African Splendour Book List

Author: Nelson Mandela
Type: Biography Published: 1995
Format: PAPER Pages: 640
Cost: $18.00
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An unpretentious tale of an extraordinary life, Mandela’s autobiography is essential reading for an understanding of South Africa. His grace and his love for his country shine throughout.

Author: Rian Malan
Type: Biography Published: 2000
Format: PAPER Pages: 425
Cost: $16.00
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Afrikaner journalist Malan recounts his journey back to his homeland just before the collapse of apartheid. He grapples with the black and white heart of South Africa, drawing on the 300-year history of his family in Africa and legends of the Zulu nation, in this beautifully written and brutally honest story of return.

Author: Ole Saitoti
Type: Biography Published: 1988
Format: PAPER Pages: 170
Cost $29.95
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Bridging several worlds with tremendous grace, Saitoti looks back on his life among the Maasai, both as spokesperson for his tribe and as one of the first Maasai safari guides.

Author: Beryl Markham
Type: Biography Published: 2013
Format: PAPER Pages: 294
Cost $16
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Markham evokes the landscapes, people and wildlife of East Africa in engrossing detail in this classic memoir of amazing adventures as a bush pilot in 1930s Kenya. A favorite.

Author: James Kavanaugh
Type: Field Guide Published: 1999
Format: PLASTIC CARD Pages: 0
Cost $7.95
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A laminated foldout guide illustrating almost 150 species of African animals, designed for quick reference in the field.

Author: Ian Sinclair, Peter Ryan
Type: Field Guide Published: 2010
Format: PAPER Pages: 760
Cost: $49.50
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This compact field guide, the first to describe and illustrate all of the birds of sub-Saharan Africa, features 359 color plates and 2,100 range maps. Especially useful for those southern African countries without their own field guides.

Author: Philip Briggs
Type: Field Guide Published: 2016
Format: PAPER Pages: 288
Cost $28.99
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A compact guide to the birds and mammals, reptiles, insects and plants of East Africa, the Bradt field guide features a great selection of large color photographs, recommendations and detailed species profiles.

Author: Jonathan Kingdon
Type: Field Guide Published: 2004
Format: PAPER Pages: 272
Cost $29.95
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A conveniently compact edition of Kingdon’s celebrated guide that includes information on distribution, ecology and conservation status, with 480 outstanding color illustrations and maps.

Author: “Bunny McBride, Duane Schlitter, Richard Estes, Peter Alden”
Type: Field Guide Published: 1995
Format: PAPER Pages: 988
Cost: $24.95
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This comprehensive photo guide covers 850 birds, mammals and reptiles of Africa. With range maps and a good country-by-country overview of habitats and parks.

Author: Richard Estes
Type: Field Guide Published: 1999
Format: PAPER Pages: 459
Cost $30.00
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An invaluable encyclopedic guide to Africa’s mammals by a noted scientist, this perennial bestseller includes black-and-white drawings, an overview of each animal group and in-depth information. Written with the typical safari-goer in mind.

Author: “Vincent Carruthers (Editor), Kenneth Newman (Illustrator)”
Type: Field Guide Published: 2017
Format: PAPER Pages: 320
Cost: $23.00
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With 1,200 color illustrations by a range of experts, this compact field guide includes all the birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, fish and plants that a traveler is likely to encounter in southern Africa.

Author: Martin B. Withers
Type: Field Guide Published: 2002
Format: PAPER Pages: 256
Cost $19.95
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This take-along guide to 475 common species of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, trees and flowers of East Africa features full-color photographs with detailed descriptions on facing pages.

Author: Simon Richmond
Type: Guidebook Published: 2015
Format: PAPER Pages: 288
Cost: $21.99
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Geared for independent travelers, this savvy and comprehensive guide features color photographs and dozens of excellent maps. This seventh edition also covers the garden route in detail.

Author: John Reader
Type: History Published: 1999
Format: PAPER Pages: 816
Cost $21.00
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With the ease of a practiced journalist, Reader weaves a masterful and lively tale of the continent, from ancient cultures to modern times. Both authoritative and informal, this is a splendid introduction to all of Africa.

Author: Allister Sparks
Type: History Published: 1996
Format: PAPER Pages: 254
Cost: $31.00
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Sparks explores the extraordinary developments that led to multiracial democracy in South Africa, an essential key to understanding the country today.

Author: Alan Paton
Type: Literature Published: 2003
Format: PAPER Pages: 317
Cost: $17.00
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The deeply moving story of Reverend Kumalo’s quest for justice. First published in 1948, it is a striking, poetic tribute to the power of the individual and a trenchant indictment of apartheid.

Author: Ernest Hemingway
Type: Literature Published: 1996
Format: PAPER Pages: 304
Cost: $17.00
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Hemingway paints the true story of his ramblings on safari in this classic, exquisitely written tale of hunting around Lake Manyara, which includes some of the best writing on the land itself and original pencil drawings. Originally published in 1935.

Author: National Geographic
Type: Reference Published: 2010
Format: MAP Pages: 2
Cost: $11.95
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A handy map for exploring Cape Town and the surrounding areas. Full-color, double-sided. Scales vary. Includes Cape Town, Table Mountain National Park and other reserves south to Cape of Good Hope.

Author: Nelles
Type: Reference Published: 2015
Format: MAP Pages: 2
Cost: $13.95
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A detailed map (1:1,100,000) with inset maps of Lamu, Nairobi and Mombasa.

Author: Marco Editions
Type: Reference Published: 2014
Format: MAP Pages: 2
Cost $14.95
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This detailed, full-color sketch map of the Serengeti ecosystem includes camps, lodges, watercourses, habitat and topography.

Author: Hallwag
Type: Reference Published: 2015
Format: MAP Pages: 1
Cost: $11.95
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This fold-out overview map of Southern Africa — including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana — is ideal for route planning.

Author: Shiva Naipaul
Type: Travel Narrative Published: 1979
Format: PAPER Pages: 349
Cost $17.00
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A sharp portrait of Africa, circa 1979. A brilliant and provocative observer, Naipaul meditates on the various peoples he encounters in Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. The best, most insightful thing we’ve read about race relations in Africa.

Author: Peter Matthiessen
Type: Travel Narrative Published: 2010
Format: PAPER Pages: 368
Cost $18.00
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A classic portrait of East Africa, enthralling in its detail on nature and daily life. Includes Maasai Mara, Ngorongoro, the Kenyan highlands and Matthiessen’s field trips, safaris and adventures in the Serengeti.