readings on Tanzania?
 

We're going to Tanzania and Zanzibar in mid August (about 22 days in country) and I wanted to order books to read: novels, biographies and historical fiction that would give me a sense of local life. We'll be visited the remote east, Katavi and Mahale, then Lake Eyasi , Serengeti, Crater, ending in Zanzibar. Any tips from past voyagers are very welcome.

Hi robbie

actually i read mostly non-fiction,
but i'll give u a start. others will add
# of course Jane Goodall's classic: My friends, the wild chimpanzees,
& Through a Window: My Thirty Years With the Chimpanzees of Gombe Jane Goodall
# Serengeti Shall Not Die (ISBN: 0345236203)
Grzimek, Bernhard (With Michael Grzimek.)
{Bernard, the father wrote an encyclopaedia on animals. the son died in TZ, plane crash - see the commemorating-stone on crater's rim}
# Zanz : read any book about David Livingstone, slavery etc'
# The Snows of Kilimanjaro - Ernest Hemingway
# Among the Elephants (ISBN: 0670122084)
Iain Douglas-Hamilton Oria Douglas-Hamilton {actually about Lake Manyara but the elephants r what matters & a double view of a researcher and wife}
# one of Richard Leakey's books about origins of mankind...

others like albums (buy usedfor less than $3)
Mahale: A Photographic Encounter with Chimpanzees
Angelika Hoffer Michael Huffman Gunter Ziesler

Aby

PS u can get most books for $1-2 at abebooks.com

Hi Robbie,
Some good titles for you are Into Africa by Craig Packer, Ghosts of Tsavo by Phil Caputo, and The Shadows of Kilimanjaro by Rick Ridgeway. I just finished a wonderful book about Zambia titled The Trouble With Africa-Stories From A Safari Camp by Vic Guhrs. These should all be available used from Amazon.com. I'm an avid reader and am always on the lookout for good,readable books about Africa. The ones I listed are some of my favorites.

hi

i'd also vote for Packer's "Into Africa" - He has done his long term lion research in TZ

Lillipets - Robbie was asking about Tz + Zanz so i reckoned the other books will b for the next tour :-)

aby

Thanks so much to Aby & Lillipets, I'm ordering the books you recommended. Still looking for reading on the Hadzabe bushmen who we'll be visiting at Lake Eyasi.

A great novel suggestion would be:
Trade Wind by M M Kaye. It's set in Zanzibar and is almost feels like the "Gone with the Wind" of Africa.
It's set during the time of the British and slave trade ..and has references to Princess Salme and the Sultans of Zanzibar. I think you'll love it.

I read this book as a teenager ..and have wanted to visit Zanzibar ever since. Well this June ..that dream is coming true.

Anyways, I think M M Kaye's books are out of print ..but u can still find them for cheap on:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/055...e&n=283155

Let me know what you think if you end up reading it.

For info on the Hadzabe, try the book "Language of the Land: Living Among a Stone-age People in Africa" by James Stephenson. Let us know how your trip goes, especially the Hadzabe visit. I'm putting together a group for June 2007 and plan on doing this.

Just another note about "Language of the Land"...You can buy it at www.bookcloseouts.com. They also have another interesting book, "Dangerous Beauty" by Mark Ross. He was the guide for the tourists killed while gorilla trekking in Uganda. The book is about more than that, however. It covers his career as a safari guide in Kenya and Tanzania, as well.

Hi - surely you must be interested in the history too, or is it just the cute animals and picturesque locals.

Please try Patrick Marnham's "Fantastic Invasion".

I know that you are looking for books about Tanzania; however, I have a couple of suggestions that are set in Rhodesia and South Africa respectively, but are well worth reading.

"Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood" by Alexandra Fuller, is a wonderful narrative about the author's childhood in Rhodesia during it's civil war.

Another book I enjoyed is "Cry, the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton. This story is set in South Africa and is a beautifully written, dignified account of some of the difficulties found in that country.

Hello Robbie,
I can't believe I forgot to tell you about one of my favorite books - A Primate's Memoir by Robert Sapolsky. This is a memoir of his days doing research on baboons. It takes place in Kenya, not Tanzania, but it's a WONDERFUL book. His observations are often hilarious and he is a very entertaining writer. I think of him as a cross between Bill Bryson and Dave Barry in Africa. He is actually a neurobiologist and you can read some of his work on his web site. Just "google" his name to get there.
I've read this book at least 3 times and now that I think of it, I may start it again today!

Happy Reading!
Lily

Hi Robbietravels,

Two more readings on Tanzania:

Parched Earth by Elieshi Lema
The Worlds of a Maasai Warrior by Tepilit ole Saitoti

Hi Robbietravels -
I too am heading to TZ this year and have been reading ALOT in preparation.

I just finished "Into Africa" by Martin Dugard - I think this is a different book than mentioned above - this is a fascinating narrative of the early explorations of the region by Livingstone and Stanley - highly reccommended.

I would also reccommend:
"My Serengeti Years" by Myles Turner
"The tree where man was born" by Peter Matthiessen
"The Rise and Fall of Swahili States" by C. Kusimba is a scholarly treatment on the subject, a little dry, but good background info.
Johnathan Scott's excellent books "Mara - Serengeti - a photographers paradise" and "The Great Migration" are very worthwhile.

I did a search for "Serengeti" on my local library's on-line catalogue, and was surprised at the number of items that came up, including The IMAX film " Africa Serengeti", and "The Great Migration" film.

Good luck in your research and have a great trip.

Hi

I'd like to add a couple of more to the list.
While not about Tanzania Next of Kin by Roger Fouts gives alot of great insight on Chimpanzees.
I also just picked up Africa:A Modern History by Guy Arnold.While not a light read at a 1000 pages so far so good.
Also A primates Memoir is an excellent read.

I just purchased several books for reading in preparation to our early September trip to Tanzania. One of the books I bought, that I don't see suggested here is Maasai (by the same author of The Worlds of a Maasai Warrior).

"Maasai" is a lovely photo book; I just got it myself. When you're in Zanzibar, will you be in Stonetown? There's a shop called "Memories of Zanzibar" that has a great book section. You'll find books that aren't available in the US. After your safari, you'll probably want to augment your African library.

Am also in the pre-trip phase of reading and preparing. Just finished one that I don't see here and that I found both funny and informative for background info:
North of South by Shiva Naipaul. I got it used from www.abebooks.com.

Been away and just looked at March posts and thank all for suggestions. I enjoyed Two World of a Maasi Warrior and have ordered four or five besides the North by South on my night stand.

Shaytay and Robbie,
I know this is not entirely what you where asking, but I have a contact in Lake Eyasi whom we used to hunt with the Hadzabes and visit the Datogas a few times. He speaks their languages as well which is a big help.

Also, I have some photos of the tribespeople and Lake Eyasi if your interested in a look go to 'My pictures'

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=4

The lake Eyasi pics. should be about 1/4 of the way from the start.


Sherry