South Africa Books

After visiting Londolozi and purchasing this book there, it was wonderful to learn about the background and evolution of this very unique game reserve from the founding family. This book is a must for those planning a trip to the "bush" as well as for those fortunates that have been to Londolozi or anywhere to share space with the magnificent animals of the transvaal.

I visited Londolozi in 1997. I ordered and received the book almost a year after I returned home. It captured everything I remember from the animals and the landscape to the wonderful people themselves. I am able to pick up the book, now 2 years later, and still get the same feeling.

Very informative and excellent editorial! (Good research on graphics and pictures too!) It's definitely one of the best History publications that I ever read on SA. The best part I found about this book is its excellent chronological order way down to the earliest time before the Dutch moved-in in the early 16th century. Which is good because most of the publication I come across seems to ignore it. In add-ons, the book also comprises different points of view from not only from the old ruling class (Afrikaners) but also includes the voices of people from different ethnics. In all, it is truly a book of which contents extensive information on history; politics; social development of South Africa. And it is definitely a book for everyone SA history lovers should have!

Very informative and excellent editorial! (Good research on graphics and pictures too!) It's definitely one of the best History publications that I ever read on SA. The best part I found about this book is its excellent chronological order way down to the earliest time before the Dutch moved-in in the early 16th century. Which is good because most of the publication I come across seems to ignore it. In add-ons, the book also comprises different points of view from not only from the old ruling class (Afrikaners) but also includes the voices of people from different ethnics. In all, it is truly a book of which contents extensive information on history; politics; social development of South Africa.Anyone who are interested in SA history should have a copy at home!

A wicked good book! One of the best on African history around

Last year's winner of the Best Publication in African Studies is a very deserving choice. This book is not the average academic fare, it is actually an engaging read. This author, unlike many academicians, can truly be called a writer

Title: South Africa / edited by Johannes Haape.
Edition: New ed. / updated by Eberhard Gennrich.
Publisher: [Hong Kong] : APA Publications ; Boston, Mass. : Distributed in the U.S. by Houghton Mifflin Co., 1995.
Edition Date: 1995
Language: English
Notes: "Created and directed by Hans HoÌÆfer."
Includes index.
Physical Details: 371 p. : ill. (some col.), col. maps ; 23 cm.
Series: Insight guides ; 257
Other Authors: Haape, Johannes.
Gennrich, Eberhard.
Subjects: South Africa--Guidebooks.

Insight guides offer a rich history, political analysis and cultural insight to the countries they cover. By using locally based writers they get the insiders view of what the various camps believe in. For a discerning traveller who wants to know about the country, the people, geography, food, industry etc and for those who wish to travel independently, this is the book to read. It is not tourist guide which says stay here, eat this menu, see this statue. All that is left to the standard tourist guide writers. If you never travel to a country, you can know it through the insight guide. The South African book is no exception and is full of well written and accessible articles, giving you information that you will find invaluable if you travel to the country.

This is a wonderful songbook and is very easy to follow. I would recommend this for anyone.

Piano parts and vocals for the Alive In South Africa concert. Piano parts are fairly advanced. Includes 'Take the Limits Off,' 'You've Been a Friend,' 'He Knows My Name,' 'Alpha and Omega,' and 'Your Latter Will Be Greater.' The book also stays open very easily (nice binding for pianists.)

Sidney Allinson's books are surprises. They can start off unassumingly and build up to rip snorting sagas of ceaseless adventure. In his finest work yet, Allinson doesn't even start off slowly. Kruger's Gold grips the reader at once and the pace never slows. As I read this action tale of the struggle a century ago between South Africa's Boers, and England and her "colonials," I was repeatedly struck with the idea this would be and should be a wonderful movie. Allinson's experience as a television producer may have given him that hot-shot cameraman's "eye" or it could simply be that any good yarn so stirringly told lends itself to theatre in the best sense.

