Favorite books about Africa! History, adventure, etc

[Firebird]

I'm in the middle of "It Shouldn't Happen" by Kevin and Catherine Robertson and loving it- one of my favorite authors I don't believe mentioned previously is Walter Prothero, start by reading "The Dangerous Game."

 

[Cousin Bongo]

With so many excellent NON-FICTION books on the subject, there is no need to waste one's time with fiction... just saying...

CB

 

[Heeler75]

Months of the Sun - Ian Nyschens. It's a must read. Safari Press has it on sale right now.
Kambaku! - Harry Manners - Great history of hunting Mozambique.
Horned Death - John Burger.

I have all of the Bell books. Karamojo Safari is flat out excellent.

 

[bilmcc]

They come one or two at a time, then suddenly, you have a bunch! Jim Casada wrote a good article for Sporting Classics this morning about arranging your collection. Start while it's small!

 

[fourfive8]

They come one or two at a time, then suddenly, you have a bunch! Jim Casada wrote a good article for Sporting Classics this morning about arranging your collection. Start while it's small!

^^That's the truth!!
While I have a pile of reference books for all manner of things, I just can't resist good African material. I've read many of them twice. Can't get enough of vicarious travel of the mind I guess... just one or two more! Today for example I was thinking of the image and feeling Hemingway created in Green Hills where he first sees the flickering campfires of camp as they become visible through the bush upon returning after dark. Or a similar visual as he approaches a village at night describing how the small oil lamp or candle illuminations appear here and there. Those images spark memories and send chills up and down my spine- yes Africa is addicting

 

[cagkt3]

I started a few months ago, and now have probably 20 African titles and constantly adding more as I can find them

 

[cmk]

Nobody mentioned J.H. Patterson (of Tsavo man-eater fame)? Not all about hunting, I liked it a lot.
Tales of the African Frontier - J.A. Hunter
Wanderings of an elephant hunter - WDM Bell

 

[sestoppelman]

Hemingways Green Hills of Africa is a must read and I love it. Ruarks Horn of the Hunter is the book that really got me interested in Africa, read it in the early 60's the first time. Love Capsticks stuff and he is the author that got me seriously interested in going. I have lately been reading Tony Park and I consider him the equal of Wilbur Smith and his writings are of modern times so easier to relate to some things. Like in one book he mentions going to the SPUR restaurant in Messina, RSA. I ate there in 2009 with Phil de Kock of Bosbok when I was there. Boddingtons rare and expensive Spiral Horns book is a great read. Both African Hunter volumes, again the first a bit dated and Boddingtons much more current, both are must haves. Some will recall I sold a number of books from my collection some time back, just books that were once read and likely never again, but all were good.

 

[Firebird]

I purchased and just finished Boddingtons newest release “ From the Cape to Kasserine.” Ive got to go back and re read his other Safari by decade adventures now. It is fascinating to watch how the countries have changed as well as the hunting and possibilities-. As well as his family involvement. The newest was fun because the names and places were more familiar to me. . .

 

[elephantmaster29]

View attachment 187369 Oh boy. Im a book nerd. A few to get started with since you have covered Capstick and Ruark.

Safari by Bartle Bull
White Rhino Hotel by Bartle Bull

Assegai and the entire Courtney line of books by Wilbur Smith (really any of his work except for the egyptian stuff)

Tony Park - any of them

Hunter by JA Hunter

Gamemasters of the world - Klineburger

Heart of an african hunter - Flack

From mount kenya to the cape - Boddington

White Hunters - Brian Herne

African Hunter I and II

Bwana Babu Kwaheri - Greenfield

The wheel of life - bunny Allen

Trophy Hunter in Africa - Elgin Gates

McElroy Hunts Africa

Sport Hunter in Africa - Mcgowan

A hunters wanderings in africa - Selous

Not trying to boast but thats just one of my shelves. I love to read africa so let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy the journey!!!

What do you think have the best section on elephant?

 

[fourfive8]

"What do you think have the best section on elephant?"

There are quite a few, but Bell is the standard against how others are judged on elephant. Selous is hard to beat for a journal of early ivory hunting while Everett is excellent for a different, more recent perspective. -IMO

 

[cmk]

I recall that I liked "The adventures of an elephant hunter" by James Sutherland, but it was a year or two since I read it.

 

[Firebird]

W.D.M. Bell hard to beat for elephant and other adventures but for more modern scrawlings check out “Elephant!” By boddington. Someone already mention IAn Nyschens and if elephant is your thing you must read “Months in the Sun” and follow it up with “Footsteps of an Ivory Hunter.” They are expensive but I’m certain I’ve read and re read them enough to have gotten my money’s worth!

 

[Timbo]

View attachment 187369 Oh boy. Im a book nerd. A few to get started with since you have covered Capstick and Ruark.

