During the 1970s and 1980s Peter Matthiessen joined a number of expeditions to Africa, witnessing at first-hand its many and diverse people and wildlife. The fruits of these journeys are three of the most impressive travel journals of the late 20th century. Sand Rivers describes the Selous Game Reserve in Southern Tanzania, one of the largest yet least-known strongholds for wild animals left in the world. The Tree Where Man Was Born records a remarkable journey made from the Sudan through Uganda to Kenya, visiting the Serengeti, the Maasai Mara and the Ngorongoro Crater, and the archaeological sites of the Rift Valley. African Silences is an account of two voyages through Senegal, Gambia, the Ivory Coast, Zaire (as it then was) and the Central African Republic. These three classic works, here presented in a single volume with a new introduction by the author, represent Matthiessen the naturalist at his finest. During the 1970s and 1980s Peter Matthiessen joined a number of expeditions to Africa, witnessing at first-hand its many and diverse people and wildlife. The fruits of these journeys are three of the most impressive travel journals of the late 20th century. 'Sand Rivers' describes the Selous Game Reserve in Southern Tanzania, one of the largest yet least-known strongholds for wild animals left in the world. 'The Tree Where Man Was Born' records a remarkable journey made from the Sudan through Uganda to Kenya, visiting the Serengeti, the Maasai Mara and the Ngorongoro Crater, and the archaeological sites of the Rift Valley. 'African Silences' is an account of two voyages through Senegal, Gambia, the Ivory Coast, Zaire (as it then was) and the Central African Republic. These three classic works, here presented in a single volume with a new introduction by the author, represent Matthiessen the naturalist at his finest.
Industry Reviews
"A profoundly moving portrait of the region... Even now, years after I first read it, The Tree Where Man was Born seems imbued with precious vision" -- Jeremy Seal * Sunday Times * "The skilled naturalist writer is almost as rare as the Congo peacock or the pygmy elephant - both subjects of the quest Peter Matthiessen conducts in African Silences. 'Skilled' is almost an insulting understatement for Matthiessen's sharply captivating prose" -- Gary Mead * Financial Times * "The Tree Where Man Was Born is a truly magnificent book that will be just as important 50 years from now" -- Peter Farb