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Veld: Gardens & Landscapes of Patrick Watson
Patrick Watson is currently South Africa’s most innovative and versatile landscape architect. Known for designing extensive mega-sites, such as Sun City and an entire Indian Ocean Island, he is also the creator of exquisite small home gardens and quiet spaces for reflection, such as at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. A highly sought-after designer, he has created over 200 gardens in Africa and many others elsewhere.
He seldom works from carefully drawn plans, instead combining artistic intuition with extensive botanical knowledge and a deep concern for the conservation and restoration of nature. His projects are creative, fresh with inspiration, and often bold, and he uses mostly indigenous plants, colours, landforms and space to create visual and emotional experiences.
Covering 23 gardens and landscapes, and richly supported by exquisite photographs and specially commissioned artworks, Veld is a beautiful tribute to a remarkable talent and visionary whose work is deeply informed by nature. It recognises and celebrates the combination of knowledge, skill and instinct that make up the man, and the radical influence he has had on his profession, and the landscapes he has restored.
R650.00R520.00 -
Kids’ Cape Town Guidebook & Activities
R170.00Filled with activities and interesting facts about Cape Town, this book covers the city’s six most popular destinations: Table Mountain, Boulders Beach, Cape Point, Robben Island, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and the V&A Waterfront. With vibrant, full-colour illustrations throughout, this guidebook brings each destination to life with child-focused trivia and educational activities, such as puzzles, mazes, crosswords, secret codes and spot-the-difference. It also advises parents and children about what to pack and what to expect at each location.
Make the most of day trips in Cape Town with this fun, activity-packed companion
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Southern African Coasts: A celebration of our ceas and chores
R190.00This book showcases the very best of the photography as judged in the Sustainable Seas Trust 2013/14 competition. The extraordinary, prize-winning photographs are accompanied by illuminating essays from leading scientists, sports people and others whose lives are intimately connected with the seas. It also serves as a call to create a South African network of Hope Spots, which are special, people-orientated marine conservation areas. The hope is that, with the close involvement of the communities that live near and depend on the seas, we can safeguard our natural resources.
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Magnificent Southern Africa
R480.00Magnificent South Africa is a celebration of one of the world’s most beautiful regions. Diversity is the single word that best sums up the nature of this land, vividly evident in its myriad landscapes and in the mix of its peoples. Here, strikingly revealed in more than 160 large-format, full-colour photographs and a concise text, are historic towns, hidden hamlets and modern cities, vast spaces and heat-hazed horizons, mountain ramparts and broad grassland plains, game-rich savanna, bushveld scrub, arid desert and emerald pastures, wild seashore and striking coastal terrace.
An informative overview of the land and its peoples, its turbulent history and its economy is followed by a series of eye-catching regional features, each focusing on a particular area and its distinctive attractions. Some, like Cape Town’s Table Mountain, the Kruger National Park, Durban’s Golden Mile, the towering heights of the Drakensberg, the Garden Route in the south and the subtropical shorelines of the east, are world-renowned; others are little known, even to South Africans.
Magnificent South Africa is an evocative profile of a fascinating country – a book for the home, the perfect gift for family and friends, and a superb memento for those who have spent time discovering South Africa for themselves.
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Kirstenbosch: Visitor’s Guide
R150.00Updated to include changing garden exhibits, this interesting guide to Cape Town’s world-famous botanical garden traces the history and development of Kirstenbosch, from its establishment in 1913 to the spectacular showcase of indigenous flora it is today. Prominent features of the garden are described, such as the protea, erica and restio gardens, the Dell, Conservatory and Camphor Avenue, as well as floral highlights of the four seasons. An updated layout map makes for easy navigating, and indicates walks and climbs that can be undertaken from the garden.
Colourful photographs portray the extraordinary beauty of the garden, both its spectacular flora and its setting against the backdrop of Table Mountain – and make this a worthy memento of a visit to Kirstenbosch.
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Kirstenbosch Most Beautiful Garden In HB
R350.00Kirstenbosch is a name that resonates round the world as the home of a uniquely rich flora in a setting of unsurpassed beauty, and in 2013 Kirstenbosch celebrates its 100th anniversary. This centenary publication tells the story of its establishment, its setbacks and triumphs, its benefactors and heroes.
It outlines the Garden’s scientific eminence – as the repository of knowledge on our prized flora – and details the many attractions that make it a favourite destination for Capetonians and visitors alike.
With a finely crafted text by acclaimed ecologist Brian Huntley, and lavishly illustrated with photographs and artworks that tell the history and reflect the beauty of the Garden, this will be a sought-after volume – a quality memento for visitors to Kirstenbosch and a keepsake for the many thousands of locals who flock there annually. Beautifully presented in a colourful dustjacket, this book will be a tasteful, all-occasions gift, and one to cherish.
Also available: Special Boxed Edition
Click here to view some pages from inside the book!
