Nineteen compelling, "nearly true" tales set in southern Africa during the late 1970s and 1980s comprise a debut work for this promising writer. The book, essentially a memoir dealing with Howard's coming-of-age experiences in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe during and after its war for independence, is a labor of love -- love for the land and its inhabitants: black, white, colonial and indigenous. As an American youth studying veterinary medicine in South Africa, Howard, afflicted with wanderlust, chanced to hitchhike north to Rhodesia on school holiday, whereupon his life was forever transformed. Upon marrying a Rhodesian girl and beginning a veterinary practice in the quaint colonial town of Marondellas, his soul became an irreversible part of the hard, red African clay. Now practising in New Zealand, Howard has experienced that teawakening of midlife, when many of us feel an urge to do an accounting of our lives. Howard is eminently successful in this accounting, and has shared his impressions and experiences in a way that makes this reader, a resident of Zimbabwe in the 1980s, want to see more. His stories, some comedic, others tragic, will evoke fond memories and nostalgia in all who once called southern Africa home.

Talk to most people about southern Africa and they will recount images of political unrest and violence. "Drive-By-Duck and other stories" offers the reader a different viewpoint. Human emotions and experiences of everyday life are interwoven in stories that reflect the depth of these nomatter where in the world you live. The only difference is the backdrop of the majesty that is southern Africa. For the reader brought up in southern Africa, the book will evoke many special memories. For the reader who has a curiosity for this part of the world, it will fuel your urge to visit one day. And for anyone who just wants a 'darn' good read, you WON'T be disappointed. If you only buy one book this year, let it be "Drive-By-Duck and other stories"

I visited Londolozi in 1997. I ordered and received the book almost a year after I returned home. It captured everything I remember from the animals and the landscape to the wonderful people themselves. I am able to pick up the book, now 2 years later, and still get the same feeling.

After visiting Londolozi and purchasing this book there, it was wonderful to learn about the background and evolution of this very unique game reserve from the founding family. This book is a must for those planning a trip to the "bush" as well as for those fortunates that have been to Londolozi or anywhere to share space with the magnificent animals of the transvaal.

When The Story of an African Farm was published in 1883, the title gave no indication to readers what the complex scope of the novel was really about.

Written by South African governess, Olive Schreiner, the book's crux ran along the controversal: the oppression of women, feminism, the existance of God, anti-imperialism, the bizarre transformation of one the novel's characters (not Lyndall) into a transvestite. It goes on and on. The novel was written when the belief of agnosticism was in the early stages of being in 'vogue.' Also interesting, Darwin's Origin of the Species had been published for some time, and the theory had rooted itself in many areas of society.

This was not the traditional Victorian novel that was written in the old English 'bonne bouche' manner on par with Jane Eyre or Emma. The prose of the novel has a broken up fluidity to it; it is not grandiloquent; it is in fact, quite brutal, edgy. As Elaine Showalter writes in the excellent introduction to the Bantam Classic edition, "Readers expecting the structured plot of a typical three-volume Victorian novel were startled by the oddity of African Farm, with its poetic, allegorical, and distinct passages, and its defiance of narrative and sexual conventions." With that clearly explained, it is not a surprise that it shocked old, priggish Englanders with their stiff upper lips and staunch, conservative manners, nor is it shocking that the Church of England called the novel "blasphemous."

African Farm details the lives of three key characters: Waldo, Em and Lyndall. The latter character is the one who seems to bring up the key issues that made the novel controversal. Lyndall is always described as 'little,' 'delicate,' 'like a doll,' 'a flower.' However, she is the one who refuses to marry (with one minor exception to the rule) until a social equilibrium is established between men and women. She desires equality between the sexes, and is willing to suffer for it. And she does, more than what is expected. Odd as it may seem, but considering the period in which the novel was written, the character of Lyndall really had to be physically 'feminized' in order to make up for her strongly held convictions of being a 'total' woman and not 'half' a woman.

If any person reads the novel, the character of Lyndall needs (from my view) special attention, for she questions the values of men, women who accepted the standard, religion and the social hierarchy in which she was born. Her questions seem like cartels, challenges. Why can't she have a job? Why can't she be educated or independent without the stigma 'weirdo' unflinchingly attached to her? Why must she be dubbed 'strange?' The reader must always ask why when reading this book. The three characters, Lyndall especially, endure a lot of hardship, a hardship that mirrored the very author's life, i.e. her cold and distant upbringing, the religious retraints placed on her life as well as the life-clenching grasp that old norms had on women of that period. African Farm was Olive Schreiner's liberty, her freedom from the societal choke hold.

In conclusion, the novel is not one of grace and patrician dogma. It is not a book of nice ladies and gentlemen sitting under the African sun near exotic, wild flowers sipping tea and participating in intellectual banter. No, it is an underscored work of literature where ideas of human aspiration and ecumenical desires are explored under a blazing sun and burnt, sandy plain.

...it would be awfully short-sighted to say it was. I came across Olive Schriner by accident which goes to show that quality is not always given the profile it deserves. But now I'm going to rectify that. Olive Schriner is a genius. This book should be right up there with Woolf's 'Mrs.Dalloway' and Hesse's 'Glass Bead Game'. Read it - that's all. You can't get to the end of your life without doing so, and since that can come at any moment read it NOW.

