First off is his name pronounced Roo Ark or Roar K.

Secondly could you list his books in order of which you enjoyed them? I have read horn of the hunter and I'm about to start Old man and the boy.

Thanks!

Geoff,

I always believed it was pronounced Roo Ark, but I've nothing definitive to base that on...

For me, "Horn of the Hunter" tops the list. I suppose "Something of Value" is second (a grim look at the effect of Mau Mau in the White Highlands). "The Old Man's Boy" and "The Old Man's Boy Grows Older" were enjoyable. Then "Use Enough Gun", the posthumous (I believe) anthology is probably next. "The Honey Badger" I found painful to read.

Damn, I forgot "Uhuru"...toss it in above "Honey Badger" I guess!

I've never read "Grenadine Etching" or "Grenadine's Spawn" so cannot comment on either of them.

Following Hurricane Katrina, when my wife and I spent 23 days with only generator power for lighting in the evenings, I read "Horn of the Hunter" aloud to her. Ruark's ability to take us away from our immediate problems and remind us of Africa is a fair measure of the writer's ability...at least for me.

Enjoy his stuff; I've always admired the "tiny, gleaming campfire" man that wrote it...

Mark

"Roo Ark", as the man himself says at the opening of "Africa Adventure".

Heh, here's the whole list in the order I liked 'em.

1. The Old Man and the Boy
2. Horn of the Hunter
3. The Old Man's Boy Grows Older
4. The Lost Classics of Robert Ruark
5. Africa
6. Poor No More
7. Something of Value
8. Uhuru

9-14 in no particular order

Women
I Didn't Know it was Loaded
One for the Road
Grenadine Etching
Grenadine's Spawn
The Honey Badger

I don't mention "Use Enough Gun" because it was more of a collection of chapters from other books than anything.

Here's a 10 second video clip of Ruark from Africa Adventure in which you hear his name pronounced

http://www.wingshooters.net/private/Ruark.wmv

As of today, my Ruark collection is complete. Just received "Women" in the mail.

Here's my top three;

1 - Horn Of The Hunter
2 - Something Of Value
3 - Uhuru

OK,
Old Man and the Boy would be #1, just good fun and easy reading.
Horn of the Hunter, Africa hunting is always good.
Something of Value and Uhuru, because I really learned something about the times and what people went through.
Poor No More, I guess I can relate to that one personally.
Someone of Value and A View from a Tall Hill, because you learn about Ruark the man. (Not by Ruark, but a must read for Ruark fans.)
Honey Badger I did not care for.

I have to believe that the "Old Man and the Boy" followed by the "The Boy Grows Older" are books that I want all my children and their children to read, regardless of the others, all of which I have thoroughly enjoyed.

The Chairman of the Board of a company I worked for years ago had a plantation in Sourh Georgia.
Prior to allowing a guest to hunt, he would always send them a copy of the Old Man and the Boy as required reading. It was my ntroduction to Rourk. It has been a life long gift. I have read them all.

Horn of the Hunter is best followed by the above.

Sprig

Man, it's hard to rank Ruark's works for me, although, I must say that "Use Enough Gun" was #1, followed by Something of Value, Uhuru and Horn of the Hunter. I have read all of the others as well and certainly enjoyed many others including but not limited to The Honey Badger, The Old Man and the Boy, Ruark's Africa, and Ruark's Lost Classics. My copy of "Use Enough Gun" belonged to my father, and that is THE BOOK that interested me in Africa as a boy. I have to also suggest that if you have not read and studied Something of Value and Uhuru, you MUST do so. It will give you a very good look into the politics of Africa in days gone by and in Africa's current political situation. I believe that what happened in Kenya (as described in both Something of Value and Uhuru-both fiction as based upon facts) has happened and continues to happen, in a significant way, in the Southern African countries.

Thanks guys, I ordered 5 more books today!

Good for you. You will enjoy all of them!

Something Of Value followed by Uhuru are must reads if you want to understand what happened in East Africa and the basis for terrorist organizations for that matter. As mentioned Horn of the Hunter is a great read.

Harry Selby is supposed to join us on my elephant hunt in Botswana this April for dinner, I am certainly looking forward to that campfire chat.

CFA

Some of his shorter works (as featured in "Robert Ruark's Africa" and "Lost Classics") are excellent. Hard to play favorites when we're talking about my favorite author, but I'll have to say "Something of Value". "Poor No More" and "The Honey Badger" are considered thinly-veiled autobiograhpies and really give the reader some insight into Ruark the man- I would read them last. Enjoy.

Horn of the Hunter is by far the best safari book I've had the pleasure of reading. I'll bet Roo Ark, as pronounced by Craig Boddington in his DVD, has helped sale more books on hunting in Africa than any man on the planet. I know I began a mad search for it's equal after turning the last page. Unfortunately, the next book I read was Something of Value, I was so disappointed I ahd to literally force myself to finish it and was happy to store it on the bookshelf where it's only occasionally removed to wipe up the blood that seems to ooze out of the bottom. It's a violent depiction of a bloody love story during war time with absolutely nothing to do with hunting in Africa. i ordered Uhuru but have yet to read it. Use Enough Gun, The Old Man and the Boy, The Boy Grows Older, Lost Classics and Ruark's Africa are all very good.

"The Old Man and the Boy" is my favorite.
So many of the stories hit close to home and remind me of my relationship with my Grandfather and Uncle.
The book was first shoved into my hands by my uncle Guy Anderson, Jr. with his usual stern admonishment. . . "Here, read this!" I was 16 at the time.

Today at 60, when I read the last page of the book I still cry! I always will!

Every man should shove a copy of the book into his son's hands!

UFA: You are very correct. The basis of black terrorist organizations on the continent and even some of the governments currently in existence can be forumulated from the facts to fiction found in Ruark's Something Of Value and Uhuru. If you hunt Africa, explore Africa and love Africa, I suggest that you read those two novels to give you the broad based understanding that you need to visit there. It will put everything into perspective for you. It's certainly not the entertaining hunting stories that you expect from Ruark, but there was a reason why he wrote those two novels. He felt very strongly about what happened in East Africa and I believe that he wanted to expose the same to the world without the political spin of the news organizations and the black terrorists themselves, and to warn all of us, tongue in cheek, of what may come to other African countries and in future times. Some of those things have also come to pass in Southern Africa. Somewhat prophetic, I believe.

Horn of the Hunter is my favorite, moreso now since I was able to ship it to Africa, have it signed by Harry Selby and returned. Mr. Selby is a true gentleman.

CFA,
You know there is only one question I want you to ask Mark if you get to see him.

"Do you still have the Jeffery?"

Rusty

Don't think Mark will be around but I can tell you that Harry still shoots his .416 Rigby as does Chris Collins my PH.

Fred

NO, harry does NOT shoot his 416 anymore and Mark will not be around and Mark does NOt have the Jeffrey.

_bb

I like Old Man and the Boy best and The Old mans Boy Grows older afterwards.Then Use enough gun and Horn of the Hunter then Something of Value.I have a bunch of extra copies of Ruark books that are in awesome shape that I am selling.I almost have a whole set of my own.I am still looking for signed copies always.I bought my English Setters after reading The Old Man and the boy and I have aeesome dogs.

(but briefly)

dgr416,

Being partial to English Setters, if you haven't already, you should read The Road to Tinkhamtown by the late Cory Ford. Fantastic short story that will make your eyes misty.

Cheers

Try Abebooks for signed copies, I think there may ne one or two on there. _BB