South Africa Books

This book is an outstanding resource to be read prior to traveling to South Africa. It covers many different aspects of what the experience will entail. These include the history, etiquette, positives and negatives of each type of travel, various diseases and safety precautions one should take. In addition, he thoroughly delivers every aspect of each south african country...ie. countryside, animals, weather, and history. This book in interesting, exciting, and educational!

Prior to my trip, I purchased 4 travel books on Southern Africa then found this guidebook at the Miami airport. It was by far the most accurate and contained all the "need to know" information. Unlike the others, it contained excellent hotel and activity descriptions plus gave detailed information on each region. Sure you want to know some local history but I'm more interested in where to stay, where to eat and what things I can do. At the end of the trip, I left my first 4 guidebooks in Botswana and brought this one home!

This book is an outstanding resource to be read prior to traveling to South Africa. It covers many different aspects of what the experience will entail. These include the history, etiquette, positives and negatives of each type of travel, various diseases and safety precautions one should take. In addition, he thoroughly delivers every aspect of each south african country...ie. countryside, animals, weather, and history. This book in interesting, exciting, and educational!

...I bought this book to make plans for a trip to Zambia but the chapter about this country is only 40 pages long, both verbose and superficial. Don't get fooled by the "Adventuring" in the title, unless your idea of adventure is to hop by plane from lodge to lodge at $200 or $300 a night. More importantly, except for the park entrance fees, this book doesn't list any price at all (I got them from two other, excellent, travel guides). Comments on cheaper accomodations are few and disenchanted. The maps are equally few and over-simplified (the roads don't even appear!...) Finally, I looked at the chapters about the other countries and it certainly didn't change my opinion about this book. Note also that the date of the last edition (October 97) makes it relatively outdated.

This book is full of interesting and pertinent travel information; it is a MUST for anyone interested in game-viewing and travelling in southern Africa. The author gives best times to travel depending on what you want to see, and for each country, lists brief history/present politics, places to stay--easily accessible to remote--and how to get there and what you may see. He also gives a comprehensive packing list, medical info, and tips on game viewing. Out of the 4 books I bought on southern Africa, this is the one I referred to most often. This book, coupled with The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals, is an invaluable southern Africa traveller's necessity.

This has to be the cheeziest book I have ever read. It is full of redundant descriptions of scenery and there is no cohesion to the storyline. The characters are unbelievable and so is the story (inspired by true events?). Although the subject matter is not meant for children, the quality of the writing is. I had to read this for an English class but don't bother getting this book if you're looking for a good read.

Once I started to read this book I could not put it down. There were so many twists and turns which is made the book so entertaining. In additon the book brings attention to the AIDS issues and brutality that exists in Africa today. Overall the book was very well written and I would strongly recommend the book to anyone.

This geopolitical suspense novel with a romantic twist grabs the reader's attention at the outset and does not let go until the last page is turned. The author displays a keen sensitivity to both the intimate details of everday life with characters the reader comes to actually care about and the realities of the ongoing tragedy that marks much of current-day southern Africa. Although these realities clash with 'politically correct' American sensibilities about what our media has spoon-fed us regarding events there, uncomfortable similarities remain. "Blood of Gansbaai" reminds us that ethnic cleansing is not limited to African tribes versus Afrikkaners, or Orthodox Serbs versus Bosnian Muslims, but also has its malevolent fingerprints on America's "Westward Ho!!!" Manifest Destiny (at the expense of Native Americans). I highly recommend this book as a gripping, intelligent and ultimately satisfying read.

This was a great surprise of a novel. It is a must read and would make a great gift for anyone you know old, young, or those of us in between. It will inspire everyone to visit Africa and compel all of us to live and love differently. I hope to read more from this author and hope there is a future for the characters in this book.

This is a powerful novel concerning the search for the cure for HIV in South Africa. A fast moving and compelling novel; I found this story to be a tremendously good read. I recommend this novel to anyone. This book should be an Oprah Winfrey Best Book. She'd love the story as I did.

Brent

Jamela (who must be about the age of five) set herself to the task of watching her mother's fabric for her new party dress.

Buuuuut... well... she got a little carried away taking it to show everybody. And the fabric is ruined. There's a bit of a contrived happy ending, though I guess children mightn't realize it.

