Africa Books

This book is an excellent piece of herpetological literature, and a must for any serious herpetological enthusiast or anyone with an interest in snakes. It offers somewhat detailed species description on African taxa, and is a valuable source of information about the continent's venomous species. The descriptions are divided into sections for each species, including identification, distinguishing characteristics, races (subspecies), similar species, behavior, distribution, habitat, natural history, venom, snakebite, case histories and treatment. Herpetologists, serious naturalists and herpetoculturists will especially appreciate the detailed information provided on behavior, venom and case histories, while casually interested readers will enjoy the sections on distinguishing characteristics and natural history. This book should be a part of every herp library! It is also pretty hard to find, so if you see it, grab it!

This is a very interesting and informative book. Rich in information aswell as magnificent photographs adding to the overall class of the book. A definte MUST for anyone seriously interested in snakes, especially african species.

The book is well written and very informative. The information regarding snakebites and how to address them is very good. It is a good field guide but the photographs are really too small. Also may times the photos show the head of the snake and not the whole animal. The information is top notch and it really shows the lack of documented information on african snakes. I would highly recommend it to anybody with an interest snakes

I'm in the middle of second of this series. I was especially drawn in by the vivid descriptions of Africa and the independent and spunky lead character. Jazz Jasper is an expatriate American trying to launch a tour business in Africa. A friend helps her to land a tour for an advertising firm scouting locations for a commercial campaign. A cast of assorted characters set out on their journey. Murder ensues. There is a nice Law and Order type twist at the end.

Finding a new female mystery writer is always a treat for me. Karin McQuillan's novel, Deadly Safari has put me on to a new source of reading entertainment. Deadly Safari takes the reader to the wilds of the African Jungle where Jazz Jasper has thrown caution and common sense to the wind to run a Safari tour company. Her adventures paint a believable picture of that magnificent envirnoment with all the sights, sounds and smells completely intact. I particularly liked the action sequences and the interactions between the characters. The mystery is engaging and keeps the reader very much involved. What a great first novel. May there be many more.

i loved this book. loved it! the characters are alive, the backdrop is breathtaking, the plot is gripping. every detail is well-thought-out and the storyline rushes along, plausible and probable. Jazz Jasper is a small-time independent safari guide struggling to keep her fledgling operation afloat and her clients safe and happy. I love the irony of the background - the beautiful, brutal African wilderness, but the threat from civilized man is greater as a murderer threatens Jazz and her entire tour group.

Deadly Truth keeps the reader engrossed right from the beginning. The authors paint a vivid picture of life in South Africa covering the years 1960 through the Truth and Reconciliation trial. This is a suspenseful novel based on fact, and a must-read for anyone who wants to have a better understanding of South African life during the Apartheid years.

Kudos to the Hellers and Ms.Blumberg. A fast paced suspense novel based on a true incident, it kept me on the edge of my chair. It was also an education on apartheid South Africa which I couldn't help but compare to Nazi Germany. The authors' attention to detail about the physical beauty of the land provided a hypocritical contrast to the ugliness of the society it produced. A must read for those with a social conscience, and for those without,an opportunity to create one.

I probably would never have found this book had Amazon.com not recommended it - and I would have missed a hidden treasure. "Deadly Truth" is a gripping, "can't put it down," novel based in apartheid-era South Africa. David Bellon, the main character, is a liberal CEO of a food conglomerate in the Cape Province who tries, in his own way, to ameliorate the inequities of his society. Through a series of events which I won't describe here (I don't want to spoil the plot!), Bellon is forced to do more, and thus runs afoul of Police Captain Eichstadt, whose unique interrogation methods are described in gruesome detail.

What makes this book so compelling is its honesty -- it is clearly based on a true story. "Ceresdal," the fictitious town in which events take place, sounds like the real town of Stellenbosch, and one of the authors was the CEO of an agribusiness in South Africa. What goes on in the Ceresdal police station is in accord with non-fiction reports about the South African Bureau of State Security (BOSS). Thus, there is more than a ring of truth here - you get the feeling that these events actually occurred, and only the names have been changed to protect the innocent (and guilty.)

I have strong interests in South African history and in Jewish history, and hence was drawn to a story featuring Jews in South Africa. Those who share these interests, or those who just want a picture of apartheid-era South Africa, will enjoy this book. But you needn't care one way or the other about South Africa to enjoy "Deadly Truth." The book stands on its own as a compelling, fast-paced novel of danger and escape.

