Showing titles in Africa

In the 1950s, Grimzek and his son Michael began a quest to save the Serengeti from modernization by remaking an imperial game reserve into a gigantic zoo for the earth's last great mammals. Grzimek, well-known to German audiences through his long-running television program, A Place for Animals, used the film Seregenti Shall Not Die to convince ordinary Europeans that they could save nature. Yet their message sidestepped the uncomfortable legacies of German colonial exploitation in the region that had endangered animals and excluded local people.

What if the richest man in history didn’t hoard his fortune—but gave it away? In the 14th century, a West African emperor named Mansa Musa shook the world with a single journey. His legendary pilgrimage to Mecca, accompanied by tens of thousands and rivers of gold, turned the Mali Empire into a symbol of wealth and wonder. But Mansa Musa was more than a man of riches—he was a visionary who believed that true power comes from faith, knowledge, and generosity.

Finding from my own personal experience how troublesome it is to hunt through piles of dusty old volumes, I have decided to make a small selection of these papers which I consider are not only rare and very interesting, but which also give an insight into the varied activities and achievements of Burton’s crowded life. It will, I think, be realized that such a volume as this will not be superfluous, for, apart from saving people an enormous amount of trouble, it will give them further insight into the life-work of one of the greatest men of the Victorian era.

The definitive story of the making and legacy of Graceland, Paul Simon’s career-topping 1986 album, drawn from extensive research and exclusive interviews with nearly 100 participants and witnesses: musicians, producers, engineers, record executives and journalists from Africa, the US, and...

"The West will begin to understand Africa when it realizes it’s not talking to a child—it’s talking to its mother.” So writes Jeff Pearce in the introduction to his fascinating, groundbreaking work, The Gifts of Africa: How a Continent and Its People Changed the World. We learn early on in school how Europe and Asia gave us important literature, science, and art, and how their nations changed the course of history. But what about Africa?

John Olivey, an officer in the Long Range Desert Group, saw action in the Western Desert, where he was awarded the Military Cross; he fought in the Dodecanese, for which he was decorated a second time; and saw active service on mainland Greece, and in Istria. In autumn 1943, he was deployed to the Aegean and in October tasked with leading 'Olforce' in an ill-conceived operation to take the island of Levitha. Of some fifty LRDG, he was one of only seven to avoid capture. During the battle for Leros in November, he commanded X2 Patrol at Clidi, a key hilltop position. 

Through this powerful and well-documented book, General Augustin Ndindiliyimana, former Chief of Staff of the Rwandan Gendarmerie during the dark years, sheds light on the hidden aspects of the 1994 Rwandan tragedy. Accused of participating in the 1994 genocide, imprisoned for several years in Arusha, and later fully acquitted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the author presents a compelling and thoroughly substantiated account that exposes the various manipulations and international complicities that distorted the understanding of the Rwandan genocide. He reveals the ...

A gripping work of reportage that, for the first time, tells the story of "Chucky" Taylor, a young American who lost his soul in Liberia, the country where his African father was a ruthless warlord and dictator.

Striking where the enemy is weakest and melting away into the darkness before he can react. Never confronting a stronger force directly, but using audacity and surprise to confound and demoralize an opponent. Operations driven by good intelligence, area knowledge, mobility, speed, firepower, and detailed planning, and executed by a few specialists with indigenous warriors—this is unconventional warfare. 

The Full Circle for Mick is a sweeping historical family saga that spans continents, war,and generatiions, blending history, war, and spirtituality into one unforgetable journey. From the early 1900s China to post-World War Two mimigration to Australia and into the Vietnam War, this story follows the Kramer family across three generations. bound by duty, faith, and the search for redemption, their paths interwine with an unexpected legacy of Buddhism and healing. When Mick Kramer lies about his age to serve with the Australian infantry in Vietnam, he unknowingly steps into a cycle that ...

From NY Times and International Bestselling Author Geoffrey Jenkins. Hallam Cane, a British engineer, arrives at desolate Cape Agulhas – the southernmost tip of Africa – to lead a geothermal project tasked with building a clean energy generating facility to supply the southern African region. Utilizing a newly discovered inexhaustible source for its power needs. But why has the project been beset by so many unexplained accidents, including a suicide and mugging? Why is there a Russian diving team nearby trying to salvage the wreck of a ship sunk in 1904? Why is the American government ...

With a rich geography and fascinating history, this continent is truly awe inspiring! It’s no wonder Africa has given rise to many of our languages, philosophies, and legends which we honor to this day. Using reliable, fact-checked written resources and discoveries from world-renowned archeologists, History Brought Alive presents African History.

In the heart of ancient Africa, a formidable queen emerged to defend her people and her kingdom against the encroaching Roman Empire. Queen Amanirenas is a gripping short book that unveils the captivating story of one of history's most remarkable and fearless female leaders. Amanirenas, the queen of the Kingdom of Kush in the first century BCE, was not your typical monarch.

This timely book offers a world history of insurgencies and of counterinsurgency warfare. Jeremy Black moves beyond the conventional Western-centric narrative, reaching back to antiquity to trace the pre-modern origins of war within states. His sweeping study will be essential material for all students of military history.

In 2001, at 47, Thomas DeWolf was astounded to discover that he was related to the most successful slave-trading family in American history, responsible for transporting at least 10,000 Africans to the Americas. His infamous ancestor, U.S. senator James DeWolf of Bristol, of Rhode Island, curried favor with President Jefferson to continue in the trade after it was outlawed.

In the summer of 1627, Barbary corsairs raided Iceland, killing dozens of people and abducting close to 400 to sell into slavery in Algiers. Among those taken was the Lutheran minister Reverend Olafur Egilsson. Reverend Olafur wrote The Travels to chronicle his experiences both as a captive and as a traveler across Europe (he journeyed alone from Algiers to Copenhagen in an attempt to raise funds to ransom the Icelandic captives who remained behind).

One of Italy’s most revered cultural figures reconstructs the extraordinary life of the legendary Cleopatra at the height of her power in this epic story of passion, intrigue, betrayal, and war. Our world today would not be the same without Cleopatra. While she is one of the most famous...

Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour. Learn about the Egyptian gods, mummification and how the Egyptians built the only wonder of the ancient world still standing – the Pyramids of Giza. Exploring the historic rise of Egyptian civilization and its continued influence on the...

In 1940 a group of artists, sculptors, film makers, theatre designers and set painters came together to form the Camouflage Unit. Led by Major Geoffrey Barkas and including among their number the internationally renowned stage magician Jasper Maskelyne, the unit's projects became a crucial battlefield weapon.

This is the true story of the greatest special forces operation of the 20th century and the first shot in the West's long war against international terrorism. It is a tale of human drama and unbearable tension in which courage, comradeship, fanaticism, incompetence and luck all play their parts. On 3 July 1976, Israeli Special Forces carried out a daring raid to free more than 100 Israeli, French and US hostages held by German and Palestinian terrorists at Entebbe Airport, Uganda.