I love how realistically Jamela is portrayed. Volunteering to keep the fabric safe and the forgetting is *exactly* how children act. And I like that "Even Jamela was cross with Jamela" at the end - children really can be their own harshest critics. But what I really love is the final sequence - armed with new fabric, Jamela's mother (clearly having learned her lesson) stays with her and sings and plays as the fabric dries on the clothesline, and then she makes a dress for her daughter. It's clear how much they love each other, and it just sends warm fuzzy feelings everywhere.

Jamela's Dress celebrates the youthful spirit of Jamela, a young South African girl. Jamela and her Mama shop for some material with which her mother will make a new dress to be worn on the occasion of a family wedding. They take it home, wash it, and hang it up to dry. As Jamela guards it against harm she becomes so excited by the beauty of the cloth that she wraps it about herself and parades through the town. Inevitably the cloth is ruined but through a clever plot device all turns out well and Jamela redeems herself. The wonderfully warm watercolors bring Jamela's neighborhood to life in all its energy and drama. An author's note traces the changing meaning of the word "kwela" through the changing history of his country and so illuminating some of the reasons new South Africa may have to exhibit a youthful spirit similar to Jamela's.
For children from three to six.

"I first saw this book in my book club magazine, I became really interested in it because I wanted a book that my daughters could enjoy. So I got it, and I loved it and then they did. One cannot help but love "Kwela Jamela, The African Queen" Basically, it is about a young girl who takes some cloth that her mother bought for a dress, and she marches up and down the streets with it only to find out that it became soiled and damaged. Despite that, the ending will leave a smile on yours and your kid's faces. I don't only see this as a ethnic book, the theme is universal and something that any child can relate to.

I've read French, and British, and Australian, and American, and a whole host of picture books from around the world. Yet one of the countries I've never really read a picture book from is beautiful South Africa. Here we have a country steeped in color and beauty and yet the schoolchildren of America know relatively little about it. Heck, I'll go so far as to say that MOST U.S. schoolchildren probably couldn't even find it on a map. Fortunately, that's all changed with the presence of author/illustrator Niki Daly and his heroine Jamela. If you've met Jamela in the past, you know what to expect from her. If you've never met her before, you're in for a real treat.

Jamela and her mother, residents of South Africa, are out shopping for dress fabric on fine and frolicksome day. After locating a beautiful but costly skein of orange/yellow weave, the two buy it up and wash the stiffness out of it. As the fabric dries on the line, Jamela's mama tells her daughter, in no uncertain terms, to keep the dog off of it. She doesn't want anything messing it up. Technically, Jamela obeys her mother's orders. The dog never gets the fabric dirty. Jamela, on the other hand, takes it on a joyous walk down the street, drawing the attention of many friends and neighbors. Too soon, however, Jamela must face the consequences of her actions and her mama is left unconsolable. It's only through an odd quirk of fate that Jamela is inadvertently responsible for her mother's new dress and a little surprise of her own.

Niki Daly must have kids. I've never said that about a single picture book illustrator before, but I think I have to say it now. There's something in Jamela's face that is dead on. When she wraps herself in the lovely remains of the fabric as her acquaintance Archie takes her picture, her face is a glowing combination of smugness and preschool pride. In fact, Daly has also captured the movements of his characters beautifully in this story. From Jamela's traipse along the dusty dirty street to the rambunctious clamering of friends and neighbors, Daly has an eye for natural human relations. There are delightful tiny details to observe as well. Note that when Jamela takes her walk she has obviously outfitted herself as well in her mama's too large red sandals.

And then there are the colors and fabrics in this story. The only picture book I've read that rivals this one in delightful material selection would have to be Lloyd Alexander's, "The Fortune Teller". Together, these two books would make one heckuva good storytime session. In this book, every person in this book wears realistic and fitting clothing. Archie sports a remarkable matching print suit while Jamela eventual comes to wear an elephant infused jumper. And Daly's so adept that you can sometimes make out the shifting colors and shades that make up each one of Jamela's dredlocks.

In an Author's Note at the end, Niki Daly gives some additional information about the history of the term "Kwela" (a word that pops up more than once in this book) giving the reader a little more information about South Africa itself. It fits the book well. I'd often heard wonderful things about the Jamela book series, but I'd never had the pleasure of actually reading one before. Now that I have, I'm happy to have found it. It's a vibrant and entirely pleasing concoction.

