Kenya Books

Out of Africa and Shadows on the Grass

Isak Dinesen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Out of Africa is Karin Blixen's love letter to the country she called home for nearly 20 years. Arriving in British East Africa (now Kenya) from Denmark in 1914, Blixen--Isak Dinesen was her pen name--was immediately seduced by the landscape of the Ngong hill country, not to mention the animals and people who inhabited it. Her descriptions bring this wonderland alive for readers: out on safari, she recalls the movements of a group of giraffes, "in their queer, inimitable, vegetative gracefulness, as if it were not a herd of animals but a family of rare, long-stemmed, speckled gigantic flowers slowly advancing." Blixen laces into her reverie the account of her coffee plantation--which ultimately succumbed to high altitude, droughts, and tumbling international coffee prices--and tales of her friendships with other colonials in Nairobi. But one should read her memoir for the stories she tells of cooking with her Kikuyu chef (who almost never ate any of the European delicacies he so expertly created), adopting an abandoned infant antelope, flying over the countryside in her lover's plane--"the greatest, most transporting pleasure of my life on the farm"--and watching the children of her tenant farmers collect at her house each day at noon for the spectacle of her cuckoo clock.

Though some of her references to native Africans will likely make today's readers uncomfortable, Blixen can also be perceptive, particularly in her articulation of the differences between European and African culture and her excitement over what she learns from "her" Africans. It is not long before she is attuned to the rhythms of nature: she can foresee when the rains will come, can spot the new moon before anyone else on the farm, and knows exactly what the silence of night should sound like. Though her sorrow is almost unbearably palpable when at last--after the collapse of the farm, the loss of her lover, and the war looming--Blixen leaves Africa, the reader will close the book richer for her sojourn. --Jordana Moskowitz

Fodor's The Complete African Safari Planner, 1st Edition: With Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa & Tanzania (Full-Color Gold Guides)

Fodor's

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

FODOR’S THE COMPLETE AFRICAN SAFARI PLANNER

Everything You Need to Plan the Adventure of a Lifetime

Fodor’s full-color travel guide can help make your trip to Africa unforgettable with 8 pages of detailed maps, magazine-style illustrated features, 125 stunning photos, and all the practical information you need.

Customize your trip with simple planning tools
Options that fit your travel preferences such as field-tested itineraries and ideas for making the most of your time and easy-to-read color regional maps

Explore South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, and beyond

Discerning Fodor’s Choice picks for hotels, restaurants, sights, and more

“Word of Mouth” tips from fellow Fodor’s travelers

Illustrated features on The Cradle of Mankind, Safari Tipping, and Kenya's Tribes

Recommendations for everything from helicopter rides over Victorias Falls to the Big 5 on Safari and Zulu essentials to bridge the language barrier

Expert opinions, gorgeous photos and graphics

Fodor’s African-based writers reveal their favorite local haunts

Quick and easy to browse with sidebars and key points in full color

Frequently updated to provide the most up-to-date information

“Fodor’s has emerged this year as our fave guidebook series for insider tips about things you actually want to know.” — Miami Herald

“Hipped up…with colorful maps and graphics, plus advice on a broader ranger of attractions, from classic to quirky.” — Outside Magazine

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Fodor's. For choice travel experiences.

Kenya (Country Guide)

Tom Parkinson

Amazon Price: $16.49 List Price: $24.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Lonely Planet Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $11.15

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Comprehensive, but not the best out there. 3 out of 5 stars.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.

This book was somewhat helpful when I recently spent two months in Kenya, but I found that some of the information was out of date (despite this being an updated edition) and there were many things that should have been mentioned that were not. Although it gives a great overview, for those who are going to be spending a substantial amount of time in Kenya, I would probably opt for the Rough Guide to Kenya, which was more thorough and much more accurate.

Editorial Review:

Jambo! Welcome to Kenya, home of lion prides, nomadic tribes and city-smart nightclubbers, realm of equatorial glaciers, ochre-red deserts and tranquil Indian Ocean coves. Whether you want to watch wildlife, set out into the great unknown or chill on a beach, Lonely Planet helps you plan the African adventure of a lifetime.

SET OUT ON SAFARI - get the lowdown on choosing, planning and booking safaris for every budget

EMBRACE THE OUTDOORS - whether it's cruising the coast, ballooning over the Mara or trekking up Mt Kenya, we give you the when, where and how

THE BIG FIVE - our 16-page colour wildlife guide is your essential animal-spotting companion

REST EASY - accommodation options to suit all tastes, from back-to-nature bandas to luxury ecolodges

MAKE YOUR OWN WAY - up-to-the-minute information on how to get around, be it by buzzing matatu or graceful dhow

African Nights: True Stories from the Author of I Dreamed of Africa

Kuki Gallmann

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Life on a pedestal of African oppression 1 out of 5 stars.
6 of 11 people found this review helpful.

I was quite offended by this white settler's life of endless parties, adventures, gourmet foods and travel around the world and throughout the stunning countryside of Kenya. Based on the colonial legacy of British, one of the many brutal European powers that profited from the domination of Africa, Gallmann was able to purchase 100,000 acres of land, stolen through the colonial system. All of Africa is in fact the birthright of the African people themselves. Gallmann's book is full of idealized and romanticized stories in which she is the central star. For a more realistic view of Kenya where nearly 60 percent of the people still live on less than $2 a day with a life expectancy of only 45 years, see, for example, Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya by Caroline Elkins. This is the story of the British slaughter of the Kikuyu people of Kenya in the 1950s who were put by the millions in concentration camps and murdered when they were rightfully struggling for the liberation of their homeland.