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Hermanus Whales, Wine, Fynbos, Art HB
R320.00Set along the cliffs between mountain and sea, Hermanus is one of the most popular holiday and travel destinations in South Africa. Initially it was the abundance of fish in Walker Bay, along which the village rapidly grew, that attracted holidaymakers. Today, the stars of the bay are undoubtedly the Southern Right Whales that migrate from Antarctica to mate and calve here during the winter months. But it is not only the wonders of the sea that draw thousands of visitors to this picturesque village and surrounds year after year. Mountains, fynbos, culture, arts, crafts, country markets, adventure sports, scenic walks, golf courses, nature reserves, shark-cage diving, historical landmarks, and the vineyards and world-class wines of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley are richly described and illustrated in this lavish volume. With chapters covering all aspects of the town’s diversity, the reader will learn more about all that is so generously on offer here, and also catch a rare glimpse of the heart that drives the town: the people and communities that have shaped this favoured destination. An earlier edition of Hermanus appeared in 2008. Now republished as a new title, the book features entirely rewritten text and fresh photographs throughout, many commissioned especially for this edition.
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Discover Southern Africa
R370.00South Africa is a land of many different cultures and diverse values – a mix that is at once the root of its many challenges and the bud of its great potential. But on one thing there is general accord: this is a beautiful land, and the traveller is faced with an almost unlimited choice of what to see and do.
The canvas is kaleidoscopic; variety and contrast are vividly evident in the astonishing mix of race and language, creed, colour and culture. The diversity is there, too, in the nature of the land; in its geological formations and regional climates; its mountains, plains and coasts; its rich farmlands; and its bushveld scrub and deserts. South Africa is, truly, a world in one country.
Packed with over 500 stunning photographs, Discover South Africa introduces the reader to the country’s fascinating history, people and cultures, and the breath taking splendours of a wildlife and floral abundance that is unparalleled anywhere in the world.
Peter Joyce’s text and captions are an ideal companion to the photographs. Detailed, revealing and eminently readable, they provide a wealth of information about, and insight into, South Africa.
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Beachcombing in SA
R190.00Anyone who spends time beside the sea knows there’s a wealth of ‘treasure’ to be found, be it natural or manufactured, living or washed up. Beachcombing in South Africa is a friendly guide to the seashore’s rich pickings.
Short chapters such as Floaters and drifters, Sea-beans, Sponges, Eggs and egg cases, and many more, detail what can be found and how to interpret or identify specimens. Items may reveal links to activities or biological events in the nearby ocean – or, perhaps, thousands of miles away. They may relate to human activities, such as fish or bird tagging, or be oceanographic instruments separated from their moorings. Or they may be part of the growing menace of flotsam and jetsam from the planet’s burgeoning human population.
This book will enhance the experience of beachcombing, satisfy curiosity about finds, and contribute to a better understanding of the life in our oceans and along our shores.
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Hiking Beyond Cape Town
R320.00Hiking Beyond Cape Town opens a gateway to the myriad trails and tracks that await hikers – young and old, novice and experienced – beyond the confines of the city.
This collection of day trips outside of Cape Town features 40 trails, fanning out from the south coast to the west and covering a range of varied hikes in between. Ranging between 2 to 7 hours, the hikes are tailored for single-day trips, although a handful will require overnighting. Each hike entry includes an accurate, up-to-date route description, a map of the trail, and directions for getting to the start. In each case, an upfront summary outlines the distance, duration, grade of difficulty, and elevation of the hike, as well as other details. Striking colour photographs and observations about the plant and animal life along the route add lively interest.
A brief introduction provides expert advice on gear, planning and preparation.
An essential reference for hikers keen to explore new horizons.
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Plants of the Baviaanskloof
Tucked away in the southwestern corner of the Eastern Cape lies a narrow valley, flanked by the Baviaanskloof and Kouga mountain ranges. Named after the chacma baboons that long ago made this 200-km-long kloof their home, the Baviaanskloof is part of the Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site. It is a meeting point of several different ecosystems, with almost all of South Africa’s eight biomes represented, making for an exceptional diversity of species, including many endemics.
Plants of the Baviaanskloof describes well over 1,000 plant species. It includes:
– Succinct descriptions of each plant species with full-colour photographs
– Brief family and genus descriptions, and species counts for the area
– An introduction covering the geology, climate and vegetation types of the regionCompiled over two decades, Plants of the Baviaanskloof is sure to become an enduring record of the diversity of plant life found here. The only botanical guide for this area, it is a must-have for botanists, gardeners, road-trippers, hikers, travellers and all who have a deep interest in plants.
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Hiking Trails of Southern Africa
R360.00Featuring over 500 trails, including 60 new trails, this fully revised and updated fifth edition of Hiking Trails of South Africa is an essential resource for every hiker. This extensive guide describes a variety of trails across magnificent landscapes, from the iconic daisy fields of Namaqualand and fynbos-clad coastal plains of the Western Cape to the high peaks of the Drakensberg and the escarpment beyond. There is a trail for everyone – from hour-long hikes close to civilization to overnight hikes of several days, and everything in-between.