"Just one more time" are the words uttered by my two year old after we finish reading about "Kwela Jamela African Queen". Jamela's Dress is a unique representation of the simple joys in a child's life and how imagination can sometimes lead to trouble. Niki Daly's illustrations are a brilliant use of color that not only are appealing to the eye but also represent that of the African culture. This is definately a story that ties in a silly sence of children's adventure with a mother-daughter bond and cultural richness.

I heard Neal Petersen speak and by the time I got to the table to by his book, he was sold out. I finally orderd on line and it is every bit at moving as his presentation. It truly made me realize that if he can overcome all of the obsticules placed before him, than I don't have any excuses to not overcome my own.

"In life there are no barriers - only solutions." Call this positive statement a credo, a code, a slogan or a mantra. It is the one rule that dominates the life of its author, Neal Petersen.

I had the pleasure of being in an audience where Mr. Petersen happened to be the keynote speaker. An author and motivational presenter, he held the attention of all attendees, especially me.

Neal Petersen was born with a physical disability in South Africa during its apartheid years. As a child he was determined to overcome all adversities, a trait that not only guided him through life but also helped him stake his claim as the first black man to race a homemade boat single-handedly around the world.

In his book, "Journey of a Hope Merchant" and recipient of the 2005 National Outdoor Book Award, Mr. Petersen has the reader join him on his journey through life and particularly on this solo journey in the 1998-99 "Around Alone" yacht race. Throughout the book, the reader is gripped with the determination of Mr. Petersen as well as his endurance, ingenuity and particularly his sense of survival.

Right from the book's prologue by his wife, Darlene Kristi-Petersen, one becomes immediately tuned into the reality that Mr. Petersen is a man driven by his dreams. From an impoverished youth to achieving world recognition, two university degrees and author and coauthor of ten books, one can only picture Mr. Petersen as a consummate achiever.

As I write this review, I refrain from telling the story of Mr. Petersen's challenges at sea. That I'll save for the reader, as I will the many other chapters in his life where he continues to tell us the importance of dreaming. The importance he teaches us is that dreams are not simply for dreamers but are the roadmaps to be followed, challenged and achieved.

I would not call this a sailing book. Rather it is a story of a crippled boy from Capetown, who found freedom in swimming, diving, and sailing, and had a dream to sail around the world alone in the greatest of all races, inspired by these yachts and racing sailors who visited this port. The Author, who grew up in a middle class neighborhood in South Africa had to endure racism in his struggle to achieve his dream. Along the way, he found many sailors willing to help, and many other people who contributed to his life journey. It will melt you heart to read about the many wonderful people who helped Neal Accomplish this seemingly impoosible goal. It renewed my faith in the best of human nature.

This is the sort of book I'd give a young child for inspiration. It is proof that man can overcome most obstacles with only the most basic of tools--literacy. This is a lesson that should be taught to all children.

Neal makes his living as a motivational speaker. I finished the book, wanting to hear him speak. And I'd like to sail with him.

The book is an easy read. I found myself reading until 3 am and finished it the next day. I give this book 4 stars because it is not the sort of book I would re-read. It is not the sort of book I need to inspire myself. However, a good book to read once and then pass on to your friends.

The was one point in the book where I found myself gravely disappointed. I was saddened to read in Neals account that Brad Van Liew, one of this competitors, accused him of cheating by using his engine. While Neal faced bigotry throughout his life, I was saddened byh this lack of sportsmanship. I expected more graciousness behavoir.

This book is an easy, fun, adventurous read that will shift your attitude and belief in the most positive way. Neal has accomplished more most people would dream possible. Yet in reading his story you will start to believe that anything is possible. It has rejuvenated and refocused me. I'm sure it will do the same for you.

I read this book non-stop and I had to write a review. By way of full disclosure, I met Neal Petersen on November 3, 2005 and spent five days sailing with him on a passage from Connecticut to Bermuda. That time with him prompted the purchase and reading of this book. He is a fantastic guy with a truly inspiring story. The book recounts Neal's life story and struggle against the odds to reach his dream of racing a sail boat alone around the world. At every turn there are choices. Listen to the naysayers or pursue what appears to be an impossible dream. Throughout the story there are detractors and supporters. This book has drama, adventure, romance, and inspiration. This is a story not only about Neal's adventures sailing, but about how to live life to the fullest. I can't recommend this book highly enough!