On these pages, a segment of history that was soon obscured by two ensuing, bloodier world wars leaps to life. It is really the twilight of an era, with Europeans jostling for power and position and, in this case in particular, South African gold. Allinson fills in the historical perspective while following a Canadian soldier and his colonial troops who, late in the war, have been assigned to find the legendary government cache of gold that departing Prime Minister Paul Kruger was said to have stashed before leaving in 1900 for virtual exile in Europe.

Allinson writes sympathetically of the brilliant Boer commandos fighting to retain their homeland and their way of life. His story is not overly revisionist: the Boers have seized this land from the native tribes, after all, and even the most principled among them want to keep the blacks and "coloureds" in their place, lest their vast numbers overwhelm the white settlers. Even through a more politically correct prism, we must admire the self reliance of these men whose surprise tactics and talented marksmanship enabled them to strike at the enemy, melt away into the bush, and return to attack another day. Many if not most of the men have lost wives and children to the war; yet, while they can be ruthless, they treat surrendered prisoners with a decency and respect that arouses a sense of nostalgia in the reader. Their English counterparts do as well with their own prisoners, for the most part.

The story of the concentration camps where stranded Boer families and prisoners were placed to wait out the war is not as happy a one. Allinson paints a grim picture of these horrors where women and children and some men languished in filthy conditions with poor diets and disease and death dogging every step. A few selfless medical workers do their best, but there are no facilities and their supplies are woefully inadequate. The camps were not England's finest legacy to the history texts.

The romances in the book provide a lusty and pleasing counterpoint. Even the horses get to play a heart-warming role. And throughout the book, Allinson has peppered the story with fascinating historical minutiae, such as the Boer heroine not being allowed to play ragtime music, then the rage, because it was produced by black performers.

Read this book. It is a treat.

KRUGER'S GOLD: A GRIPPING, FAST-MOVING NOVEL SET IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN BATTLEFIELD OF ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO

In 1902, as in 2001, guerrilla fighters were challenging the might of the pre-eminent world power. Then it was the Dutch settlers called Boers fighting Great Britain for possession of South Africa. Today, Islamic extremists attack the U.S. and its allies anywhere and everywhere. The lesson from both: small forces are potent.

This is not a dry military history book, nor does the reader miss anything if, like this reviewer, he or she comes to it more or less ignorant of the Anglo-Boer War. The author, Sidney Allinson, has written the sort of gripping, fast-moving novel that keeps you turning pages long after bedtime. The characters and their loves and hatreds, their ideals and weaknesses, failures and triumphs, would have provided the human material for a thoroughly satisfying novel even if presented in an imagined setting.

The hero is a Canadian serving with the British Army, Lieutenant Harry Lanyard. Given the choice between disgrace before a court martial and leading a particularly hazardous mission, Lanyard takes the latter. With a rag-tag troop of Colonial mounted infantry, Lanyard is ordered to recover a king's ransom in stolen gold bullion - enough money to keep the Boers fighting for goodness knows how many more years. This gold had been looted by the Boer President, Paul Kruger, hence the book's title.

And hence also, the skilful merging of the fictional characters in the foreground of the story with the meticulously researched historical events that provide the backdrop. We are introduced to the tough Boer burgher fighters who adopted the title "Commando", to be handed down through the generations as the hallmark of military excellence. We discover to our chagrin that the war also fathered the concentration camp, a term synonymous with death. Although devised initially by the British as shelter for destitute families whose homes had been torched by one side or the other in this increasingly cruel and desperate campaign, disgraceful mismanagement reduced these camps to death traps.

Meanwhile the action continues: ambush, deception, espionage, mutiny, pitched battles and encounters with snipers - and all the time a forbidden romance struggling to survive across the invisible line separating friend from foe. Lieutenant Lanyard would be a real asset in today's Special Forces, but is this enough to gain his two objectives, Kruger's Gold, and the love of his life, Beth?

Advance copies of this book have stirred great interest among students of the period, some of whom have been brought up on "official" versions of events that omit what is unpalatable about your own side. The truth is that war brings out the best and the worst in mankind and there never was an unblemished battle record. Sidney Allinson pays his respects to Boers, Brits, and Colonials, and avoids any temptation to portray the fighting in terms of good guys and bad. To assist the keen researcher, the author includes a Glossary, Casualty Statistics, and Bibliography.

