1 comments about Alexandria (Abinger Editions).

1. Marvelously written, carefully researched, this is an outstanding book for anyone interested in Foster or Alexandria. And just about anyone can learn much: an interesting example is what Foster says about Hypatia [the women philospher brutally killed by monks]: she was not young and probably not much of a philosopher; yes, Foster offers new perspectives on various currents in Alexandria.

5 comments about The Safari Companion: A Guide to Watching African Mammals.

1. I've been to Tanzania's national parks twice, and watched a lot of game in both the popular and the less-crowded parks. Estes came with me the first time, based on my interest in the animals and reviewers' comments found here; and this last time I took along the (copied) pages for a dozen or so animals (zebras, elephants, wildebeest, giraffes, etc).
   
   His work is certainly interesting and I fully expected it would be a useful Safari Companion. But it hasn't lived up to expectations.
   
   I know I've been fortunate to have guides who were very knowledgable: getting us into interesting situations, pointing out behavior and being able to answer lots of questions. In the evening, though, I've often checked to see what Estes might have to say about what we'd seen; and, typically, I didn't learn anything new. That, by itself, doesn't justify leaving Estes behind. But with few exceptions, fairly careful reading of Estes beforehand didn't prepared me to "see" behavior that might otherwise have been missed over the course of 5 weeks of game watching. I'm certain it's not that the behavior Estes describes doesn't occur; it's just that we tourists rarely have the opportunity to observe animals for long enough periods for it to happen!
   
   After my second trip, I got a copy of "The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals" and I might take it along next time as a close substitute for Estes. For very easy identification of the common animals and birds of East Africa, however, I'll continue to rely on Withers and Hosking, "Wildlife of East Africa" in preference to the "National Audubon Society Field Guide to ..." (which I also own).



2. This book was an engrossing and wonderful read as we undertook the Safari.
   It provided insight into the behavior and special characteristics of each animal that we saw, and made the sightings much more interesting than just the identification of each species.
   Recommended highly!



3. I just returned from Tanzania, and used this book while on Safari in Serengetti, Ngorongoro crater, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire.
   
   The main strength of the book is the high level overview given to game viewing in the beginning and at the beginning of each animal section. Without some background in behavioral biology it is tough to watch the animals and find it interesting for too long. After reading the opening to this book I was able to take much more from watching big herds of grazers than the tourists I was with.
   
   Richard Estes is clearly an expert in the field, but he writes in a fashion that is easy to understand for a layman. He also gives some personalization to his accounts, giving personal tips for a good game drive.
   
   The only issue with the book is that it is sometimes difficult to match the behavior of the animals in the field to the book in the limited time that is available on safari, so I would suggest that anyone interested read the sections about the animals they expect to see before the safari, and have those pages marked for reference during the game drive.



4. This is geared a little more toward those with more experience in the field. It is a little more scientific than Kingdon and offers some very good information. However, if you had to choose just one book, Kingdon would be a better choice.



5. This book is quite simply the one book you must take to Africa and especially if you cant afford a personal game guide to explain all the interesting behaviours and various species habits. If you have a paid expert guide you possibly wont need it but I have found months after returning home to Australia I constantly refer back to this book to hone my memories of what my photos show. It is a brilliant purpose intented book...but its not for someone in a hurry racing from one park to another. Take your time...observe and use it...you wont regret it.

1 comments about Galapagos Wildlife: An Introduction to Familiar Species (Pocket Naturalist - Waterford Press).

1. This plastic coated leaflet has excellent illustrations of creatures you are likely to see in the Galapagos Islands. We found it excellent for identifying birds and other creatures in the field and in our photographs later. There is not much information beyond the pictures and names and it is not fully comprehensive. For example, it does not deal with all the finches. For its purpose, its size, weight and durability are excellent and its simplicity makes it very quick to use

1 comments about Lonely Planet South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland (Lonely Planet South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland).

1. I used the 3rd edition of this guide on my first trip to South Africa in 1999. Back then, this guide would recommend places to stay in the most dangerous streets of Jo'burg, and guarantee the readers that the area was even safe to walk around at night. A taxi driver in Jo'burg told us he was appalled at their reccommendations on where to stay and where to go out, saying they were simply too dangerous, especially for white backpackers. The guide also had an aggressive attitude towards any predominantly white bars or clubs dismissing them as "artificial"... as if the only option was to go out in Shebeens.

   Racial issues apart, they seem to be reversing this trend, and have been doing constant progress. This edition recommends mostly well-located places and acknowledges that some areas are just too dangerous to stay in. Otherwise neglected entertainment areas are being put into this guide too.

   But the issue is that this guide is mostly useful in planning your trip, by telling how to get from one city to another, and what are the costs like, etc. It is also more useful in smaller towns than the larger ones. The fact is that there isn't a 100% reliable guide to South Africa, but this update is about as good as it can get.

No comments about Buying a Home in South Africa: A Survival Handbook.

1 comments about Born for Adventure.