Using the mythic center of a local legend of a white snake woman who snatches black children from the banks of the river, Malepe explores a young girl's coming of age into the brutal reality of the apartheid system in South Africa. The time is in the early 60s, long before reforms, and the protagonist is just a young school girl who gradually discovers she and her family are caught in the grips of a powerful white-run system that has only a pretense of fairness before the law. Seen from the young girl's point of view, but recalled from a more distant time, this first novel shows great sensitivity and suggests real promise for future works of social and artistic relevance.

If you want to see, smell, and feel the atmosphere of apartheit South Africa with a black South African's consciousness, read this novel. The narrator begins her story with the Betswana legend of Mamogashwa,a snake who deceives her prey by taking on the upper body of a beautiful white woman; her predatory snake body lies below. As we proceed through the novel, we appreciate the compellingness of this metaphor, not only for the indigenous people who feared their brutal colonizers, but also for us in the U.S., who saw our own brand of apartheit and continue to see its lingering scars today. The author writes with intelligence and unusual imagery. My only criticism is that there are frequent comma splices and some typos in the manuscript; I hope they will be corrected in a second printing of this valuable novel.

In MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH, Dr. Lesego Malepe takes us back in time to the beginning of the end of apartheid. The Dutch and English colonized South Africa in the seventeenth century, but by 1963 the Boers had taken oppression to unbelievable heights of outrage. Black South Africans were foreigners in their own land - required to carry passes at all times and jailed for disagreeing with a government in which they had no representation.

The Maru family has been fortunate. Although they live in a village haunted by the specter of Mamogashwa, a mythical monster that drowns black children in the river, their lives are better than many. Edward is a professor at a university and his wife, Evelyn, is a teacher. The Maru children are following in their parents' footsteps and attend boarding schools, but their world is turned upside down when their brother, Tiro, only seventeen, is arrested at school and charged with sabotage and attempting to overthrow the government. Tiro and his co-conspirators' fictional trial mirrors the infamous Rivonia Trial of 1963-64 in Pretoria in which a number of defendants were accused of similar crimes, including a lawyer and activist named Nelson Mandela.

The trial takes a toll on the entire family, but it especially impacts the Marus' only daughter, Neo. She must draw on the strength and wisdom of her mother and grandmother as she comes of age in a very volatile environment. In the end, Neo leaves South Africa, but returns many years later, triumphant in ways that her brothers only dreamed.

Malepe effectively uses Mamogashwa, a giant snake that is actually a white woman, as a symbol of apartheid. She draws a convincing parallel between Mamogashwa's evils and the horrible iniquity of apartheid, destroying black youth at will. MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH is powerful and patriotic. The Marus' story will bring perspective to how families struggled on a daily basis under apartheid and engender a new respect for the sacrifices of millions of black South Africans.

Reviewed by Kim Anderson Ray
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

To my understanding, while much has been written, as well there should be, about the great warriors against Apartheid in South Africa,little exploration has been done of the effect of this dastardly system on those not in jail or in the headlines. Ms. Malepee has used incredible writing skill to make a middle-aged white American male (yours truly) know how the fears and worry a teenage black girl coming of age would feel as she slowly comes to realize the security of her family means nothing to a demonic social system and she watches helplessly as that system tramples people she loves. Though there is danger, sadness and drama in this book it is also poignant and ironic. I loved every page of this book. It is definitely a book that every American (particularly young) should read before they study any political system but especially of South Africa. I can't wait for her next book. DJC.

Matters of Life and Death is a wonderful novel written by a South African.The story vividly describes a priviledged South African family and its struggles against apartheid. The female characters of the story while not playing a dominat role are prominet and make sthe story line flow. Koko the grandmother, Evelyn the mother, and Neo the daughter/sister, also help to web this tory. It is full of suspens,e, humor, and sadnness.It is an easy read and not the typical apartheid story. The situations seem real and one can certainly identify with each of the characters. Themales in the story are strong men with a real sense of manhood andAfrican identity. The women too are strong, not feminist but assertive and making this greta. THIS IS A MUST READ YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT THE BOOK DOWN AND WILL REMEMBER THE LINES FOR EVER.

