No comments about Marrakech, The Red City: The City through Writers' Eyes.

No comments about Around Africa in 39 beds.

No comments about Madagascar: Madagasikara (American Geographical Society Around the World Program).

No comments about The South African Bushveld: A Field Guide from the Waterberg.

1 comments about A Passage to Congo: Photographs by Doctor Emile Muller 1923-1938.

1. Dr. Emile Muller was a privileged witness of esoteric ceremonies that were rarely photographed. His images are valuable from an ethnographic and historical point of view, showing the long-forgotten rituals of the Chokwe, Luba, Bashbushong, and Basalampasu tribes of what was then (1923-1938) the Belgian Congo. This book reveals his fine aesthetic sense.
   
   Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo

2 comments about In the Shadow of Islam (Peter Owen Modern Classics) (Peter Owen Modern Classic).

1. This volume of Isabelle Eberhardt's original Dans L'ombre Chaude de Islam "In the Warm Shadow of Islam" was penned in 1904. As a big Eberhardt fan I still enjoyed reading this slim 1993 edition although it's lamely billed "In the Shadow of Islam". Translated by Sharon Bangert, the omission of this single word from the title, "Warm", quite neatly reverses its meaning. Thus the translator or publishers (Peter Owen Publishers) chose to slyly sabotage Eberhardt's empathic sympathetic message about her chosen faith Sufism/Islam with a beckoning yet ominous tang. I suppose her original title, 'In the Warm Shadow of Islam', (emphasis mine) was too long and Islam-friendly for today's market?
   
   Thus, the publisher's choice perpetrates the ever popular anti-Islamic bent. That said, it's the brilliance of Eberhart's work that manages to shine through even a biased translation.
   Without ado, let me provide some of my favorite quotes from In the Shadow of Islam:
   
   "To the extent that I feel myself saturated by ancient, unshaken Islam, which here seems to be the very breathing of the earth...And I understand that one could end one's days in the peace and silence of some southern zawiya, end in ecstasy, free of yearnings, confronting only radiant horizons. " pg 114
   
   "I have jotted these reflections in the margin of a letter...Having written them, I relapse into my feeling of exile, wishing to bury myself even deeper in this hostile south, without any desire for the Paris I have known, where the newspaper's lip-service to feminism was even more repugnant to me than the Parisian coquettes.
   
   I have said nothing in my response worth reading. Why bother? One day paths separate, destinies crystallize. And this is so much more than having made a few friends. When they are good enough to invite us to share their foreign happiness, let's show them what's possible to a true fraternity of minds.
   
   Let's regret nothing, since our happiness and theirs will consist in letting ourselves go one day, into mysterious currents which will carry our souls adrift towards impossible shores. Then we'll enjoy the intoxication of decadence and shipwreck; and wandering over the immense beaches of the night, we'll feel within us the seeds of suffering begin to germinate." pg 70
   
   "...forgetting the principals of tolerance propounded by Islam at its purest..." pg 49
   
   It strikes me that prayer, and dreams, too, should never end." pg 60-61
   
   
   Please enjoy this timeless piece of writing...still relevant and convincing.



2. At times both poignant and prescient, "In the Shadow of Islam" is the revelation of a brilliant mind. The book is, as one would expect from a trade paperback, well printed and bound.

No comments about WILDFLOWERS AND COMMON TREES OF EAST AFRICA.

No comments about Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile (Dover Books on Travel, Adventure).

4 comments about Guide to Zanzibar.

1. I'm the author of this book! But there seems to be no space for editorial comment on this page. I have visited the islands of Zanzibar several times since the mid-1980s. Until recently, the greatest impression the islands made on me was the `un-spoiltness' of it all. This was mainly due to the local political situation and the efforts required by travellers just to reach Zanzibar. In 1985, for example, before the days of high-speed catamarans, the intending visitor had to contend with long and uncomfortable dhow-rides !! However, since then many new hotels have been built and the transport services from the mainland have definitely improved. More visitors come to Zanzibar now than ever before, but it's still only a trickle compared to some other tourist destinations in Africa. Although Zanzibar may have lost some of its isolation, many parts of the islands still retain their unique atmosphere of peace, charm and remoteness. It's always a pleasure to return to Zanzibar to write a new edition. Things have changed, but I'm pretty sure we've got most things in this new book. It's certainly larger than the last edition! I hope you enjoy Zanzibar.



2. Don't bother looking any further for a guide, Bradt outdoes them all. Zanzibar, while extremely laid-back and peaceful can be a bit complex, if only because it's on the other side of the planet (for 99% of the world, anyway). The author does a fantastic job of explaining the nuances, accurately rating and describing the various tourist facilities, and helping to acclimate the reader before arrival (He's also not too shy to review his own book, I see). I've had two Bradt guides, and each time I've purchased the same guide from another publisher....each time I've ended up discarding the other in favor of the Bradt. Don't waste your money....



3. Thanks JP for your kind words about my book. You - or anyone else reading this - might like to know I've written another new edition recently. The fifth edition of 'Zanzibar - the Bradt Travel Guide' was published in Jan 2003. It's been totally revised, and it's bigger and better than the last edition - well, naturally, I think it's better! But it's not just me. It's been well reviewed elsewhere too. Zanzibar is still a wonderful place, and I hope it continues to prosper.



