By Roxanne Reid
Regular readers of this blog will know by now that I like nothing more than to disappear into the wilds, to places like the Kalahari, Namibia or Botswana. When I'm not in the wilds, I love to read about it. Here are five of the books about Africa that have inspired me over the years.
Regular readers of this blog will know by now that I like nothing more than to disappear into the wilds, to places like the Kalahari, Namibia or Botswana. When I'm not in the wilds, I love to read about it. Here are five of the books about Africa that have inspired me over the years.
The Flame Trees of Thika: memories of an African childhood
Elspeth Huxley (Penguin Classics)
Recalling her childhood on a Kenyan farm where she grew up among the Masai and Kikuyu people, Huxley evokes the freedom, adventure and rugged realities of life in Africa in the early 20th century.
Cry of the Kalahari
Mark and Delia Owens (Houghton Mifflin)
A personal document of seven years in the Kalahari Desert, where lions and hyenas regularly visited the authors’ camp, and they faced danger from both animals and the harsh environment.
Elspeth Huxley (Penguin Classics)
Recalling her childhood on a Kenyan farm where she grew up among the Masai and Kikuyu people, Huxley evokes the freedom, adventure and rugged realities of life in Africa in the early 20th century.
Cry of the Kalahari
Mark and Delia Owens (Houghton Mifflin)
A personal document of seven years in the Kalahari Desert, where lions and hyenas regularly visited the authors’ camp, and they faced danger from both animals and the harsh environment.
The Behavior Guide to African Mammals: Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Primates
Richard Estes (University of California Press)
An insider view for anyone with an interest in what animals do and what their behaviour means. Well researched, it’s a great book to browse while waiting at a waterhole…
Elephant Memories: Thirteen Years in the Life of an Elephant Family
Cynthia Moss (University of Chicago Press)
Moss studied elephants – powerful, intelligent and amusing – in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park for nearly 30 years. This fascinating chronicle of their lives is both personal and scientifically objective.
Richard Estes (University of California Press)
An insider view for anyone with an interest in what animals do and what their behaviour means. Well researched, it’s a great book to browse while waiting at a waterhole…
Elephant Memories: Thirteen Years in the Life of an Elephant Family
Cynthia Moss (University of Chicago Press)
Moss studied elephants – powerful, intelligent and amusing – in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park for nearly 30 years. This fascinating chronicle of their lives is both personal and scientifically objective.
Through a Window: My Thirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe
Jane Goodall (Phoenix)
Goodall spent a lifetime studying our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. This captivating personal story, an animal classic, follows the chimps’ daily lives and shares in their triumphs and tragedies.
What would you add to this list? Let me know in the comments below. Also, watch out for the next blog post in a few days. Why?
Jane Goodall (Phoenix)
Goodall spent a lifetime studying our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. This captivating personal story, an animal classic, follows the chimps’ daily lives and shares in their triumphs and tragedies.
What would you add to this list? Let me know in the comments below. Also, watch out for the next blog post in a few days. Why?
Because I’ll be announcing a competition in which you can win a free copy of my new ebook Travels in the Kalahari, that’s why. Watch this space.
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