I read this book for my course on South African History, and though it may not be very well written (English is Abrahams' second lanugage, and the prose comes off as very stiff), it is nevertheless a landmark acheivement in South African History. At the time when it was published, 1946, no book had been written about racial tension in South Africa, especially fom the eyes of a Black South African. Historically and politically a triumph, this book is as important to South Africa as "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is to the United States.

Without coming across as overly bitter or spiteful, Abrahams gives us an unrivaled peek into the oppressive conditions the black man faces living under a white minority regime. The hopes and aspirations of an entire race seem to rest with our hero- Mine Boy. Little did the old guard of the old White South African establishment realize the role this seemingly harmless little book would play in bringing down their carefully constructed appartheid society.

Xuma is a black country boy who moves to Johannesburg to look for work in the gold mines. Upon his arrival in town, a strong but kind woman named Leah takes him into her bootlegging household. She introduces him to Eliza, the girl Xuma loves but can't have, and Maisy, the girl he can have but doesn't want. He is given a rude awakening to race relations in the city and witnesses first-hand the brutality of the Johannesburg police force. While Xuma's great strength makes him a successful mine boy, he remains a second-class citizen under the apartheid regime. As the novel closes, Xuma's boss and friend Paddy helps him finally come to the realization that blacks and whites can be brothers after all.

Peter Abrahams has certainly written an unsung novel here, which is devastatingly simple (in some places too simple), concentrating on the story of Xuma, a young man who has moved from the North of South Africa (Vrededorp) to the hate-filled apartheid world of Johannesburg. Filling it up with supporting characters which are rather cardboard (the black girl who dreams of being white, the drunken South Africans, the sympathetic white man) does not help, but nonetheless instead of spitefully showing us the huge hate Abrahams may hold for the apartheid system, we instead hear the story of Xuma coping in Jo'burg, with all the horrors being just there in the background. Abrahams does not emerge with a conclusion of black superiority and that whites should leave, but through Xuma, we very clearly see that both races should just get along. For anyone with a serious interest in apartheid, this book is a must!

(...) For me, this book was amazing and much more potent than say Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country. In fact, the two do not necessarily warrant comparison except for the fact that Paton's book is the only classic South African novel that is ever considered part of the World Lit canon taught in U.S. schools, which is a damn shame because the African continent--like the others--has produced some spectacular creative works. Some of the other readers have complained of the simplicity of Abraham's language or "cardboard" characters. For me, it's that very simplicity that makes the story such a dramatic tale; it's language that anyone can understand. It's primitive, if you will, or embryonic. As for the characters being underdeveloped, again, I think this adds to the effectiveness of this particular story. Caste systems, apartheid, and other types of sanctioned discrimination force people to come across as stereotypes. When we view our neighbors as "other," we're not seeing them as fully human. So for me, I got what I needed from Mine Boy, which I consider a must read. It put me in a time and place that I would not have experienced otherwise despite the universality of feeling that comes with the hardships of life.

This is one of the clearest--and certainly the most interesting--college textbooks I've ever had! I'm an older student returning to school and had to take econ as a prerequisite for an MBA program. I wasn't looking forward to it--tried it once in college years ago and dropped it because both book and class were so boring! I love this class (online, so no professor even!) and look forward to doing the reading each week. My school uses a "customized" version with with only about 2/3 of the chapters, and I'm buying the entire book so I can read the rest of it. Highly recommended!

This is a great book for Beginners in Economics. It has side notes and just about everything is explained very well. Perfect for the Econ101 Course.

This textbook is an excellent book to review the essential concepts of economics. It will give you a solid foundation to do well in your graduate economics course.

I am currently taking and Inro to Economics class. I read this book when ever I get the chance. I never really want to read books that have to do with my classed, but this book i don't mind reading. It's taking me a little while to get through it but I can pretty much understand everything that I am reading. The only thing I don't like about this book is that many of the definitions are worded in complicated ways. But if you read the book it explains in a different way that you can understand. This book also uses real like situations in order for you to understabd it too.

