Help me compile a list of all the must-read books on African Hunting

[shotgungibbs]

"Hunter", by John Hunter & "Safari Rifles & Cartridges" by Craig Boddington & any other African books by Craig Boddington. The comments are all correct! There are hundreds of books to read on Africa. All are informative in their own way. All of the suggestions so far are great reads!

 

[DieJager]

I love old hunting books. Schillings  with Flashlight and Rifle I enjoyed, to name one.

Read quite a few books about hunting in the Dutch East Indies. Stories about the hunting of tigers, elephants, rhinos etc. That are all written in Dutch and dirt cheap and quite good.

At the moment I am reading Hemingway's Green hills of Africa.

There are loads of options to be honest. If you can pick the book I mentioned from Schillings for not too much money it is a great book.

 

[small bore]

The Book of the Lion- Sir Alfred E. Pease

 

[rigbymauser]

"Memories of a gameranger" by Harry Wolhuter
"From Cape to Cairo" by Ewart E Grogan
"African hunter" by Bror Blixen
...and the list could go on and on.

 

[homeless]

Cambaco I and II
José Pardal

 

[Rare Breed]

I'm starting to compile a list of all the essential books on the topic of African Hunting and am planning to read them in chronological order this summer.

1. 1907 - John Patterson - The Man Eaters of Tsavo
2. 1910 - Teddy Roosevelt - African Game Trails.
3. 1923 - W.D.M. Bell - The Wanderings of an Elephant Hunter
4. 1935 - Ernest Hemingway - Green Hills of Africa.
5. 1948 - John Taylor - African Rifles and Cartridges
6. 1949 - W.D.M. Bell - Karamojo Safari
7. 1953 - Robert Ruark - Horn of the Hunter
8. 1960 - W.D.M. Bell - Bell of Africa
9. 1978 - Peter Hathaway Capstick - Death in the long grass (and the 3 follow up books).
10. 2003 - Kevin Robertson - The Perfect Shot and the Perfect Shot II

Which others are worth adding to the list?

Cheers,

Just finished Tall Tails by Buzz Charlton-excellent. Also enjoyed Facing down Fear by John Sharp

 

[Pondoro]

Denker, Kai-Uwe

About the Spirit of the African Wilderness​

A brick of a book...the english translation a bit amatuerish...but a fantastic recap of many hunts for (very) big tuskers in recent years...100 pounders and fantastic photos.. A must for any serious elephant hunter..

 

[Fixfire]

For a newer read - I found Lords of Veld & Vlei interesting. Details the Pioneers of Africa hunting. An easy read though I found author Jim Casada’s purple prose writing style slightly annoying.

 

[small bore]

"Asian Jungle- African Bush", Colonel Charles Askins, 1959.

While not a top tier writer, maybe Askins deserves honorable mention for these nicely detailed hunting stories from Indochina and Kenya with many photographs.

 

[IdahoMo]

So this one is a bit different but has anyone read “The Sheltering Desert” by Henno Martin? It’s about two German geologists who are in Namibia (SW Africa back them) before WW II, and at the outbreak of war run off and hide in the desert for a couple years before coming out. It’s a true story of their lives and survival. Lots of hunting but not really a “hunting book”. Absolutely great read.

 

[jpr9954]

Dang, @baxterb ........now that is living some real history......might add in another book, "The wild Sport of Southern Africa" by Harris.......the first white man known to have encountered a Sable......(which he called a Potaquaine.)...and Peter Berger's book on The Great Karoo.....FWB

Do you have the title on Berger's book on the Great Karoo? When I do a Google search, I mostly come up with a sociologist named Peter Berger or books by others on the Karoo (e.g. Fred Stenson)

 

[PatrickMa Ward]

If you are planning a hunt, I would recommend Safari Dreams by Kenneth Royce, for history, I would say White Hunters by Brian Herne.

 

[Roller]

Denker, Kai-Uwe

About the Spirit of the African Wilderness​

A brick of a book...the english translation a bit amatuerish...but a fantastic recap of many hunts for (very) big tuskers in recent years...100 pounders and fantastic photos.. A must for any serious elephant hunter..

Great book …

 

[Dewald]

James Mellon - African Hunter. Only came as first additions in 1975

 

[Kalthoff]

These authors have not yet been mentioned:

1936 - Bror Blixen - Nyama
1937 - Karen Blixen - Out of Africa
1955 - Jim Corbett - Tree Tops

 

[Connor Baumgarten]

White hunter the golden age of safari’s is a book I quite enjoy reading. It goes into depth about the lives of PH’s(and deaths). I think it’s a very good book in my opinion

 

[sestoppelman]

James Mellon - African Hunter. Only came as first additions in 1975

Was reprinted many years later by Safari Press. I have a first in my collection, wonderful book.

 

[sestoppelman]

"Asian Jungle- African Bush", Colonel Charles Askins, 1959.

While not a top tier writer, maybe Askins deserves honorable mention for these nicely detailed hunting stories from Indochina and Kenya with many photographs.

Lucky for you he is long gone, he would probably shoot you for saying that. LOL.

In his day he was most definitely a top tier writer.

 

[sestoppelman]

If you are interested in the spiral horned antelopes, Boddingtons 'Search for the Spiral Horns' is an excellent book, but hard to find and expensive.

I snagged a copy a few years ago and it will remain in the collection.

 

[small bore]

"Rifles for Africa: practical advice on rifles and ammunition for an African safari", Gregor Woods, 2002, Safari Press.