Botswana Reading List
Also Recommended ...
Exploration of Africa, From Cairo to the Cape
by Ann Hugon, 1993
This jewel of a book chronicles 19th century exploration of Africa with hundreds of contemporary paintings and prints, brief chapters on the expeditions and a very useful chronology
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
by Alexander McCall Smith, 2001
McCall Smith’s detective, Mma Ramotswe, makes her debut in The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. A pleasure in every respect, this novel – not really a mystery – evokes the cultures, customs and diverse landscapes of Botswana.
Cry of the Kalahari: Seven Years in Africa’s Last Great Wilderness
by Mark & Delia Owens, 1985
This is the book that got the Owens family thrown out of Botswana, in part because of their opposition to fencing the land. While their approach to conservation is controversial, there’s no doubt that the Owens are dedicated to the wildlife of southern Africa – and are very good writers.
The Harmless People
by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, 1989
A classic study of the Bushmen of the Kalahari, first published in 1959 and updated by the author in the 1980s.
Fieldwork: A Geologist’s Memoir of the Kalahari
by Christopher Scholz, 1998
Geological adventures in Botswana, this book is the tale of a quest to uncover new seismology in the Okavango. It concentrates on the motivation, joys and difficulties of work in the field.
Lost World of the Kalahari
by Laurens van der Post, 1977
Originally published in 1958, this poetic book is the story of a quest to find the San people in the desert. It has become a classic romanticized tale of an encounter between a literate European and a “noble savage”; mystical, captivating and a useful record of a time.
The Scramble for Africa
by Thomas Pakenham, 1992
A well-written, meticulously researched history of the Victorian land grab in Africa. The book includes especially good portraits of the egomaniacal personalities who overran the continent.
The Myth of Wild Africa
by Jonathan Adams & Thomas McShane, 1997
A no-holds-barred attack on old-style conservation in Africa, provocative and dead-on. The authors explore the fallacy of an untouched continent where animals roam freely in sanctuaries.
Africa: A Biography of the Continent
by John Reader, 1999
With the ease of a practiced journalist, long-time African resident John Reader weaves a lively tale of the history of the continent.
The Collector of Treasures
by Bessie Head, 1992
Bessie Head produced a number of beautifully drawn novels and stories before her death in 1986 at the age of 49. In this collection, she writes eloquently of village life in Botswana.
Prides: The Lions of Moremi
by Pieter W. Kat & Chris Harvey, 2000
A collection of color photographs of lions in the Moremi Reserve, complemented by solid natural history. Pieter Kat discusses behavior, habitat and conservation, while Chris Harvey’s photographs show lions socializing, hunting and resting.