I don't study Economics in college but i have loved this topic since high school. I was looking for a book that enriches my knowledge to Economics without much complexity. This book was exactly like i wanted. It has a very easy approach to many aspects of Economics so that the reader can be comfortable with both easy and advanced topics in microeconomics and macroeconomics.

each time i pick up a novel in the courtney saga, i cannot wait for the next one. smith is awesome and now i want to visit south africa....

This book is vintage Wilbur Smith, filled with twisted events, suspense and action. But at the same time he has been able to protray the pains of the black population and the deprivation they went through. "Rage" captures the rage of the black population that has led to the long struggle against apartheid.

Wilbur Smith never fails to capture me with his writings. Rage is a wonderful depiction of a whole different world in South Africa. While he changes a few details it is still a very good indication of a life that many Americans do not understand. While entertaining us with his magnificent choice of words he is also educating us on a life style or self-being of the South African person. I actually find his books very helpful in understanding the world my fiance was born. When someone asks me why I love his work so much my reply is simply, "I can see his words" Absolutely wonderful.

Rage is based on Nelson Mandella's life. Wilbur Smith bases all of his books on fact, so you learn about the cultures of each of the tribes, politics, etc. Only his characters are fictional. Rage is a TERRIFIC READ! The book, River God, is the only exception. Buy it--I promise you won't be able to put it down!

I am an avid reader of Wilbur Smith's but found this book to be one of his worst. it did not have me turning the pages as quickly as some of his other books. This book felt more like a history lesson than a compelling wilbur smith adventure novel. He is mister entertainment when it comes to adventure writing but seems to get the reader caught up in a nations struggle with inequality and the various issues asssociated with it than encapsulating the reader with a trade mark concorde story line.

Things go too slow and the characters are developed at times too slow and at times with too much depth. This is a well written book with a great deal of history in it, however, if you started reading this book you will find it still sitting around you some weeks later. That is because it doesn't have the necessary elements to be a complete page turner.

This is a good collection of Ruark's African articles. Those familiar with his work as well as those with an interest in the glory days of Safari hunting will enjoy it. New readers and those without an interest will find it dated, but the timely accounts of Mau Mau are worthwhile for anyone. There are some "natural history" mistakes by modern standards but in historical perspective it is still excellent work. Michael MacIntosh's commentary is enlightening without infringing on the original text.

I loved this book because it shows Ruark as he actually was through many of his magazine articles. We see Africa through his eyes and it comes to life for us. In retrospect, we see that he was seeing the end of the glorious hunting age and the beginning of the photographic safaris. As we know, he was not much of a photographer but he did love to photograph the animals as well. This book fulfilled my need of another fix of "Robert Ruark and his love of Africa."

Between June of 1951, and his death on July 1,1965, Robert Ruark spent some time each year in Africa, both hunting and reporting on the changing scene on a continent he fell in love with at first sight, and this book covers those years using magazine articles Ruark wrote. It is more, far more, than a report on "today I shot this and yesterday I shot that" type of writing one so often sees in books of this nature. Some of Ruark's articles on the Mau-Mau uprising in Kenya are included, as fine a piece of straight reporting as was ever done on the terror of that period, along with a short story with (of course) an African/ Mau-Mau theme included as well. Some may complain about Ruark's apparent racism, but the best answer to that is to remind those critcs that both the English colonial government of Kenya AND its first "native" (black African) government both wound up banning Ruark from entering the country. When a reporter gets both sides mad at him its usually a sign that he is doing a fairly rounded job. Robert Ruark loved Africa as he loved no place (and few people), and the articles in this book show that. Those who disapprove of the sport of hunting will want to skip this book, since safaris make up the biggest part of it, but anyone interested in a view of Africa during the turbulent times of the '50's and early '60's would not want to miss it, and anyone interested the fine writing of the driven, self destructive genius that was Robert Ruark MUST have this book.....

This book is a compilation of short or condensed Ruark stories.It offers an inside look at what Ruark loved best in this world; Africa. Some stories are better than others, but it is all great reading.(It is no "Horn of the Hunter!)
Ruark wrote with an eloquence seldom seen in the literary world today. He understood the power of the written word and had the ability to string together sentences and thoughts which are a pure pleasure to read. He should be a "Must Read" for every journalism student.

