Wildlife Related Books - Non-fiction

[smithsonian]

Walk though the Wilderness

Clive Walker & Don Richards
ISBN: 0-620-10049-4



A practical and basic guide to the South African environment. The book studies the inter-relationships of all living creatures. Has sections on mammals, birds, insects, plants, trees and amphibians. Nicely illustrated with lots of photographs and drawings.

[smithsonian]

Hunters of the Dunes

by Fritz Eloff
ISBN:0-624-03879-3



In this book, the magical mysteries of the Kalahari unfold with drama and passion. Interspersed with rich, heart-rending anecdotes and entertaining campfire stories, Professor Fritz Eloff tells his tales of over 40 years of observation in this, one of Africa's last wilderness areas. The book has 168 pages filled with colour photographs - if you love the Kgalagadi you'll love this book!

[Flutterby]

Burchell's Travels

- Susan Buchanan
- ISBN: 9781770227552



Format: Trade Paperback

Recommended Price: R280.00

Published: September 2015

About the book:

Just over 200 years ago, in 1810, a 30-year-old Englishman named William Burchell landed in Cape Town after a four-year stint as a naturalist on St Helena island. The following year he embarked on an epic journey through the Cape Colony, which lasted four years and during which he covered 7 000 kilometres, mainly through unexplored terrain, and collected over 50 000 plant and animal specimens, as well as built up a vast collection of sketches and paintings. He went on to travel in Brazil, and after many years back in Britain, he committed suicide at the age of 82.

Burchell’s Travels tells the story of Burchell’s journeys, bringing to life an important figure who has faded into historical obscurity. It is a fascinating account of what travel was like 200 years ago – reconstructed from the rich source of Burchell’s own writings.

Beautifully illustrated with over 100 of Burchell’s sketches and paintings, this is a perfect book for anyone interested in history, art, nature and travel.

http://penguinbooks.co.za/book/burchell ... 1770227552

[Twigga]

Roots in African Soil

- Gert Erasmus



This is the english translation of the book Witgat. This is the story of an ordinary South African told against the setting of the trees and people of his country.

To order the book use the details below.

[Richprins]

Thanks, Twigs!

It is a very good book indeed, no beating about the bush!

[Twigga]

Yes Prins a must read!

Thank you Flutts for help with the upload

[Flutterby]

[Dzombo]

I have just read a very interesting book called:

Giant Steps by Richard Peirce
ISBN - 978-1775843306

This is an interesting story of 2 elephant calves that were saved from a Kruger cull (pre 1994), and follows their respective lives after they were sent to various elephant centres.

Although the book deals with these 2 elephants in particular, the author does talk about his thoughts on conservation, culling, and using elephants in captivity for human interaction.

It's not a long book, and has many good photos. One can get through it in a day or two.
Well worth reading

IMG_7089.JPG (122.39 KiB) Viewed 2647 times

[stefan9]

Giant Steps is good, currently reading it myself.

[Lisbeth]

South Africa’s Wildest Places

Beautiful photos, but also the text under the pics is very interesting so read it

There is plenty of scientific research that explains why humans need nature, but South African writer and photographer Scott Ramsay believes that, at the heart of it all, we need the wilderness because it is our original home. For him, being out in the wild is essential. And, after searching for a long time, the untamed terrain of his home country guided him to a deep sense of belonging and meaning – and a love for South Africa’s natural heritage.

The country’s national parks, nature reserves and marine protected areas are the finest symbols of this natural heritage. They give South Africans a unique identity. South Africa is the third-most biodiverse nation on Earth, after Indonesia and Brazil. The country occupies only two percent of the planet’s terrestrial surface area, yet it is home to 10 percent of the world’s plant species, seven percent of the vertebrate species and six percent of the insect species.

Nowadays, the country’s parks are fragments of the wilderness that once existed. However, much has also been saved and nurtured back to its former glory. The goal now is to ensure that more land and ocean is given protection, and Scott feels strongly that - considering South Africa’s remarkable biodiversity - the country needs to lead the world in conservation. It is his aim to encourage this in his new coffee-table book, South Africa’s Wildest Places, of which we take a sneak peek in this week's gallery.

So enjoy these excerpts and the descriptions, written by the author himself, about each of these wild places. We hope that it encourages you to then turn off your cellphone and step away from the TV screen; to explore South Africa’s wildest places and give yourself the opportunity to reconnect with something larger than ourselves.

Navigation: Click on the 'Next’ or ‘Back’ buttons above each image to see the gallery.

If you like what you see, you can find out more about the book and the author on the last page of this gallery. And don't hesitate to pre-order his book and explore the 30 finest national parks and nature reserves in South Africa from your living room.