This book provides an excellent introduction to post-colonial West Africa. It is probably not detailed enough for a specialist, but for the average person looking to learn what happened in West Africa right after decolonization, this is an ideal book. The chapters are short and to-the-point, and the book reads quickly.

Schwab argues that the horrific problems plaguing West Africa today stem from the decisions that the first generation of post-colonial, indigenous leaders made. In particular, he laments that they failed to unite behind a common policy or ideology for independent West Africa (or at least failed to agree to live in peaceful coexistence). West Africa got caught up in Cold War politics and "conservative," francophile states refused to cooperate with "radical," socialist, Pan-Africanist states. And an opportunity for concerted effort was lost, opening the door for selfish pursuit of particularism, made worse by Cold War/superpower-motivated civil wars and assassinations.

Okay, that's Schwab's big picture. For those people not interested in Schwab's theory of West African decline, the book is still very much worth reading. The book provides a nice introduction to what happened in Senegal, Ivory Caost, Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea, and Ghana in the years after achieving independence. Schwab then ties the past to the present. It is an easy read and will familiarize you with the historical and present situation in western Africa.

Understanding the history and politics of Africa since the 1960s can be an overwhelming undertaking for readers who have never focused on this area of the world or those of us who somehow allowed Africa to slip to the far edge of our radar screens in more recent years. Peter Schwab's most recent book provides a well-organized account of six West African leaders from the time of independence of their respective nations to the end of their periods of leadership, along with an analysis of how each failed to fulfill the promise of those exciting days when African independence was bursting out on the world stage. Dr. Schwab presents an eloquent, well-balanced reading experience that sheds light on the personal strengths and weaknesses of each leader against the backdrop of the Cold War and the remnants of colonialism.

The introduction serves as an excellent overview of the rest of the book and provides valuable background knowledge on the subject. The occasional inclusion of Dr. Schwab's own direct experiences and observations personalizes the historical accounts for the benefit of the reader, as do quotations from other scholars and prominent African authors. The conclusion presents the author's beliefs as to who is to blame for the debacle that affects most of West Africa today as well as what he believes needs to be done to address the problems of this region.

Again, Peter Schwab has provided readers with a clear and well-written book on an important topic.

Professor Schwab has long provided us with sound analysis of African politics. While many have begged to differ with his conclusions, all have been charmed by his pithy prose as well as impressed by his solid scholarship and evident love for Africa and her peoples.

The present book follows in the worthy footsteps of its predecessor, AFRICA: A CONTINENT SELF-DESTRUCTS, by shining light on a the formative post-colonial period of the 1960s - a time little known in America - and presenting a "fair and balanced" assessment of the six most significant West African political figures of the period - William V.S. Tubman (Liberia), Felix Houphouet-Boigny (Cote d'Ivoire), Leopold Sedar Senghor (Senegal), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (Nigeria), Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana), and Sekou Toure (Guinea) - and their influence, for good and for ill, on subsequent history in the subregion. While rightly criticizing the great powers for their Cold War-era conduct, Professor Schwab also courageously critiques the African leaders themselves for their sins of omission and commission. This book is an excellent introduction to West African political history.

The consequences of the malaise whose birth Professor Schwab chronicles can be seen by reference to the more detailed case studies, such those by Professor Amos Sawyer (THE EMERGENCE OF AUTOCRACY IN LIBERIA), Professor Adekeye Adebajo (LIBERIA'S CIVIL WAR), and Professor John Peter Pham (LIBERIA: PORTRAIT OF A FAILED STATE). The first, incidentally, was a former student of Professor's Schwab's.

Dogs of Africa documents the different breeds of dogs indigenous to Africa and the Middle East in an exhaustive and comprehensive study, where each breed is described in detail, from it's the history of breeding and it's physical and behavioural attributes in a way that only a dog lover could describe.

Illustrated with many beautiful black and white photographs.
Includes Pariah dogs, the Basenji, , the Israeli Canaan Dog, the Zulu Sicha, the Rhodesian Ridgeback, the Pharaoh Hound, the Boerboel, the Azawakh and Sloughi.
The history behind the breeds and the history of their breeding and origins are fascinating and describe much history of different parts of Africa and remarkable peoples such as the Zulu, Khoisan, Afrikaner and Israeli Jews, of which some of these breeds have been tied up with.
Learn of the loyal, gentle and protective nature of Boerboels, bred by the Trekboers in the 19th century, how when the Jews returned to the Land of Israel after two thousand years, their faithful old friend the Canaan Dog was waiting for them, and the ancient history of the Pharaoh Hound.
Find out about the good care taken by the San of their dogs and how on the other hand Muslims regard dogs as little better than filth, and for whom cruelty to animals is a way of life, and how this Islamic influence led to a drop in regard for dogs and a culture of cruelty in Southern Africa.