In town today when buying Easter books for the kids I found Tippi in Africa for my 7 years old. I have been to Africa several times, and now wants to bring my family, but they always say no, they don't want to go to Africa where there are dangerous animals, where there is poverty and the water is not clean. So I found this book the perfect present for my daughter.

We read the book right away when we came home, and what a treasure. The book tells about Tippi's childhood. The daughter of French nature photographers she spends most of her childhood in Africa. And growing up against the wild animals she and her surrondings soon discover that she has a very special ability to speak with the animals.

The book is filled with amazing photographs, and anecdotes from Tippi's childhood. Who can resist starting to dream about Africa after reading this book.

Thanks Tippi for sharing your life with us.

Britt Arnhild Lindland

Excellent. I've got the book today from amazon Germany. Now I want to read Tippi's very unique way to express herself in English.120 extrem beautiful photographs,done by her parents Sylvie and Alain Degre, give us an insight of her unusual childhood, grewing up in Africa. A nice gift for children and adults who want to see the world in it's beauty through children's eyes. Tippi lives now in Paris. I hope, she can save her experiences for life she obtained in Africa, for her future.

White Fire has everything I look for in a novel--engrossing plot, characters that come alive, and a vividly drawn setting that allows me to escape for a few hours while learning something new. I'm looking forward to reading more books by Stuart Murray.

Author, journalist, and editor Stuart Murray has written a superbly crafted historical novel capturing the yesteryear feel of 1828 in southern Africa. Dirk Arendt is guiding an archaeological expedition toward a lost city near Zululand. One of the part is an agent for a ruthless secret brotherhood in search of an ancient amulet, thought to be in the hands of Shaka, founder and lord of the newly unified Zulu nation. Dirk's expedition arrives just as rebels are about to overthrow Shaka, and the rebels also desire to posses the Amulet of White Fire. Meanwhile to the southwest, the first Cape Colony Dutch pioneers have launched a journey northward into the wilderness in search of the Promised Land. These independent minded Boers include Dirk's own parents and Rachel Drente. These "voortrekkers" are marching straight into the turmoil and civil war between Zulu regiments and the conspirators who are seeking to overthrow Shaka and seize the amulet. White Fire is a stirring, very highly recommended, action-adventure oriented historical novel which is enhanced for the readers pleasure with a meticulous attention to accurate detail throughout.

This is the most beautifully illustrated and comprehensive guide I've found for the wildlife of southern Africa. The invertebrate info is hard to find elsewhere, and the fact that this guide includes plants is a welcome bonus. If you buy one guide to carry with you on your trip, this should be it.

While visiting So.Africa, I had a million questions on what I looking at. I found this book and carried it with me throughout the trip. When we went on game runs, I would check off what we saw and make reference notes (e.g. the Baboons were eating Jackalberries - I could reference both the mammal and the tree section). The variety of birds in the country (over 900) was astounding and having the book made it much more fun and interesting to look up. This is the only book I found that combined lower invertabrates, spiders and other arachnids, insects (including a large butterfly collection), fish, frogs, reptiles, birds, mammals,grasses-sedges-ferns&fungi,wild flowers, trees. Several people on the tour had me write down what we saw so they in turn could get this book and make notes. A good book combining everything in one neat package for those who like to play outside!

Covering all the essentials of who is what, where and what their background, the Who's Who of Southern Africa is a timely new addition to the all-too-small stock of books about the key personalities currently driving news and development (both in politics and in business) across the sub-region today. The book, unlike previous reference-type studies on African current affairs, eschews a straightforward so-and-so did this in such and such a year approach in favour of a look at the characters behind the names. Wittily written, insightful, sharp in judgement, and always keeping a weather eye out for what each person's next step might be, the book covers five key countries: Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Sure to become an invaluable source of information for all doing business with the continent - or for those who are simply curious about Africa today.

Moorcraft's African Nemesis represents the most reasoned approach to the difficult area of sub-saharan African decolonisation. The majority of works in this area tend to be heavily biased, dependant obviously upon the personal approach and experiences of the various authors. Very few achieve the quality of balance that is evident in African Nemesis - this work avoids the hyperbole and propaganda from both sides and presents a balanced review of the various wars and desabilisation activities carried out be the players in the region. The scope, likewise, is impressive - SWA/Namibia, Angola, Mozambique, Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, South Africa, and even the independant homelands are addressed. It is only with such a broad scope that the activities of each government or organisation can be placed in context - which Moorcraft achieves better than any other author I have read. This is the book I would recommend to anyone approaching this field of study for the first time. If you have any interest in Southern African decolonisation / National Liberation, this book is the sine qua non.

Enhanced with both color photographs and drawings, as well as b/w sketches and illustrations, Peter Taylor's Bats Of Southern Africa showcases 78 species of bats native to southern Africa. The reader is provided with clear descriptions and accurate diagnostic features, as well as a wealth of information on the bat's habitat, social and roosting habits, diet, reproduction, echolocation call, distribution, and conservation status. A superb introduction and reference, Bats Of Southern Africa is a welcome and highly recommended addition to wildlife reference collections in general, and the Bat in particular.

This book offers a good description of the preceedings leading to Namibia's independence. It highlights the obstacles faced in the establishment and effectiveness of the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) from the point of view of one of its most influential members, John Ya-Otto. The writing style is compelling, so even though it is a detailed historical account, it is very readable.