4. Thanks JP for your kind words about my book. You - or anyone else reading this - might like to know I've written another new edition recently. The fifth edition of 'Zanzibar - the Bradt Travel Guide' was published in Jan 2003. It's been totally revised, and it's bigger and better than the last edition - well, naturally, I think it's better! But it's not just me. It's been well reviewed elsewhere too. Zanzibar is still a wonderful place, and I hope it continues to prosper.

5 comments about Inside Algeria.

1. Algeria gained independence from France July 5, 1962 when the Evian accords were signed. The country had been fighting a war of independence, led by the National Liberation Front, since the 1950's. More than one million Algerian's were killed and over two million have been internally displaced. On December 26, 1991, the Algeria's first multi-party general election took place. The military intervened in the election for fear that the Islamic Salvation Front would win the election. Early February 1992 a state of emergency was declared and since that time it's believed that over 100,000 Algerian's have been killed in the eight years of civil strife. Michael Von Graffenried photography and story are timely and incredible because it captures a people who are tired of conflict and who are struggling to stay alive.



2. As a photographer (albeit amateur) who has attempted to work inside other Arab countries photographing Islamist insurgencies and security forces, I have a huge amount of respect for the environment in which von Graffenreid attempted to work. He has succeeded hugely. His photographs are stark, absolutely searing, and freighted with undertones of almost unbearable tension. This book should be mandatory for anyone with an interest in photojournalism, combat photography, the Middle East, Islamist politics, and covert photography.



3. Swiss photojournalist von Graffenried made eight trips to Algeria during the 1990s to document the horrific effects of the conflict that started smoldering in the late '80s and burst into open civil war with the cancellation of the 1991-92 elections. One has to admire the sheer bravery of the effort, as this was a period in which some seventy or so journalists were killed by Islamic guerillas, and some 100,000 people were killed by guerillas and the army. Beyond this obvious danger, there is no "camera culture" in Algeria (nor indeed in most Arab countries). Traditionally, the camera is reserved for documenting special occasions, and in Algeria it is tainted by its association with the French, who used it during Algeria's struggle for independence as a tool of control. To overcome these obstacles, von Graffenried used an old a Widelux panoramic camera which produces 150° views without any lens or shutter noise. Armed with this camera which looks like a pair of binoculars, he would shoot from the hip, guessing at what was in frame. This technique is one that makes for interesting ethical debates, and even von Graffenried admitted in an interview that "it makes you feel dirty." Thankfully he was able to rise to this challenge and come away with such a stunning collection of ninety black and white photographs, beautifully reproduced in this stark coffee-table book.
   
   The breadth of subject matter is amazing: a FIS rally, children and poverty in the Bab el Oued, black marketeering in the Casbah, beautiful Berber children in Kabyle, the funerals of president Boudiaf, writer Tahar Djaout, and Islamist fighters, behind the scenes of the "ninja" (special forces police) barracks and in operations, the aftermath of a car bomb, teenagers trying to live normally at the clubs and beaches, the aftermath of a village massacre, and so on. There is a lot of pain and suffering in this book, and as someone who spent their childhood in Algeria, it's a heartbreaking portrait. Still, it's an outstanding work of photojournalism that demands the attention of anyone interested in photographing in adverse situations, foreign cultures, and the Middle East in general. It is also to be highly commended for putting a human face and picture to the exceedingly nasty civil war that stole a generation from Algeria.
   
   Interestingly, von Graffenried returned to Algeria in 2002, when the country was somewhat safer and tracked down some of the people he photographed to show them the book. With him was Algerian documentary filmmaker Mohammed Soudani, who recorded the varying reactions people had to the photographs. The resulting film, Guerre Sans Image (War Without Images) is apparently quite good, though I've not seen it.



4. To the first reviewer: Algeria an Arab country? Where did you get this one? Don't talk about people and countries you don't know about. Algeria is Berber. Many algerians are arabic-speaking, but no one is Arab. How dare you reduce Berbers to this shamefully exotcizing picture :"beautiful Berber children in Kabyle" ?
   There is no "camera culture" because there's no money for cameras, this has nothing to do with social taboos.
   As for the book, it's selective anyway. So you want to get you picture of it go and visit.



5. In 1962, after 132 years of brutal occupation and inhumane treatment of the native population, Algeria gained its independence from France. France left 98% of the Algerian population illiterate. Isn't that a another crime against humanity? In addition, the "Mujahidines" who fought the French armies thought they deserved to be in charge of the country and they did get control of the government. Which way should one expect such country to go? Of course to disaster.
   To make things worse, they thought because France was capitalist, Algeria should be on the opposite side (socialism).While under occupation, the population suffered daily from poverty, oppression and starvation while the Europeans settlers enjoyed the vast tracts of fertile lands and natural resources taken from the natives. France used techniques, such as "divide and conquer" and "make them illiterate to control them" and "starve them to subdue them" to keep its grip tight on Algeria.. What happened in Algeria since the independence is mainly the natural consequences of the brutal colonialism it endured and survived for 132 years. Almost every developed country went through a crisis/revolution/civil war. Today, the foreign influence and interference (politics and economics) in the majority of the third world countries have devastating effects and Algeria is no exception.