I have all his books on Kindle.

A few days ago I was on a long flight, and read a couple of historic books.

One by Roald Amundsen looking for the North West Passage.

Then I thought I would go and read something in warmer climes.

I read a book about Percy Faucet in the Amazon.

After that I read DEATH IN THE LONG GRASS, while having my dinner on the flight.

The young lady looking after me on the flight kept asking me where in the world I am at any given moment in my books. First Class was not full, so we spent a long time chatting together.

She apparently loves reading too, and has read a book about a hiker hiking the whole length of the Amazon - a book I have read too.

When I was reading Capstick, she asked what it was about.

And I told her it was about hunting.

She gave me a blank look, as she knew nothing about hunting.

I have some photos and short video clips of our hunts on my ipad, so I showed her some.

She would not stop watching!!

She then told me her uncle likes to hunt - she was from the Ukraine.

I gave her a copy of our safari of last year on USB, as I carry some with me to give away.

She was so excited, and said she would watch the video herself first before she gives it to her uncle.

So if even after his he has passed away, Capstick is still good for hunters

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:


So if even after his he has passed away, Capstick is still good for hunters

As are you. Good for you doing that.

Saeed:
In the book about Amundsen, did it tell of when he was stuck in the ice for a winter he WALKED to the town of Eagle to telegraph the world of his tribulations? I have been to Eagle each summer for 30 years and there is a memorial to him in the town square. To walk several hundred miles, in the darkness and cold of the arctic winter, to telegraph, and then walk back is an amazing story in itself.
Cal

quote:

Originally posted by cal pappas:
Saeed:
In the book about Amundsen, did it tell of when he was stuck in the ice for a winter he WALKED to the town of Eagle to telegraph the world of his tribulations? I have been to Eagle each summer for 30 years and there is a memorial to him in the town square. To walk several hundred miles, in the darkness and cold of the arctic winter, to telegraph, and then walk back is an amazing story in itself.
Cal

Amundsen's adventure seems like a walk in the park compared to Mawson's in Antarctica.

Mawson's will

It is the most horrifying story I have ever read about an adventure.

A very interesting book to read.

Another great adventure book is River of Doubt by Candice Millard documenting Roosevelt's journey down the Amazon in 1912 . . . a journey that almost killed him.

Saeed & Mike:
Great minds think (and read) alike.
I agree, Mawson's journey was amazing and to think he made it back just to see the ship leaving! He had to spend another winter there.
The story of Roosevelt is also a great adventure. The author also wrote of Garfield's assassination. I like her style of writing and research.
Cheers, gentlemen.
Cal

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Another great adventure book is River of Doubt by Candice Millard documenting Roosevelt's journey down the Amazon in 1912 . . . a journey that almost killed him.

Just downloaded this a couple days ago onto my ipod for my move back east, looking forward to it.

Love River of doubt. As far as Capstick goes no one could describe a horrifying scene with such hilarity.

I laughed to near suffocation at following leopard up in football gear and high brass. Then in last Elephant Hunter the Gabon viper chapter 2 is great comedy.

If you're looking for a great adventure story, completely factual, look no further than "Ultimate High, my Everest Odyssey" by Goran Kropp.

His epic started in Sweden on a bicycle. He decided he would ride to Katmandu Nepal, carrying everything he need to solo summit Everest. He swore off any O2 or sherpa support.

His summit timing was poor as he chose the same fateful time period in which all those climbers died, including Guide, Rob Hall and the other one whose name eludes me. John Krakauer wrote "Into Thin Air" during this same exact summit season.

Picked it up in an airport and literally could not put the thing down. It took me three months to finish.

I will get this book, sounds very interesting.

I have read INTO THIN AIR, and the one written by the Russian guide Boukreef, in which he says many things mentioned in INTO TBIN AIR were not correct.

If I remember rightly, Boukreef saved some of those stranded in the storm.

Bloody hell!

Something must be wrong in this world!

I have something in common with Cal, Mike and Steve!

Wonders will never cease to amaze!

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I will get this book, sounds very interesting.

I have read INTO THIN AIR, and the one written by the Russian guide Boukreef, in which he says many things mentioned in INTO TBIN AIR were not correct.

If I remember rightly, Boukreef saved some of those stranded in the storm.

Bloody hell!

Something must be wrong in this world!

I have something in common with Cal, Mike and Steve!

Wonders will never cease to amaze!

Saeed:
As we are on common ground, may I suggest two books you will enjoy: Death and Double Rifles and Fear No Death.
LOL and cheers,
Cal

quote:

Originally posted by cal pappas:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I will get this book, sounds very interesting.

I have read INTO THIN AIR, and the one written by the Russian guide Boukreef, in which he says many things mentioned in INTO TBIN AIR were not correct.

If I remember rightly, Boukreef saved some of those stranded in the storm.

Bloody hell!

Something must be wrong in this world!

I have something in common with Cal, Mike and Steve!

Wonders will never cease to amaze!

