Safari: A Chronicle of Adventure

by Bartle Bull

Traces the history of the African safari in fact and fiction, and tells the stories of Europeans who made Africa their home

Genres: Africa, History, Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1988

About the author

Bartle Bull was born in London and educated at Harvard and at Magdalen College, Oxford. A student of the China coast since he first worked in Hong Kong over thirty years ago, he is a member of the Royal Geographical Society and the Explorers Club. He is the author of Safari: A chronicle of Adventure and the novels The White Rhino Hotel, A Cafe on the Nile, and The Devil's Oasis.

Reviews

[Logan Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opening chapters were fascinating; rich historical and zoological context to early 19th century South Africa and the first Safaris. Became repetitive after a while.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book -- lots of fascinating lore about the history of the safari.

The twist here is that safari were originally hunting expeditions in Africa, and the author is a strong supporter of hunting. So depending on your own feeling about this topic, he can either come off as a modern day Hemingway or a bit of a blowhard.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly extensive and well documented, with great illustrations, starting in 19C. Not primarily about "adventure," but about the politics of safari involving many luminaries from Teddy Roosevelt through Ernest Hemingway and Karen Blixen.