The book is presented in a handsome jacket carrying a contemporary action painting showing the Royal Canadian Dragoons in close-quarter fighting against the Boers.

Maurice Tugwell, retired British Army Brigadier, Military Analyst, and Author of Herzl Street (Xlibris, 1999)

On the banks of a dam at the Havelock Trout Farm in spring 1991 a white man is LEARNING from a black man how to cast a line when suddenly the former cries out. A fishing hook has deeply embedded itself in the left hand of Roelf Meyer, South Africa's Deputy Minister of Constitutional Development who has been coaxed into this weekend with the secretary general of the African National Congress Cyril Ramaphosa by a mutual friend.

Back in the lodge all attempts TO carefully remove the painful metal fail. There is only one way left. Cyril Ramaphosa fetches a pair of pliers and offers Roelf Meyer a glass full of whiskey before he takes a firm grip on the hook. Roelf, he tells the deputy minister, if you've never TRUSTed an ANC person before, you'd better get ready to do so now. He presses the hook down to make space for the barb and pulls it out with a powerful wrench. As his wife staunches the flow of blood Roelf Meyer mutters to the trout fisherman who like him will be one of the key figures in bringing about the new South African DEMOCRACY: Well, Cyril, don't say I didn't trust you.

The individual and social learning processes and the resulting transition from the racist apartheid regime to the democracy of the rainbow nation are the subject of this publication. The summit of this road is the date of the first free and fair elections open to all South Africans: April 27th 1994. The sociological microscope is focused on this single day: the day from which to look back and from which to look forward.

The outcome of an exemplary peace and democratisation process in South Africa was dependent on the success or failure of its founding Election Day. In the end, the new democracy emerged clearly victorious, which was seen by many observers to be a 'miracle'. But this miracle can be explained against the backdrop of media involvement in a large-scale pedagogical undertaking that was probably the most massive national educational communications campaign of all time.

This book shows how African, coloured and Indian voters learned the fundamental concepts of democracy and the role of the state in the new South Africa, as well as the purely technical procedures of voting. But the interpretation also elucidates another successful learning process that was as important to make that miracle happen: their LEARNING TO TRUST DEMOCRACY.

On the banks of a dam at the Havelock Trout Farm in spring 1991 a white man is LEARNING from a black man how to cast a line when suddenly the former cries out. A fishing hook has deeply embedded itself in the left hand of Roelf Meyer, South Africa's Deputy Minister of Constitutional Development who has been coaxed into this weekend with the secretary general of the African National Congress Cyril Ramaphosa by a mutual friend.

Back in the lodge all attempts TO carefully remove the painful metal fail. There is only one way left. Cyril Ramaphosa fetches a pair of pliers and offers Roelf Meyer a glass full of whiskey before he takes a firm grip on the hook. Roelf, he tells the deputy minister, if you've never TRUSTed an ANC person before, you'd better get ready to do so now. He presses the hook down to make space for the barb and pulls it out with a powerful wrench. As his wife staunches the flow of blood Roelf Meyer mutters to the trout fisherman who like him will be one of the key figures in bringing about the new South African DEMOCRACY: Well, Cyril, don't say I didn't trust you.

The individual and social learning processes and the resulting transition from the racist apartheid regime to the democracy of the rainbow nation are the subject of this publication. The summit of this road is the date of the first free and fair elections open to all South Africans: April 27th 1994. The sociological microscope is focused on this single day: the day from which to look back and from which to look forward.

The outcome of an exemplary peace and democratisation process in South Africa was dependent on the success or failure of its founding Election Day. In the end, the new democracy emerged clearly victorious, which was seen by many observers to be a 'miracle'. But this miracle can be explained against the backdrop of media involvement in a large-scale pedagogical undertaking that was probably the most massive national educational communications campaign of all time.

This book shows how African, coloured and Indian voters learned the fundamental concepts of democracy and the role of the state in the new South Africa, as well as the purely technical procedures of voting. But the interpretation also elucidates another successful learning process that was as important to make that miracle happen: their LEARNING TO TRUST DEMOCRACY.