Saeed:
As we are on common ground, may I suggest two books you will enjoy: Death and Double Rifles and Fear No Death.
LOL and cheers,
Cal

No thank you.

I prefer factual books, not the Hollywood variety!

After watching his films and listening to him, he is the last person I would have with me reading his books on a plane!

I have terrible allergy to bullshit artists.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I have something in common with Cal, Mike and Steve!

Truth be told we probably have far more in common than differences.

While we are talking books, and on the subject of Africa, Candice Millard (who wrote River of Doubt about Roosevelt's expedition on the Amazon) apparently also wrote a book about the Boer War and Churchill, Hero of the Empire. Published last year and has received absolutely excellent reviews. Just ordered it.

Mike--you are probably correct.
Saeed--you are a good sport.
Cal

quote:

I have terrible allergy to bullshit artists.

That SIR is as big a dose of as anyone on here has ever put out!!!!!!!

This whole site is so full of Bull Shit it is ridiculous, and You Damn Well Like It Saeed!!!!

. . . we are talking about books now . . . if you have a book review please share it. Enough negative energy has been wasted on this this thread.

Has anyone read Between Two Fires?

by Fiona C. Capstick

No, but The Winds of Havoc that she wrote with Adelino Pires is very good.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
No, but The Winds of Havoc that she wrote with Adelino Pires is very good.

"When eight-year-old Adelino Serras Pires first arrived on a boat from Portugal in 1936, Mozambique was a tropical paradise, where native tribes and Portuguese colonists lived in harmony and where vast wilderness areas held the promise of endless excitement. A few weeks into Adelino's new life, his father took him along on a successful hunt for man-eating lions that had been terrorizing the countryside. From that point on, Adelino's destiny was sealed - he would spend his days in the African bush, hunting for a living and living for adventure.

After a childhood replete with thrilling episodes, Adelino became a major safari organizer with a client list comprising African royalty, European aristocracy and dignitaries, American astronauts and adventurers from around the world. Life in Mozambique, however, came under increasing threat to all its inhabitants as a foreign-incubated mood of violence began to take root. The Frelimo guerrilla movement, bent on ousting the Portuguese and on crushing all internal dissent, began launching attacks throughout the land. Such attacks resulted, amongst other things, in injury and death involving safari clients. This forced Adelino into a war of his own as he fought back to the end in a country that had long since become his permanent home.

What follows is a frightening look at a continent under siege. As Adelino moved through sub-Saharan Africa - each time resuming his life's ambition - he repeatedly witnessed the violence and horror of armed conflict. Like a hunter stalking its prey, it was only a matter of time before the forces of revolution brought him down too.

That day came when Adelino, his son, his nephew and a fellow hunter were abducted in Tanzania and turned over to the secret police in Frelimo-controlled Mozambique. In hair-raising detail, Adelino recounts months of torture and interrogation in Mozambique and in Tanzania, which almost cost him his life, and the treacherous circumstances that landed him in that hell.

The Winds of Havoc is a story of Adelino's steady disillusionment, as the beauty of Africa slowly gave way to political turmoil corruption and decline. But more than that, this book is a moving portrait of a life and time that are now gone forever."

Sounds really good.

I do not like reading books written by two people.

Normally one of them is only putting his or her name down for PR

They're married.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
They're married.

Even worse now!

I'll say this. I haven't read all of this thread, not really worth my time. But what is worth it is the fact that the only reason I was ever "infected" with Africa was PHC. I've been twice now. If I'd had a more lucrative life, I would have been many more times than I have. Every word of PHC I have ever read has only made me want to go more. Unless you have packed your ass up and moved to Africa and gone through the process of becoming a professional hunter, or just been ones "Appy", Or had any first hand knowledge of the shit your spewing about a man I doubt you ever met, you would probably be better served to keep your shit spout shut. More and more, many of you on this site wish to elevate your standing amongst your peers by besmirching the character or reputation of those that you know nothing of other than what you have heard from others. Who knows, he may have even been more full of shit than I am. All I hope is that if I'm going to be called out after I'm dead, is that it is by someone who knew firsthand what kind of asshole I really was, rather than by someone who had heard that I was.

quote:

first hand knowledge of the shit your spewing about a man I doubt you ever met

What if the shit being spewed is from people (some of whom are alive and well) who did in fact know him? If one of these individuals were to give you facts about the life and exploits of someone they were well acquainted with, would you still call it hearsay?

You must admit that some of his anecdotes are rather "over-stretched". The question here is did he purposely include these snippets of BS to capture the gullible minds as marketing propaganda or was he just taking the piss?

There once was an ivory hunter who took pride in recounting how he used to sneak up on an Elephant and steal a single strand of hair from its tail - as though that wasn't enough BS he went a step further by claiming he could stick a postage stamp on its rear end.

This BS story eventually got someone killed.

I once tracked an Elephant in the Uluguru Mountains whose tusks must have been seriously heavy as they left gouges at varying intervals for 2 days yet never caught up with him.
Mentioning this to a villager, he grinned and told me he knew of this Elephant; that the longer I tracked it, the further away it would get, meaning the ivory was so heavy it was obliged to walk backwards.