This book is a collection of magazine articles written by Robert Ruark in the 1950s. For those who don't know who Ruark was, he was a journalist and novelist of the 40s and 50s. In the post-war era, he became known as one of the most acerbic journalists and developed a national reputation. He went on a safari in the early 1950s that changed his life. He spent much of the next decade or more traveling to East Africa to hunt big game and birds, and writing about his experiences. He was a profilic author and wrote thousands of magazine articles and several novels of widely varying quality.

There are twenty articles in this collection divided up into three sections. The first section is a selection of articles (written mostly for Field and Stream) just after Ruark went on his first safari. He describes his thoughts and impressions of the hunt, of life in the wilds of East Africa, and some of his companions. He also discusses the complexities and dangers of hunting various types of big game including lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and cape buffalo. All I can say is that a safari in the 50s must have been an unbelievable experience. The second section is devoted primarily to Ruark's impression of the Mau-Mau uprising in the mid-50s. These section is more of a recounting of various tales of people caught up in the Mau-Mau violence than discussions about hunting. The third section returns to discussions on hunting, but now we see a more mature Ruark who takes more pleasuring in facilitating the hunting of others rather than his own shooting. He still retains a keen interest in bird hunting though throughout this later period.

I was inspired to buy this book after having read Hemingway's `Green Hills of Africa' and was not disappointed. Ruark certainly was not the writer that Hemingway was, but this collection of Ruark's articles contains far more information on the details and experiences of big game hunting, even if it lacks Hemingway's literary flourish. I am no expert on African hunting/safari literature, but I feel that Ruark's article bring me as close to the experience without actually doing it myself. The editor, Michael McIntosh, has written a nice introduction that is part a biography of Ruark (a conflicted man at best) and part a literary criticism of Ruark. There are also some very nice line drawings interspersed through the text. Overall this work lies somewhere below a `classic', but it is definitely worth a look if you have any interest in hunting, East Africa, or safari in an era now gone forever.

I wanted a concise history of Rorke's Drift, and this book more than fit the bill. Ian Knight is the undisputed expert on the Zulu War's, so that is a bonus, as are the wonderful illustrations and photographs that Osprey books are known for. You can't go wrong with this one. It is a wonderful, informative read.

Ian Knight did an excellent job in presenting the famous battle of Rorke's Drift which pitted 150 British and Imperial Soldiers against over 3000 battle trained and tested Zulu warriors. Knight describes the circumstances that led to the battle beginning with the British having posts far within Zulu territory (present day South Africa) and having failed peace treaties between the British Crown and Zulu Kings. These treaties between the British Empire and Zulu Nation began with the great King Shaka Zulu and newly crowned Queen Victoria, and as such previous times the British Empire wanted more land subjegated under their influence. Thus began the trouble. This book describes the background of this and also tells about the British loss at Isandlwana which is considered one of the worst defeats in British History. The battle at Rorke's Drift was fought due to one of the Zulu nobility wanting his warriors to fight and taste blood without realizing the tremendous loss of warriors would take place. The British and its Imperial Forces (Boers, and non Zulu tribesmen) did an outstanding job by defending the Rorke's Drift Outpost and thus gaining immortal glory. This is an outstanding book that is highly recommended to those who want to read about overcoming tremendous odds and bravery at all levels of both the British and Zulu Warriors.

This book is highly recommended for anyone who wishes to acquaint themselves with battles of Isandlwana, and especially, Rorke's Drift. The author gives a brief history of the British presence in South Africa that led to the events of 22-23 January, 1879. Knight gives a detailed and accurate account of the battle at Rorke's Drift using battlefield drawings showing the movement of both troups, British and Zulu. The author also does a good job of disspelling many myths that have surrounded the battle for years. An added plus is the vast array of vintage photos of many of the key players in the Anglo-Zulu campaign. For anyone that wants to get a short(96 pages), concise, detailed history of Rorke's Drift, you will never need more than this book.

This was a wonderful read, informative, concise and clear. The explanations of the cause of the war, the cause of this battle, the tactics used, the actual ebb & flow of the combat and the aftermath are all very well presented. The illustrations and photographs add quite well to the written information. If your only information on this battle comes from the movie Zulu, you really should pick this up and read it to get the real story, which is even more fascinating than the movie makes it out to be.

I enjoyed the book as it corrected some of the inconsistencies shown in the movie and fact from hollywood's license.