Botswana Reading List
Here is a selection of our favorite, new and hard-to-find books, prepared for your journey.
For your convenience we have included links to our recommended reading material.
Essential
Lonely Planet Botswana
by Lonely Planet, 2002
A comprehensive, practical guide in Lonely Planet’s hallmark style with 16 detailed maps and a separate chapter on Victoria Falls.
Southern Africa Wildlife: A Visitor's Guide
by Mike Unwin, 2003
A popular, photographic guide to the mammals, birds, reptiles and habitats south of the Zambezi. With 300 color photographs and illuminating text.
The Safari Companion: A Guide to Watching African Mammals
by Richard Estes, 1993
An encyclopedic guide to the behavior of Africa’s mammals by a noted scientist. Estes describes 100 large African mammals: their diet, habitats – and what they do with their time.
Botswana Map
by ITMB
This map (scale 1:1,500,000) offers a clear, colorful overview of the country and descriptions of the national parks.
Field Guides
National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife
by Peter Alden, 1995
This portable guide is an introduction to the mammals, birds, reptiles and insects of Africa, featuring almost 600 color photographs
Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa
by Kenneth Newman, 2002
This classic field guide features hundreds of color plates, a comprehensive checklist – and information on habitat and distribution.
Southern, Central, and East African Mammals: A Photographic Guide
by Chris and Tilde Stuart, 1992
A compact guide to 152 mammals.
Wild Africa: Exploring the African Habitats
by Patrick Morris, Amanda Barrett,
& Andrew Murray, 2001
Through amazing images and lively, authoritative text, this popular book immerses the reader in the natural history of this spectacular continent, revealing the heart of Africa’s fabulous landscape, introducing every habitat and illuminating how the resident wildlife has adapted to thrive in its unique natural environment.
Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals
by Jonathan Kingdon, 1997
All known species of African land mammal are covered in a concise text with full information on identification, distribution, ecology, evolutionary relationships and conservation status. The focus is always on the mammals as seen in the field and on their ecology and evolutionary interrelationships.
History, Travelogues &
Literature
Cultural Atlas of Africa
by Jocelyn Murray, 1998
Vividly depicts the rich culture, history, and geography of this vast land through a brilliant melding of text and lavish images.
Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman
by Marjorie Shostak
Nisa, a member of the !Kung tribe in the Kalahari, tells the tale of her remarkable life to Harvard anthropologist, Marjorie Shostak. Shostak tells this woman's life story in one of the world's most hostile environments.
The Boer War
by Thomas Pakenham, 1992
Thomas Pakenham writes movingly about the plight of the 100,000 black Africans who served two armies, and explains the final political victory of the Boers--how they lost the war but won the peace--with far-reaching consequences for Europe and South Africa.
The Africans
by David Lamb, 1987
As bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, Lamb logged over 300,000 miles in Africa. He talked to presidents and guerrilla leaders, university professors and witch doctors. Part travelogue, part contemporary history, this is the best overview of modern-day Africa.
Art, Photo, &
Miscellaneous Books
The End of the Game: The Last Word from Paradise by Peter H. Beard, 2000
Originally published in 1965, this landmark work dramatically documents the changing history of African wildlife, focusing on the widespread destruction of the African elephant. Beautifully illustrated with more than 300 contemporary and historical photographs as well as dozens of paintings.
Okavango: Africa's Last Eden
by Frans Lanting, 1995
One of our most popular photography books with stunning images -- Frans Lanting's photography brilliantly portrays the annual lifecycle in the Okavango Delta region - a vast wetland in the heart of the Kalahari. "A breathtaking book - perhaps the ultimate portfolio of African wildlife."
(Town and Country).
Hunting With the Moon: The Lions of Savuti
by Dereck & Beverly Joubert, 1997
Fascinating text and beautiful photography about the lions of Savuti in Botswana who hunt at night.
African Art
by Frank Willett, 1993
This extraordinary book portrays the unique and brilliant forms of African Art. Commencing with an overview of African Art History this very readable and well-illustrated book provides the reader with insights into African culture. Excellent introduction for the traveler.
Tribal Arts of Africa
by Jean-Baptiste Bacquart, 2002
Reveals and portrays the marvelous achievements of black African artists over thousands of years. The earliest pieces date from the beginning of the first millennium, the most recent from the early twentieth century before the commercial production of art for the tourist trade.
African Silences
by Peter Matthiessen, 1992
Offers a powerful and sobering account of the cataclysmic depredation of the African landscape and its wildlife. Critically acclaimed, African Silences explores the continent and captures the elephants, white rhinos, gorillas, and other endangered creatures of the wild.