Now had this come from Capstick ........

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:
[QUOTE]



There once was an ivory hunter who took pride in recounting how he used to sneak up on an Elephant and steal a single strand of hair from its tail - as though that wasn't enough BS he went a step further by claiming he could stick a postage stamp on its rear end.

This BS story eventually got someone killed.
)

Fulvio:

You might be interested to know that I know of this being done twice in recent years. The first was in Zimbabwe. It was filmed. I have seen the film. A tracker did it. The second time was done by PH Chris Dandridge in Botswana in 2012. I was on that safari.

Another example of not being too quick to call bullshit on something you have no first hand knowledge of. But then again, the internet fosters a new society of experts that are almost as clueless as our Millennial's.

quote:

Originally posted by lshopper:
Another example of not being too quick to call bullshit on something you have no first hand knowledge of. But then again, the internet fosters a new society of experts that are almost as clueless as our Millennial's.

Don't know how you read it but Fulvio was simply referring to an elephant hunter he knew of?

The picking of elephant tail hairs is commonplace. Lion and Leopard not so common.

If you have had the privilege of growing up and living "my Africa" you will have come to know some larger than life characters, you would have listened to campe fire stories, some credible, some stretched and some down outright tall..... but one never never called anyone a liar , well not if you wanted to be invited back to the fire.

You would have seen things done, done some yourself, most bear the scars small, some large as testimony to what seemed at the time like a good idea ?

What is abundantly clear from the foregoing is that some here have no comprehension or even a inkling of the gist of the "African hunting story"

quote:

If you have had the privilege of growing up and living "my Africa" you will have come to know some larger than life characters, you would have listened to campe fire stories, some credible, some stretched and some down outright tall..... but one never never called anyone a lier , well not if you wanted to be invited back to the fire.

You would have seen things done, done some yourself, most bear the scars small, some large as testimony to what seemed at the time like a good idea ?

What is abundantly clear from the foregoing is that some here have no comprehension or even a inkling of the gist of the "African hunting story"

From my experiences, that applies to hunting camp stories WorldWide.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:
[QUOTE]



There once was an ivory hunter who took pride in recounting how he used to sneak up on an Elephant and steal a single strand of hair from its tail - as though that wasn't enough BS he went a step further by claiming he could stick a postage stamp on its rear end.

This BS story eventually got someone killed.
)

Fulvio:

You might be interested to know that I know of this being done twice in recent years. The first was in Zimbabwe. It was filmed. I have seen the film. A tracker did it. The second time was done by PH Chris Dandridge in Botswana in 2012. I was on that safari.

Larry:

I knew the fellow who thought he was Tarzan of the Jungle, you did not - that's where the difference lies. Capstick's adventures would pale in comparison.

I also knew the individual who thought he could outdo the Tarzan by sticking a stamp on the elephant's arse and whose remains were retrieved and brought out several days later.

And yes, I too know it has been done by very few credible individuals and under particular/favorable circumstances.

There is one area in TZ which comes to mind where it can be done with relative ease. Just a question of having the balls to do it.

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:
[QUOTE]



There once was an ivory hunter who took pride in recounting how he used to sneak up on an Elephant and steal a single strand of hair from its tail - as though that wasn't enough BS he went a step further by claiming he could stick a postage stamp on its rear end.

This BS story eventually got someone killed.
)

Fulvio:

You might be interested to know that I know of this being done twice in recent years. The first was in Zimbabwe. It was filmed. I have seen the film. A tracker did it. The second time was done by PH Chris Dandridge in Botswana in 2012. I was on that safari.

Larry:

I knew the fellow who thought he was Tarzan of the Jungle, you did not - that's where the difference lies. Capstick's adventures would pale in comparison.

I also knew the individual who thought he could outdo the Tarzan by sticking a stamp on the elephant's arse and whose remains were retrieved and brought out several days later.

And yes, I too know it has been done by very few credible individuals and under particular/favorable circumstances.

There is one area in TZ which comes to mind where it can be done with relative ease. Just a question of having the balls to do it.

Fulvio,

I watched Chris Dandridge do it as Larry says in 2012. I have the video.

What is your point?

Jeff

BB:

I have been referring to someone I knew and was known in our hunting circle as a prime bullshitter, no more, no less.

There are a select few who have accomplished this feat (Dandridge being one of them with documented evidence and a living witness as proof) - did I say or imply otherwise?

quote:

And yes, I too know it has been done by very few credible individuals and under particular/favorable circumstances.

The referenced area in TZ is the Lumesule GC where elephants are commonly known to lay down and sleep - most others sleep standing, both of which offer ideal opportunities in plucking a hair from its motionless tail ... and having the balls to do it.

Ah, yes. Most outdoor writers are bullshit artists. I am one of them. Some do not like Capstick. He is one helluva writer, and bullshit artiste extraordinaire. I wish I had his ability, but I don't envy him as some here obviously do.