I am not sure whether my words would be enough to explain how good this book is.Mr Thomson is higly qualified man,most of the other African titles becomes like ''mumblings in Africa ''(I said MOST not all)compare to this one.It has everyting,it is so well written after reading the book you feel like a old time elephant hunter with knowledge of everthing abouth the elephants.one problem with it after you've read this one it is hard to read another African title.
Read it you will see what I mean.especially if you are considering an elephant hunt somethimes in your life.My personal thanks to this very honourable man Mr.Ron Thomson ,sharing his most valuable information with the readers.

Brilliant account from a highly qualified author ,of the devasting impact excessive elephant populations have on the habitat; intelligent rationale why they must be culled ; and first -hand accounts of elephant hunting. A MUST READ for any serious conservationist

I loved this book! I am a calligrapher and amateur bookmaker, and found this to be a valuable addition to my library. The pictures and text instructions are clear, and the projects were interesting and fun. Projects included cards, gift boxes, and mobiles, as well as some more advanced craft techniques. The author focuses on easy-to-obtain equipment and materials, making this a good choice for beginners like me. I also found it a good volume for sparking my brain when my creativity flagged.

I had a summer design class and since the class was so condensed, we designed and constructed projects on a daily basis. For my final project, I had to construct a book. I only had 2 days to do it and since I knew I wanted to make my own papers, I needed some direction. I used this wonderful book and not only did it have very clear directions with concise illustrations, the supplies needed were on a very practical level. That means I didn't have to purchase extra supplies I probably would never use again. My book turned out so beautiful, I got an A+! I now make papers as a hobby and I owe it all to this great book.

MR. VON CAMPE HAS THE BACKGROUND TO TELL US(U.S. CITIZENS)THAT WHICH WE MAY NOT WISH TO HEAR. THE TRUTH OF CHRIST IS IN THIS REMARKABLE PERSONAL HISTORY.

The author Hilmar von Campe has written and extraordinary book during this age of globalization. He claims to have such insight by witnessing the changes he grew up with in Germany under Hitler's regime. He also noted that Stalin freely used Hitler to weaken the West so Communism could reign in the end and that very plan is still in existence.

He has a very simply message, freedom is based on truth and when the truth is weaken or obscure then it will end up the victim of baffle by Apostles of Confusion and few freedoms for anyone. The writer said he came to this revelation when he had to confront his own nation's atrocities of discrimination and hate after the war. He gained great strength by learning and expressing the truth in all that he endeavors in his life. Especially being a victim as a POW after the war watching his friends die in vain.

The essayist's belief that freedom is a moral force that must confront and fight evil is everyone's responsibility and he cites seeing how many bystanders of the Holocaust were just as guilty as the perpetrators of it. He can see the same threat as moderate believers of Islam remain silent as extremists use the Koran to kill, maim and discriminate against the innocent.

The author feels America is the nation he fears the most because if America loses his way the world will be lost too. He sees the coming Globalization as threat if socialists and communists beliefs and forces are embraced and integrated into our world since they are not based on truthful philosophies.

He makes a very good argument that every Communist and Socialist nation ends up in totalitarian dictatorships eventually. The belief that everyone must walk the same path so all can share is simply ends in the slavery of untruths. The world has been enlighten by those who lead by following their own conscience and fundamental honesty of respecting everyone's individual right to be free. Consequently, every person must seek and practice the truth to follow their moral compass of compassion as they choose not as dictated by others.

Aristotle once argued that the fundamental values of individual choice could lift an entire nation or group to prosperity as opposed to his teacher Plato who justified that sometimes the ends do justify the means. There can be no question that socialism and communism are abysmal failures for any society. Yet, globalization embracing such policies will do exactly that if it is permitted to flourish using such a false premise.

I found this book a compelling indictment and words of warning that the world should walk carefully and thoughtfully to the ends of globalization. In the end, if our leadership is vacant of moral truths, then like anyone, our leaders will fall victim to anything if they do not stand for something.