Editorial Review:

Lyrical, beautifully written tales of life in Africa

Africa evokes a deep sense of mystery. It is a place that retains what most of the world has lost: space, roots, traditions, awesome beauty, true wilderness, rare animals, and extraordinary people. In this wonderful and haunting collection of stories, Kuki Gallmann writes of her life in Africa, where every day brings challenge and adventure. African Nights is a treasury of memories, in which fascinating people and places are brought to life. The healing powers Africa can have on those who embrace the land as a place of mystery, superstition, danger, and beauty.

Kenya - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette

Jane Barsby

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Culture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feel confident in unfamiliar situations, and develop trust, friendships, and successful business relationships.

Culture Smart! offers illuminating insights into the culture and society of a particular country. It will help you to turn your visit-whether on business or for pleasure-into a memorable and enriching experience. Contents include:

* customs, values, and traditions
* historical, religious, and political background
* life at home
* leisure, social, and cultural life
* eating and drinking
* do's, don'ts, and taboos
* business practices
* communication, spoken and unspoken

"Culture Smart has come to the rescue of hapless travellers." Sunday Times Travel

"... the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries." Global Travel

"...full of fascinating-as well as common-sense-tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas." Observer

"...as useful as they are entertaining." Easyjet Magazine

"...offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world." New York Times

The Rough Guide to Kenya 8 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Richard Trillo, Daniel Jacobs, Nana Luckham

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The best guide out there 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

I recently spent two months in Kenya, and I read a lot of guide books both before I left the U.S. and once I was in Africa. This was definitely the most useful and informative....it was far superior to Lonely Planet in both coverage and accuracy. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is going to be spending a substantial amount of time in Kenya.

Editorial Review:

The Rough Guide to Kenya is the ultimate guide to East Africa''s best known destination. From the live music in Nairobi to the Turkana overland safaris, the 24-page, full-colour section introduces all of the country''s highlights. The guide includes details for all the best places to stay, eat and drink, to suit every budget, plus the new ''Author''s Picks'' feature to highlight the very best options. There is plenty of practical advice on getting the most out of Kenya, from the well-known safari parks to the little-known reserves. The guide looks at Kenya''s history, politics and culture and comes complete with maps and plans for every region.

Africa's Top Wildlife Countries: Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia & Zimbabwe

Mark W. Nolting

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Editorial Review:

Navigating Africa can be daunting, particularly when planning a safari – an experience that varies greatly according to location. This guide demystifies the process, by detailing the safari stats of 18 African countries with maps, color photographs, illustrations of wildlife, 11 useful charts, and an accommodation guide with a detailed rating system.

West With the Night

Beryl Markham

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 122 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

One of the most beautifully crafted books I have ever read, with some of the most poetic prose passages I could imagine, such as the following, resonating with a stately and timeless quality so absent in our modern life:

There are all kinds of silences and each of them means a different thing. There is the silence that comes with morning in a forest, and this is different from the silence of a sleeping city. There is silence after a rainstorm, and before a rainstorm, and these are not the same. There is the silence of emptiness, the silence of fear, the silence of doubt. There is a certain silence that can emanate from a lifeless object as from a chair lately used, or from a piano with old dust upon its keys, or from anything that has answered to the need of a man, for pleasure or for work. This kind of silence can speak. Its voice may be melancholy, but it is not always so; for the chair may have been left by a laughing child or the last notes of the piano may have been raucous and gay. Whatever the mood or the circumstance, the essence of its quality may linger in the silence that follows. It is a soundless echo.

Born in England in 1902, Markham was taken by her father to East Africa in 1906. She spent her childhood playing with native Maruni children and apprenticing with her father as a trainer and breeder of racehorses. In the 1930s, she became an African bush pilot, and in September 1936, became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west.

Waterproof Kenya Map by ITMB (International Travel Maps)

International Travel Maps and Books

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Waterproof Kenya Map 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

The map of Kenya is certainly waterproof, but does not show as much detail as I would like for traveling in Kenya

Editorial Review:

Folded paper (waterproof), road and travel map in color. Scale 1:920,000. Distinguishes roads ranging from freeways/expressways to other roads (unpaved). Legend includes tracks, railroads, ferry routes, waterfalls, wildlife reserves/game sanctuaries, sites of natural interest, parks or reserves, international airports, national airports, airfields, gas stations, hospitals/medical facilities, campsites/huts, rest houses, hotels, border crossings, UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites, UNESCO World Natural Heritage Sites, park gates, beaches, poits of interest, archaeological sites, museums, train/bus stations. Elevation in feet.

The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood

Elspeth Huxley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Truly A Classic 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

In 1913, a little English girl named Elspeth relocated with her family from their native country to begin a coffee plantation in the wilds of Kenya. Similar in a way to Laura Ingall Wilder's adventurous and sentimental "take" on what was surely a very difficult experience for her family, Elspeth remembers Kenya as a wonderful place and tells us with lingering excitement of her experiences there in the short time before the First World War changed nearly everything. A delightful memoir that is a pleasure every time it's read.

Editorial Review:

New editions of Elspeth Huxley's stirring account of her childhood in Kenya and her novel of the destructive forces of colonization.

In an open cart Elspeth Huxley set off with her parents to travel to Thika in Kenya. As pioneering settlers, they built a house of grass, ate off a damask cloth spread over packing cases, and discovered--the hard way--the world of the African. With an extraordinary gift for detail and a keen sense of humor, Huxley recalls her childhood on the small farm at a time when Europeans waged their fortunes on a land that was as harsh as it was beautiful. For a young girl, it was a time of adventure and freedom, and Huxley paints an unforgettable portrait of growing up among the Masai and Kikuyu people, discovering both the beauty and the terrors of the jungle, and enduring the rugged realities of the pioneer life.