1. If you are searching for adventure, whether you are a teenager or an adult, this is surely a tale to keep you glued to your seat. Based on the true story of Henry Morton Stanley (of Stanley & Livingstone) and of one of his expeditions to Africa, you will find one action packed scene after another. The heat of the jungle will have you sweating, the tropical flora and fauna will mesmerize you, the mysteries of the tribal Pygmies will intrique you, and the snakes, the insects, the beating drums and ceremonial dances and blood brother rites will have you totally transported as if you too were treking through the Congo in search of adventure. Some of this is rather gruesome, not for the squeamish or very young teen. The author depicts this adventure true to life and did not allow for telling it other than as it actually was. It was harsh, it was hard, it was hot, and death defying. Our young hero of the story, a bright and anxious English lad searching for a way to avoid a boring dismal life like that of his father, connives his way on board ship with Stanley and sails off to Africa born for what he thinks is going to be a piece-of-cake walk through the jungle to rescue a British Royal. Little does he know of the dangers that lie ahead, and that his brief jaunt to Africa will see years off of his life and of harsh realities of a land filled with both wonders and peril. None of which he can scarely imagine. The book is filled with great characters; shipmates, explorers, soldiers, doctors, and a variety of colorful African tribesmen both good and bad. All of which our hero encounters with both love and disdain as he becomes jack-of-all-trades under the servitude of Stanley. One finds a little bit of everything you need in a good novel all wrapped up in this one great story of adventure and as usual, the author delivers a top-notch yarn. Also a great story by this author is Exiled, a fabulous story told through the eyes of a camel.

No comments about Two Years before the Mast: A Personal Narrative of Life at Sea.

5 comments about Morocco: The Rough Guide, Sixth Edition (Rough Guides).

1. I am not actually planning to visit Morocco, but I like /thinking/ about visiting Morocco. I found this guide literate and insightful.



2. I have no experience with the previous edition, and until now I only used the Lonely Planet on Morocco, but I did some tests on issues I had found missing in the Lonely Planet and the new Rough Guide passed the test excellently.
   For instance the Lonely Planet had hardly anything on the nice road between Taroudant and Ouerzazate, in between two Atlasses, so almost fully skipping saffron paradise Taliouine and carpetters paradise Tazenaght, while the Rough Guide does not assume you will pass that road through Marrakch, which requires crossing the High Atlas twice.
   And even on the road from West to East behind the Anti-Atlas through Tissint etc. the Rough Guide has a feature.
   It is more weighty than the Lonely Planet, but that is because it has more information, and that is what one eventually needs.
   
   Neil in Amsterdam



3. 
   I have no complaints about this guide. It served me reasonably well on my trip to the country. One thing was missing though. Some guidance on the local language. I mean expressions, food, all the things you need when you visit. I tried to use my European French but I was not always understood. A new edition of this guide could include an extended section on the language. That would complement it quite nicely.



4. I bought this book from amazon.com and then noticed exactly the same edition in my local bookshop for a similar price but in the strong paperback binding (versus the weak paperback binding as sold by amazon).



5. The rough guide ot morocco is definitely better than the LP guide in terms of its content. But, this particular book, shipped out from amazon, got binding problems. The 10 or so color pages in the beginning of the book all fell off before I reached Morocco. Lucky enough, the rest of the book was intact for the whole trip, enduring my rough treatment. In any case, it might be better to go without the color pages anyway, because they are just picture bearing no help to the trip and weight a little more than the regular paper.

2 comments about From Africa to Afghanistan: With Richards and Nato to Kabul.

1. I was excited to purchase this book since I had served in Afghanistan. I perhaps mistakenly believed the work would be more about General David Richards and his leadership of ISAF. Instead it is the story of Greg Mills who served as a cvilian advisor to the General. That said, I would describe the book as a series of vingettes and impressions of his time in country. He does not go into any depth on any one topic and I feel a reader who is not as familiar with the mission as I was would want more background. That is why I rated it with 2 stars. In the end, I enjoyed reading about people or places I had been and seeing another view of this important mission.
   
   If you are really interested in Afghanistan and NATO then pick it up.
   
   A Biograghy of General Richards would be an interesting read. Perhaps someone will write that.



2. The title of Mills' book has an imperial ring to it, as Christopher Coker of the London School of Economics tells us, for there is something intrepid about the author, who traveled from his native South Africa to Afghanistan to serve as a senior civilian advisor to General David Richards, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) commander from May 2006 to February 2007.
   
   "I want to rub off my British habits and go off with Feisal for a bit. Amusing job and all new country." Mills here quotes T. E. Lawrence writing to a colleague in 1916. Mills is a South African academic although at times it seems he would like to have been a soldier. His memoir shows that he understands war better than most and saw it up close in his many journeys beyond International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters in Kabul. Mills is a bold traveler, and like Lawrence, his interest flares. He projects a passionate commitment to the success of the mission. Taking a cue from Lawrence, Mills entitles one of his chapters "The Eighth Pillar of Wisdom" and offers an illuminating analysis of the problems facing the West, not only in Afghanistan but also in Iraq, which he attributes to policymakers' inadequate knowledge of those countries' histories. His is some of the best writing on counterinsurgency from someone who witnessed it in the course of frequent visits into the field.
   
   It is an amusing read at times, as he offers us mini-vignettes of life in the cantonment -- originally built as a British officers' mess in the second Afghan invasion of the 1870s -- that ISAF calls headquarters. The ISAF staff, like Mills himself, worked incredibly hard, and as I witnessed myself on a visit in August 2007, the commitment of the senior officers is unqualified, even daunting. If NATO fails, it will not be for lack of hard work.
   
   Mills departed Afghanistan with few illusions and, perhaps, fewer hopes but with an unqualified commitment to the mission. In Richards, he served a remarkable commander; in the author of this book, Richards appointed an outstanding advisor who has an understanding of the limits of the possible. This is more than can be said for the politicians to whom Richards had to report.

No comments about Maurititius Sketchbook.