I recently purchased a copy of Craig Boddington's updated Safari Rifles II.

I am a bit disappointed by some aspects of it.

I know Col. Boddington is an AR member and sometimes posts on the African Hunting forum; if he sees this thread, I hope he won't be offended, as the material in his sequel is excellent. I don't have a problem with that at all--it's a plethora of great information.

What I don't especially like is the format and organization.

First--and certainly not of any great importance--the physical condition of the book puts me off. His first reference book on safari rifles was printed in the U.S. on the kind of paper most conventional books were printed on for years. Safari Rifles II is printed in China on slick, heavy paper, and has that "foreign" smell to it. Those of you who have bought some of the trophy room books know what I mean.

Boddington's earlier work had photgraphs, mostly black and white, collected in several sections, rather than scattered throught the book as is the case in the revised version. The new book's photos are mostly in color--a nice touch, but they may take up a quarter or half a page, and I found this distracting when trying to concentrate on the text.

Finally, it's more difficult to thumb through this book and zero in on a specific caliber. The caliber chapters are cataloged nicely, but unlike the earlier work, there are no sub-headings in boldface, so it's necessary to scan closely in the appropriate chapter if you want to read a discussion of, say, the .458.

Again, the information is wonderful, and up-to-date as of 2007, so it's a first-rate reference--I just wish the format and layout of the original had been followed in the most recent version.

I much prefer the way the full color photographs are interspersed throughout the text in the later volume.

I do not find that the way the book is organized is particularly difficult to follow or use, but I agree that sub-headings would have been helpful.

This is the best book on safari rifles ever written, IMHO.

To each his own.

Picky, picky, picky.

465H&H

I believe that all of Safair Press books are printed in China. That is the option of the publisher, not the author.


Dutch

My copy of Months of the Sun is from Singapore.

I know it might be petty, but I agree with Nitro Express. I detest crappy quality books and I do not like glossy pages throughout. Given the cost of these books ($40 and up some of them) I would prefer a good ivory paper and glossy inserts. It makes for much more pleasant and easy-on-the-eyes reading.

Nitro, if you want a good quality, made-in-America-book, visit my website and place an order for one of mine!! I did all the work and chose the materials with longevity and quality in mind.

(How's that for a shameless plug?...damn, I'm getting as bad as Uncle Will!!) ;-) You can even PayPal to my address on the website...


_BAxter

My Website

quote:

Originally posted by BaxterB:
My copy of Months of the Sun is from Singapore.

I know it might be petty, but I agree with Nitro Express. I detest crappy quality books and I do not like glossy pages throughout. Given the cost of these books ($40 and up some of them) I would prefer a good ivory paper and glossy inserts. It makes for much more pleasant and easy-on-the-eyes reading.

Nitro, if you want a good quality, made-in-America-book, visit my website and place an order for one of mine!! I did all the work and chose the materials with longevity and quality in mind.

(How's that for a shameless plug?...damn, I'm getting as bad as Uncle Will!!) ;-) You can even PayPal to my address on the website...


_BAxter

My Website

When you going to start BTT every other day in the classifieds.

quote:

When you going to start BTT every other day in the classifieds.

Ha!

BTT

The areas which you criticize are all likely elements of the publishing process out of the author's control.

Consider sending a note to the publisher.

quote:

Originally posted by Woodhits:
The areas which you criticize are all likely elements of the publishing process out of the author's control.

Consider sending a note to the publisher.

You are of course quite correct; the parts of the book I didn't care for are editorial in nature, not the fault--if that is the correct word--of the author.

As I said in my initial remarks, I have no quarrel with the content--it is, as observed above, the most comprehensive work available regarding safari rifles.

I just don't particularly care for the way it was arranged and published.

Is there a reason this is on the African Hunting Forum and not the AR Books and Videos forum?

Bill Quimby

I'd agree regarding the physical presentation of the book. It just doesn't look or feel right. Some books "feel" as much as they "read". Wander through any of the great libraries and you'll see what I mean. Safari Press books do not "feel" right. At least to me.

You have to give Boddington credit for the chore it must have been to put it together. I'd guess it wasn't easy. I suspect he wasn't keen on the project. To make a sequel as interesting or as informative as the original has got to be very difficult.

In my view, it is a rehash of previously written material, re-written, sometimes with little subtlely. If you have his first one, you don't need the second one. Take a moment to put the two books side by side and you'll see what I mean.

Nevertheless, Boddington will go down in history as THE premier writer of his genre. He is simply the best. I buy his stuff for that reason, whether I like it or not. No library of hunting literature, anywhere, would be complete without his work. I hope he continues for years to come.

Picky, picky...

My observation also is that as a quick reference the first volume was (is?) better. However, the new edition also runs in caliber order and contains an awful lot more info. It is very obvious that Craig has obtained a significant amount of first-hand personal experience with regards to several calibers for vol II which he had much less of when the first edition came out.

As to the photos - a matter of taste and as we say in Finnish "molempi parempi", i.e. 'both ways better': I like the collations in the first volume. Sometimes you just look at the pohotos and especially the cartridge collection photos are excellent. However, color is a very nice touch and having the photos on almost every page makes the reading a lot lighter, so to speak.
The main criticism that I have is that many chapters are copy-pasted from the 1st edition. This does not bother too much since as I said above, there is also a lot of new info in every chapter.

Still a thoroughly enjoyable read!

- Lars/Finland

I like the book, except where my name was spelt incorrectly so that I did not even recognise it!
(Yes, it was a very brief mention in the PH suggestions chapter...)

I just re-read the book. A masterpiece in my opinion.

Its a good book, just like the first one.
CB. does make his reflections in the 2nd volume, where he does take his even more experience into account from the previous volume. Boddington I believe is the best gun/hunting writer we have at present time, even though I don`t always agreed with everything he writes...I always enjoy his works

I agree completely. The publisher's material, manufacturing and layout choices in the final product leave much to be desired compared to CB earlier work.

Unfortunately, I have found the same happening in my profession's technical books too.