Me and my whole group are going to the BVC in July.

This will be my 13 year old son’s first safari. He has no idea what he is in for. (Hope I don’t ruin him too early in life!)

He is a reader. What book should I give him that will captivate him and set the mind for his upcoming adventure?

Use Enough Gun, hope he and all of y'all have a great time !!!

Horn of the Hunter is going to be really hard to beat because I don’t think there is a better book about a first safari. He’s deferential enough to explain small things and it’s easy to feel his excitement just being there. Green hill of Africa is awesome, but he might get bored with the occasional literature and philosophical talk. It’s a much deeper book than HOTH, but Ruark I think will serve him best as a first.

Any of Capsticks.

I'll put in a plug for John Sharps Book. Any older books from a variety of authors, My 11 year old grandson loved those, the 6 year old not so much.

What camp are you staying and who are you hunting with? He will have a great time we took the boys last year. I've already been told that we are going back next year.

I'll second Saeed....Death in the Long Grass got me started 45 years ago.

Lane-

Horn of the Hunter is the one.

I envy your safari. You'll have a blast watching your son and he will be talking about the experience his whole life.

Horn of the Hunter is excellent, and if he’s a hunter then the dated aspects won’t distract.

The Capstick books are also decent, but wear their age a bit more. They are also more DG oriented and depending on the kid, might scare them.

If the boy is a bit of an academic, then Hemingway would be good (and the look on his teachers face when they ask for “what did you do this summer” and they get the I read Hemingway then went to Africa answer would be priceless…

Frankly, most of the books I’ve read are pretty dangerous game centric, and if you have that spark, they are great, but if not… then they are pretty boring.

I did like Bell’s wanderings of an elephant hunter for the histories and stories.

Roosevelt’s Game Trails would be American Africana, but might not be suited to a youth reader.

Hunter by Hunter was good.

Some of Taylor’s stories were fun, even if the man was a bit off the beaten path.


I’d say it depends on the maturity of the 13 year old. Something like Jock of the Bushveld might be more younger audience written…

Buzz’s elephant book has some interesting stories.

I don’t think Boddington or Flack would fit with a younger reader, but might work for the right kid.

Ruark, definitely. Horn of the Hunter is a great mid-20th century safari book. It has stood the test of time.

Also, Bartle Bull's Safari: A Chronicle of Adventure, is a great history of safaris, from the early days to the present (which was late 1980s, at the time the book was published).

African Game Trails, by Theodore Roosevelt, is likewise a fine book, dated to be sure, but a great study of African big game hunting and safari life.

When I read the older books, I am just as struck by how much remains true today, as I am by how much has changed.

Good luck to you and your son on your safari. He is a lucky boy.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Any of Capsticks.

Boddington’s books like “Safari Rifles “ are also good reading for a young guy.

Lane:

I thought of two more; African Twilight by Robert Jones and White Hunters by Brian Herne. The chapter in African Twilight about lion hunting in Somalia is fantastic.

Enjoyed Boddington's Tracks Across Africa

Would also recommend John Sharp's book, Facing Down Fear.

I will be in the BVC in July as well. Flying out of Atlanta on the 12th.

quote:

Originally posted by TNJohn:
I'll put in a plug for John Sharps Book. Any older books from a variety of authors, My 11 year old grandson loved those, the 6 year old not so much.

What camp are you staying and who are you hunting with? He will have a great time we took the boys last year. I've already been told that we are going back next year.

Ngali

Nigel Theisen is the PH. Nigel has hired Dean McGregor to come along as an extra guide cause Nigel and I will be sitting for cats some of the time and I wanted Kris and Martin to be able to be in the bush game viewing at those times as well.

Lane: An excellent book for your boy is entitled “Africa” by Sporting Classics. It’s a collection of 41 short stories and covers both Plainsgame and Dangerous Game. Two of the stories involve PH’s I personally know, Jan du Plessis of Sebra Hunting Safaris and Danie Jansen van Vuuren of Trophy Tracking Safaris. There are also stories from years gone by that depict some of the history of African hunting.

Horn of the Hunter is such a great book. I haven’t read Africa that he refers to, but I have a client who is taking his 15 yr old grandson on the first safari for each of them on Mkore in the SVC in August. I need to get them both of these books.

Hunter by JA Hunter.

That’s the first African hunting book I read as a boy and it’s still one of the better ones.

Hell I was there, Elmer Keith.

I guess the word is out on Ngali. We also had an extra car for those not hunting. It was well worth it as there is plenty of wildlife. They saw the big 5 during daylight.

Congratulations Lane... I took my son on his first African safari for his 13th birthday. We hunted with Russell Lovemore and his two boys. Wonderful memories ahead for you both.

Readability is important for a 13 year old and I think Boddington and Flack are masters at this type of writing. So my recommendations are Peter Flack's Heart of an African Hunter and Tales of a Trophy Hunter in Africa. And as mentioned earlier, Boddington's 10 year diaries like Tracks Across Africa, Where Lions Roar and From Cape to Kasserine are all easy reading and great info!

Have fun!

Lane,

What got me started when I was about 8 was a leatherbound copy of T.R.'s African Game Trails. My grandmother gave it to me to keep me from underfoot. I still have what's left of that book, I read it so many times. It's what got me interested in hunting in Africa.

Ruark's Horn of the Hunter is great too. I don't recall anything in there that wouldn't be ok for a 13 year old. Most of Capstick's stuff would be good too.

On Hemingway, Green Hills of Africa was great, but True at First Light, which he did not finish, was bloody aweful. The second was basically a retelling of the first with lurid details and I have a hard time remembering if Green Hills would be appropriate for a young teenager.

Good luck. What a lucky young man!

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
Me and my whole group are going to the BVC in July.

This will be my 13 year old son’s first safari. He has no idea what he is in for. (Hope I don’t ruin him too early in life!)

He is a reader. What book should I give him that will captivate him and set the mind for his upcoming adventure?

I am going to say it Death in the Long Grass. I laughed and wanted to go. Fast read too.

White Hunters Brian Herne.

White Hunters by Brian Herne. You can also get him the audio book to listen to on the endless flight. If he is going to learn about Safari, he should start with our roots, the golden age of safari.

A first safari is something special. Can't imagine experiencing in one's teens. Good for you!