Safari by Bartle Bull
White Rhino Hotel by Bartle Bull

Assegai and the entire Courtney line of books by Wilbur Smith (really any of his work except for the egyptian stuff)

Tony Park - any of them

Hunter by JA Hunter

Gamemasters of the world - Klineburger

Heart of an african hunter - Flack

From mount kenya to the cape - Boddington

White Hunters - Brian Herne

African Hunter I and II

Bwana Babu Kwaheri - Greenfield

The wheel of life - bunny Allen

Trophy Hunter in Africa - Elgin Gates

McElroy Hunts Africa

Sport Hunter in Africa - Mcgowan

A hunters wanderings in africa - Selous

Not trying to boast but thats just one of my shelves. I love to read africa so let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy the journey!!!

I like your choices: Hunter and Herne etc! From my own collection some of my favourites are:

Hunters Tracks - J A Hunter
Hunter - J A Hunter
African Bush Adventures - J A Hunter
Uganda Safari - Brian Herne (see photo of a THREE tusked elephant below!!) A very honest and humourous book as well!
White Hunter - Herne
Wanderings of an elephant hunter - Bell
African Adventures - Denis Lyell
Memories of an African Hunter - Lyell
Kill or be killed - Major W R Foran
Legends of the field - Maj. Foran
A tear for Somalialand - Douglas Collins
Another tear for Somalia - Collins
A game ranger' s notebook - Percival
A game ranger on safari - Percival

With rifle and petticoat - K Czech
(A book on Women PHs 1880-1940)

Just on African adventure:
Nine faces of Kenya - E Huxley
Life of my choice - Wilfred Thesiger
(Both superbly written, nostalgic and very evocative!)

 

[flat8]

So many great books .. I'll add a few that are not hunting related.

"The Fate of Africa" by Martin Meredith. A sweeping read across Africa since independence.
"The Dark Star Safari" by Paul Theroux. A true account of his overland trip from Capetown to Cairo in 2001.
"The Power of One" by Bryce Courtenay. Fiction, but one of my all-time favorite books.
"The Last Resort" by Douglas Rogers. Often hilarious but tragic account at one family's struggle in Zimbabwe.
"No Mercy" by Redmond O'Hanlon. A journey into madness in the Congo basin. Very dark.

 

[elephantmaster29]

So many great books .. I'll add a few that are not hunting related.

"The Fate of Africa" by Martin Meredith. A sweeping read across Africa since independence.
"The Dark Star Safari" by Paul Theroux. A true account of his overland trip from Capetown to Cairo in 2001.
"The Power of One" by Bryce Courtenay. Fiction, but one of my all-time favorite books.
"The Last Resort" by Douglas Rogers. Often hilarious but tragic account at one family's struggle in Zimbabwe.
"No Mercy" by Redmond O'Hanlon. A journey into madness in the Congo basin. Very dark.

Great list, thanks Flat8

 

[Timbo]

So many great books .. I'll add a few that are not hunting related.

"The Fate of Africa" by Martin Meredith. A sweeping read across Africa since independence.
"The Dark Star Safari" by Paul Theroux. A true account of his overland trip from Capetown to Cairo in 2001.
"The Power of One" by Bryce Courtenay. Fiction, but one of my all-time favorite books.
"The Last Resort" by Douglas Rogers. Often hilarious but tragic account at one family's struggle in Zimbabwe.
"No Mercy" by Redmond O'Hanlon. A journey into madness in the Congo basin. Very dark.

I really like this thread - and the interesting kaleidoscope of reading material submitted by members. It just goes to show how spectacularly diverse and beautiful the African continent is. Great stuff!!

 

[Ragman]

Just finished reading "The Covenant" by James Michener. Very interesting read.

 

[sestoppelman]

I use bookfinder.com for searching out books. I am sure there are other sites but this one almost always works. I just finished Tony Parks Silent Predator and it was a corker, his best so far, that I have read. I didn't see any mention of The End of the Game, a photo book by Peter Beard. Very interesting book. If you really want to torture yourself, ask yourself which would be the one Africa book you would keep above all others. For me, though a tough call, I think it would the first African Hunter my James Mellon. I have a 1st HB ed and would find it very hard to part with.

 

[Bos en Dal SAFARIS]

Months of the Sun - Ian Nyschens. It's a must read. Safari Press has it on sale right now.
Kambaku! - Harry Manners - Great history of hunting Mozambique.
Horned Death - John Burger.

I have all of the Bell books. Karamojo Safari is flat out excellent.

Just started Months of the Sun. It paints a great picture of Northen Rhodesia and Mozambique in the late 40's early 50' when he shot elephant with less impressive tusks of 50-60 pounds. In todays time if you get 50 you are in the pound seats