which explained many investment terms and scenarios in a humorous and yet understandable way. An easy and enjoyable read about a subject which could be dry and overwhelming. Well done Moget Africa!

If you don't understand all there is to know about Life and Money, you will learn a lot of it here. A great book for younger people about to strike out on their own, depicting good and bad consequences from money decisions we all must make at some time or another (real estate and investing decisions, recognizing scams, etc.). Some good lessons well taught through short examples. I saw myself in many of them....making moolah in some, and swallowing a bummer in others.