Friends,this forum has been getting a bit stagnate.We need some more input.We would not be here on this site if we were not bibliophiles.It does not have to be totally hunting related;speak of good books that moved you. O.K. I'll start. Anything from Bernard Cornwell (especially the Sharpe series.")
i have mentioned here before of the rebirth of joy by rereading my childhood perfect novel "Tarzan Of The Apes."
i read of
carl
ackley's journeys before
I even knew what a double rifle was.I still have volumes of Ernest Thomas Seton. We can speak of anything book related here.Contributions more than welcome.

My appologies,I got in a hurry. Ernest' Thompson' Seton.Looking forward to new blood on old volumes.

I like the Sharpe series as well. It's been years, but I enjoyed the Horatio Hornblower books.

A couple of my favorites, however, are "Something of Value" and "Uhuru" by Ruark.

I agree. Both "Something of Value" + Uhuru are great pieces. Wilbur Smith's "Assengai" from a couple of years back is grand as well. Does ANYONE out there want to laud the perfection of Ruark's "The Old Man + The Boy"?

Just re read Look To The Wilderness by Douglas Burden and thoroughly enjoyed it again.
I'm a third of the way thru Wild Adventure by Howard Hill but have realized why I never can get to the end - bloody awful writing IMHO.
The next two on my list are The Hunt For Kimathi - Ian Henderson and Meet Mr Grizzly - Montague Stevens. I remember enjoying both when first read some years ago.

Old Man and the Boy is very good, as is the sequel. I have "Poor No More" in my stack of "to read" as well.

I just finished "Road to Khartoum", which I read in conjunction with Smith's novel -- something about the Sun (can't remember the precise title). Road is a rather dry read, but sheds a lot of light on Gordon's plight and what brought it about.

I'm currently reading "Omdurman, Charge of the 21st Lancers" which is a much easier read than "Road to Khartoum", and quite interesting. Apparently, the 21st was a rather nondescript unit spoiling for a fight to distinguish itself and to which a young Lt. Winston Churchill was attached as a correspondent. They got their wish at Omdurman and I believe they recieved more Victoria Crosses than any other for a single engagement. The observations about Churchill, Kitchener and others are fascinating.

As you might surmise, I tend to get stuck on a topic/era and keep reading.

Another good read is "Man Hunt in Kenya" by Ian Henderson and Philip Goodhart about the pursuit of the Mau Mau in the highlands.

I have a very scruffy paperback edition of The Old Man And The Boy. I read it about once a year.... Same goes for the sequel , although that is a hardback and in better condition.

I am currently reading Guy Muldoons Leopards In The Night. Its a good read, not in the Ruark manner but a very well written account of Muldoons years hunting problem animals for the native population. This one I can highly recommend.

Lavaca,check out Churchill's "Frontiers + Wars.".ISBN# 0-8317-5711-6

Muzza, I keep a copy of "Old Man and the Boy" in my truck, so that if I ever get stuck on the freeway I'll have something wonderful to read.
I really need to read "Something of Value." Dad had a copy around the house for years.
Norman, all I have of Seton's is his "Book of Woodcraft," which I keep on the shelf next to my old Boy Scout Manual. After visiting the Ernest Thompson Seton Museum at Philmont Scout Ranch, my eyes were opened as to just how much of Scouting was really Seton's idea. His model was far more focused on the idea of the "natural man" who had the skills to be comfortable in any environment, and who had an aesthetic and spiritual appreciation of his surroundings -- much like the American Indians he so deeply admired. When he shared his ideas with Lord Baden-Powell, the latter much preferred a practical, highly organized and military approach to the concept of a boys' movement. The organization that resulted in modern Scouting abandoned many of Seton's principles, and he gets little of the credit he deserves.
A third leg on the stool of Scouting, if I may, would be Cecil Rhodes admirer Frederick Russell Burnham, whose "Scouting on Two Continents" is one of the bulliest reads imaginable, and is one of a handful of books I would retain in any library, no matter how small. Baden-Powell was a huge fan of Burnham, and he was the model for Allan Quatermain of "King Solomon's Mines." I happened upon my copy of Burnham at a "freinds of the local library" sale and got it for 75 cents. PRICELESS!
Burnham's description of the massacre of Wilson on the Shangani River during the First Matabele War is unforgettable. The last seven soldiers, having run out of ammunition, surrounded, stood up and sang "God Save the Queen" as the Matabeles' assegais struck home.

Will do it NC. Look forward to it.

I have since replaced my copy of "Old man + the boy as well as the sequel. I do retain the original;(now held together by rubber bands,etc. THIS is the volume that I loan out,loose leafs + all;this is true literature,written from the heart, + for me..to be only honest + fair,presented from the heart.

Old Man and the Boy is a truly inspired work.

Just downloading "The Gun and its development by Greener"
http://archive.org/details/gunitsdevelopmen00greerich

Incredible number of books available on the site, including Ruark, Hemingway and a lot of "old" Africa hunting.

Bill:

"Something of Value" is incredible. Once you read that, you need to read "Uhuru". It's not as good but it's really a sequel. While it might not appear to be so at first blush, it really is; there was apparently a problem between Ruark and the publisher. Uhuru has a lot of trash chapters, but overall, it is a very good book.

It also got him termed persona non grata to the continent ( in my opinion by Jomo Kenyata).My daughter left 2 days ago for Rwanda.She's a doctor who specialises in tropical diseases + hiv,etc.Very smart girl. Spends all here vacation time helping out in Africa or Haiti.Proud of her.

Just returned to this post after a long absence. Norman Conquest, I am very impressed by your daughter and you should be very proud. There is a lot of work to do, and relatively few doctors would make that sacrifice.