I really enjoyed this book. It is very interesting and well written. Lots of pictures.

Dogs Of Africa is an in-depth, 366-page encyclopedic study of those canine breeds that originated on the African continent. From pariahs, hounds, and southern African dogs, to sighthounds, mastiffs, and small pet dogs such as the Maltese Poodle, exhaustive and extensive descriptions are combined with black-and-white photographs, histories of the breed origins and their uses, and a wealth of information both practical and trivial, distinguish this unique and specialized guide which is especially recommended for dedicated dog breeders in general, and African canine enthusiasts in particular.

Julio T. Leitao founded an African dance troupe for children, and Patricia A. Keeler observed African dancers for weeks; together they wrote Drumbeat in our Feet, a picturebook meant to convey the richness of African dance culture to young readers. Drumbeat in our Feet is not a storybook per se, but rather an informational survey of the history of African dance tradition. From costumes and body painting associated with dance, to dances that honor spirits and ancestors, to types of musical instruments used, call-and-response songs, and much more, Drumbeat in our Feet surveys all aspects of African dance. Keeler's exuberant color illustrations bring to life the excitement of African dance in this wonderful, informative, and highly recommended picturebook.

An infectious energy fills the pages of this book from cover to cover. Even the endpapers make me want to get up and dance around the room! Ms. Keeler and Mr. Leitao have created a fun and fascinating book on African Dance, beautifully written and so visually energetic that you can feel the drumbeats on each page. Sepia-toned African scenes blend into colorful urban settings, building to a grand finale final spread, brilliant with color and movement. "Once you learn how to do African dance," says one young dancer, "you'll never stop dancing!" What a nice thought to end this book... I, for one, am convinced!

Jump up and dance with this powerful book about children's African dance! In Keeler's magical African world, children leap and spin across the pages representing wind, water, and fire! Their arms spreading and backbones curving, dancers represent elephants, monkeys and antelopes!

Did you know each white dot on a child's arm stands for a dancer that came before her? And the zig-zag design painted on the children's bellies represents crocodile teeth? Many African secrets are revealed!

Feel the rhythm, African rhythm. Feel the beat, African beat! Don't miss this one!"

As a professional Wildlife Artist, my field includes painting, sculpture, and taxidermy.

This makes all of the "East African Mammals" series of books by Jonathan Kingdon an absolute necessity. The text gives a wonderful insight into the natural history as well as the historical ancestry of the majority of East Africa's wild children.

But even more, it is Mr. Kingdon's exquisite pencil renderings of the individual species as well as the structure of their musculature, that make these books so special.

These musulature drawings, in turn, are further enhanced by deeper dissection-like illustrations revealing the deeper muscle structures responsible for much of the movement and support for the mammal in question.

This volume takes us through the largest of the antelope on the African continent - the Eland, both Giant and Common, the Sable antelope, and both Kudu, Greater and Lesser - as well as the vast selection of East Africas' smallest antelope species. The Duikers, and Klipspringer, among others, are handled in all their delicate detail. Besides photos of these little antelope, these illustrations are absolutely needed in order to produce accurate renderings. I cannot stress enough, the importance of the anatomy that is revealed within these pages.

The books in this series are therefore especially indispensable to the Wildlife Restorer (taxidermist) as a guide to anatomy that we rarely get to see "in-the-flesh" as it were.

I can, therefore, wholeheartedly recommend this series of books to anyone who cares enough about their chosen field of art, to pursue all ends to collect as much reference material as possible.

These books are an excellent addition to the wildlife artists' library.

This is an excellent resource tool for anyone with a serious interest in African insectivores and or bats. The author provides detailed information, not found in most texts. The drawings are wonderful.

As a professional Wildlife Artist, my field includes painting, sculpture, and taxidermy.

This makes all of the "East African Mammals" series of books by Jonathan Kingdon an absolute necessity. The text gives a wonderful insight into the natural history as well as the historical ancestry of the majority of East Africa's wild children.

But even more, it is Mr. Kingdon's exquisite pencil renderings of the individual species as well as the structure of their musculature, that make these books so special.

These, in turn, are further enhanced by deeper dissection-like illustrations revealing deeper muscle structures responsible for much of the movement and support for the mammal in question. These types of drawings are especially fascinating in the Large Mammals volume, wherein the trunk of the elephant and the mouth structure of the hippopotamus are visually dissected to provide a greater insight into these structures, and their performance in the animal.

