I was unsure of buying this book because I have seen too many coffee table books that are almost generic in their content, with photographs that look so perfect as to be unremarkable and accompanying text that does really inform. The Rift - Scar of Africa is visually absolutely a feast of interesting, captivating photographs that you cannot just glance at. You can study them and get yourself lost. And the text is fantastic. "So much to read, so little time". I actually gave this book to my husband as a gift, and now I'm impatiently waiting my turn to enjoy it. You'll be doing yourself a great service by buying this book - it is SO informative and Shem's photographs just brilliant. I have one complaint though, but not about the book. Whoever packs and distributes need to pull up their socks. My book arrived loose in a box, with no protective packing material, and no "handle with care" stickers. The box was crushed and broken. For such a special, beautiful book, that also weighs a lot, I would have expected more careful packing. This, I felt, let HPH down, and should be addressed.
We have a few of the self-drive series and this book is just as good as all the rest. Lots of information. Well researched. Great photos. All in all a good book.
I've let Heinrich know the facts in the book are not accurate regarding Nieuwoudtville's flower season
I am about halfway finished with Greg du Toit's Wilderness Dreams, and I can't seem to get any work done for wanting to stop and read this book. It is so interesting, compelling, and funny! This man has had a lifetime of experience in the African bush, beginning when he was just a lad, and his description of his experiences working as a gofer in a walking safari trails camp are delightful, hysterical, and terrifying, all in one. I would recommend this book to any armchair adventurer who likes a fast-paced story as well as to folks who know Greg's work and can appreciate what it has taken to get him where he is today, a superb and acclaimed wildlife photographer.