-
South African Birds by name – Origins and Meanings
R400.00What’s in a name? As birding grows in popularity, more and more people are beginning to appreciate that birds carry not only ecological significance but represent unique stories, embedded in the names they’ve been given. South African Birds by Name provides insight into the origins and meanings of these ‘scientific’ names, mostly rooted in Greek and Latin, helping readers to make sense of the species they are looking at.
Eddie Germiquet has paintakingly researched historic explorer accounts, indigenous names, ancient mythologies and early science writings to demystify and simplify the nomenclature. Where a name derives from a physical attribute of the bird, he has drawn a captivating illustration to depict it. Names deriving from explorers, biologists and other historical figures are also explained, uncovering some fascinating histories.
-
Pollinators, Predators & Parasites
R680.00Pollinators, parasites, predators, decomposers – insects arguably play the most important roles in the functioning of the Earth’s ecosystems.
This lavishly illustrated and highly authoritative book is structured around southern Africa’s 13 distinct biomes; it
- reflects the essential role insects play in most ecological processes such as pollination, predation, parasitism, soil modification and nutrient recycling;
- details how they serve as food for multitudes of other organisms, including bacteria and fungi, as well as specially adapted plants, insect-feeding arthropods, reptiles, birds and mammals;
- depicts the insects and phenomena described in some 1,600 photographs that accompany the accessible text;
- highlights the crucial role insects play as ecosystem service providers, giving intimate insight into the beauty and importance of insects in the natural world.
- includes a guide to each of the 25 insect orders found in southern Africa, with images showing their diagnostic characters.
This key publication detailing the latest research in the field of entomology will appeal to academics and nature enthusiasts alike.
Also available in E-book format
  
  
-
My South African ABC
R190.00A lively book to learn your ABC but also a colourfully illustrated guide to South Africa, its celebrated places and well-known objects.
Seasoned illustrator Sandy Lightley’s bright illustrations bring the country to life while fostering an awareness of sounds and letters. There are fun questions about the elements on each page; and a parents’ guide at the back, with addresses and contact numbers, outlines key activities and places of interest, and will facilitate visits to the major sights and attractions.
Aimed at tourists and locals alike, this vibrant book will delight and inform.
-
Ardmore: We are because of others HB
R720.00Giraffe stretch out their necks and bat-eared foxes curl their tails to make handles for jugs, vases and tureens. Inquisitive monkeys peer over the edge of a planter, teasing the leopards below them. Magical creatures wear cloaks of flowers, spots and stripes; a turbanned Zulu figure sits astride a hippo…
Colourful, imaginative, vibrant, delicate and dramatic – these are just some of the hallmarks of the artworks that have garnered international accolades for Ardmore Ceramic Art in rural KwaZulu-Natal. It is here, in South Africa’s most successful ceramics studio set in the verdant Midlands, that exquisitely handcrafted and highly detailed figurative works and functional ware are created by more than fifty artists who draw on Zulu traditions and folklore, history, the natural world, and their own lives for inspiration.
In turn, it is the lives of the sculptors and painters of Ardmore that fire the vision of the woman behind it all: Fée Halsted is an artist whose love of teaching and determination to fight poverty and AIDS have set others on the path of creative self-discovery and ultimately worldwide acclaim.
Ardmore – We Are Because of Others tells the extraordinary story of this famous studio – from its humble beginnings in a poverty-stricken corner of South Africa to its fame as a producer of exceptional and irresistible objets d’art prized by collectors, galleries and museums throughout the world. It is also the story of the indomitable Fée Halsted who is the driving force behind the enterprise, and the artists whose inventive spirit and fearless creativity are at the heart of Ardmore.
-
Secret Namibia HB
R420.00Namibia is a vast, ancient place, its legacy and endless expanse of desert sand fringed by coastal plain and rugged mountain terrain, and dotted with geological wonders that remain the country’s most impressive features. Intrigued by the scenic splendour and entranced by the everchanging landscape that emerges beyond every corner, every towering dune and every mountaintop, Lily and Marcel Jouve travelled the length and breadth of the country to discover the varying facets of the land and its geology. In Secret Namibia, they share their exploration of the terrain, and reveal its secrets – from the geomorphological make-up to the best routes to follow and the finest places to stay. From the famed Spitzkoppe to Kaokoland, Etosha National Park to the Fish River Canyon, Sossusvlei to Sandwich Harbour, this is Namibia through their lens, their celebration of its rock and sand, valley, canyon and plain – and the unique flora and fauna found in these landscapes. Secret Namibia is an invitation to discover, through word and image, the intriguing natural features of this wild country.
-
African Wildlife Alphabet Number Book HB
R260.00Aimed at 3 to 5 year olds, this book introduces the alphabet and basic numbers and counting through the theme of African wildlife and nature. Fully illustrated throughout, it features several single words to represent each letter from A to Z, and wildlife themes to introduce counting (e.g. six scorpions; ten terrapins, etc.). Colourful scenes of the African bushveld, the coast, night-time and river themes reinforce words encountered earlier in the book and help young children to test their knowledge while learning about the environment. Simple activities follow in which children can identify the animals they have seen, match animals to their shapes, identify animal hides, and learn comparisons.