The books in this series are therefore especially indispensable to the Wildlife Restorer (taxidermist) as a guide to anatomy that we rarely get to see "in-the-flesh" as it were.

I can, therefore, wholeheartedly recommend this series of books to anyone who cares enough about their chosen field of art, to pursue all ends to collect as much reference material as possible.

These books are an excellent addition to the wildlife artists' library.

If you want to be a safari guide, you need this book. It's quite the gold standard for detailed characteristics and behavior of African animals.

I love my Jon Kingdon..the guy just draws so well and reading his accounts and observation you can tell he has a love for the animals he draws.Just amazing.Luckily I bought my copy when it was "only" 50 bucks, not sure why its so expensive now but I must say it's almost worth the new price.

As a professional Wildlife Artist, my field includes painting, sculpture, and taxidermy.

This makes all of the "East African Mammals" series of books by Jonathan Kingdon an absolute necessity. The text gives a wonderful insight into the natural history as well as the historical ancestry of the majority of East Africa's wild children.

But even more, it is Mr. Kingdon's exquisite pencil renderings of the individual species as well as the structure of their musculature, that make these books so special.

These musculature drawings, in turn, are further enhanced by deeper dissection-like illustrations revealing the deeper muscle structures responsible for much of the movement and support for the mammal in question. These types of drawings are especially fascinating in this, the Large Mammals volume, wherein the trunk of the elephant and the mouth structure of the hippopotamus are visually dissected to provide a greater insight into these structures, and their performance in the animal.

Also covered in this Large Mammals volume, is the Zebra and the Giraffe. Among the extensive coverage, the zebras' anatomy is not only printed, but it is also illustrated in all its' stripe variations, as well as its' ancestral evolutionary development. Included with the giraffe, we get a look at the muscles, as well as its' coat and how the predator sees - or more correctly - doesn't see its' quarry!

The books in this series are therefore especially indispensable to the Wildlife Restorer (taxidermist) as a guide to anatomy that we rarely get to see "in-the-flesh" as it were.

I can, therefore, wholeheartedly recommend this series of books to anyone who cares enough about their chosen field of art, to pursue all ends to collect as much reference material as possible.

These books are an excellent addition to the wildlife artists' library.

This beautiful volume of elegant photography can be viewed on several levels; a book of art, a fresh exploration into a society that continues to amaze, or - importantly - a tribute to perhaps the cornerstone to the cradle of civilization. A fantastic book which will need a coffee table of its own for years to come.

BEAUTIFULL , Simple , Fine work.

Thank You your works Herve Champollion

I, being an avid Egyptophile, own dozens of illustrated volumes on the subject of Egyptian art and architecture. But this book, Egypt, Stones of Light, is truly the best among them. Never before has the sublime and elegant stone of Egypt been displayed in such a gorgeous format, in their natural light. Diane Sarofim Harle's scholarly captions are very insightful and accurate, and compliment the images greatly. Everything about this book, the captions, the elegant photography, the accompanying text and descriptions, even the index, is done with great care and perfection. I cannot think of one negative comment that could possibly made about this wonderful volume. I particularly like how the photographer, Herve Champollion, tends to zoom in to charming and breathtaking details of the statues and reliefs, rather than taking generic photos of the whole work of art as most photographers do. Also the photographs showing the symbology of the columns and statues are quite exquisite. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys beautiful ancient art and astounding architecture. Bravo! Flipping through the dark, glossy pages of this volume, one can easily get lost, dreaming of Egypt.

Great service from the seller. African version of the Christmas Story. An africian-american coworker initially was offended by what she thought was a "white" attempt to make the story sound "black". When she read the introduction and realized the history and research that went into this story she recognized it as part of her "roots" that she was excited to pass on to her own children.

I first purchased this book 14 years ago for my nephew, and I'm back to purchase it for my daughter. It is such a gorgeously written version of the birth of Christ. It's just so lovely and heartfelt. I can't say enough good things about it. It became part of my sister's Christmas tradition with her children, and now it will become part of mine. I'm so glad I found this book again!

I grew up hearing this book (written by my great-grandfather) every christmas morning. It has become a tradition, all of the kids sitting at the feet of our mother as she read the story, her voice flowing over the melody of the words. Often we wouldn't understand a phrase, but she would explain it how her mother had explained it and how the author himself had lovingly explained it to his daughter, my grandmother. Not everyone who has read this book will have the experience I have had in reading it, but all the same, it touches the heart of everyone who has heard it read.