– Trails to suit every level of fitness and ability
– Distance and average hiking time
– Facilities, accommodation and activities available
– Fully updated booking and permit information
– Points of interest and notes on flora and fauna
– Expert advice on planning, preparation, nutrition, equipment, first aid and general safetyAn inspiring guide for all hikers – from novice to expert
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Burchell’s African Odyssey
R450.00The English naturalist William Burchell set from Cape Town in June 1811 to explore the flora and fauna of the vast southern African interior. Over a four-year period, and travelling in a custom-built ox wagon, he amassed an astonishing 63 000 specimens of plants, bulbs, insects, reptiles and mammals – many not previously documented for science – and produced more than 500 paintings and illustrations. While the outbound trek is well described in Burchell’s famous Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa, the challenges
and discoveries made on his return journey to Cape Town, from 1812-1815 have not been described. In Burchell’s African Odyssey, authors Roger Stewart and Marion Whitehead embark on a similarly daunting task – to reveal the homeward leg of
Burchell’s epic trek from the southern Kalahari via the Karoo and southern coastal belt back to Cape Town. Drawing on primary and secondary sources, including Burchell’s letters, his handwritten records archived at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the detailed
map he created to record his trek, the authors have crafted a thought-provoking and beautifully illustrated account that encompasses both the genius of the man and the natural history of the region that so intrigued him. -
Hiking Cape Town
R320.00The mountains and forests in and around Cape Town are a hiker’s paradise, offering an array of excursions to suit both new converts and seasoned mountain climbers.
Hiking Cape Town covers 35 exciting hikes on the Cape Peninsula and further afield, ranging from easy to moderate, with several more demanding trails for those who want to up their game. From classic hikes up the front face of Table Mountain and half-day hikes in the remote Cape Point, to gentle rambles along the coast and walks in mountains and nature reserves a short drive from the city, this book encompasses the area’s must-do routes.Each description specifies the approximate walking time, distance, difficulty rating and terrain. More challenging extensions to some of the routes are provided for a more strenuous workout. Full-colour maps and photographs illustrate the routes, and information boxes offer insights into interesting aspects of the specific trails.
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Geological Highlights of East African National Parks
R420.00The national parks and reserves of East Africa are widely known for their rich and abundant wildlife. This book presents a new and exciting angle – the geological highlights of the region’s intriguing landscape. East Africa’s cataclysmic volcanic legacy, caused by rifting of the landmass, has resulted in a rich source of geological wonders. These range from the seemingly endless, peaceful plains of the Serengeti to the stark skyscraper walls of extinct calderas and the belching vents of the Nyiragongo Volcano.
This handy guide escorts users around all the major – and some minor – parks of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and the Virunga Mountains along the border of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Descriptions of each park and its wildlife, both fauna and flora, preface discussion of the geological origins, influences and current conditions. Key geosites in the parks, and how to access them, are indicated. Maps, satellite images and diagrams, along with vivid photography, help explain the dramatic landforms.
For anyone planning a safari to the legendary East African game parks and reserves, this book adds an exciting new dimension. -
Stuarts’ Field Guide to National Parks & Game Reserves – Namibia | Botswana | Zimbabwe | Zambia | Malawi
R400.00The first guide ever to document and explore the diverse parks and reserves of Africa’s ‘middle belt’, it covers Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi. The region contains prized spots such as the world-famous landscapes of the Namib and Kalahari deserts, Okavango Delta, Victoria Falls and Lake Malawi, and some of Africa’s best-known conservation areas, including Etosha, Chobe, Mana Pools, Hwange, Kafue and Nyika.
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The Living Deserts of Southern Africa
R550.00For generations, the deserts of southern Africa have intrigued scientists and travellers alike. Seemingly barren wastes, they in fact teem with life – from ants to elephants, stone plants to the curious welwitschia, dainty dik-diks to towering gemsbok, and cart-wheeling spiders to fog-basking beetles. How do they cope with scarce resources, unpredictable rainfall and extreme temperatures? How do they protect themselves against predators? And what is the impact of climate change on these life forms and their habitats?
Drawing on an earlier edition, published in 1993, biologist Barry Lovegrove answers these questions and unravels many of the mysteries associated with life in the desert. He describes the four arid biomes of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana –
Desert, Arid Savanna, Succulent Karoo and Nama-Karoo – and explains how and why such a great diversity of plants, insects, mammals, reptiles and birds successfully exist in these regions. The text is supported by the most recent research, spectacular photographs, and explanatory diagrams and maps.The Living Deserts of Southern Africa is a compelling, in-depth read that is accessible to both the serious student and academic as well as the interested nature lover.
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Shaping Addo: The Story of a Southern African National Park
R390.00More than a century ago elephants in the eastern Cape were systematically hunted – until only 16 were left . Today there are 650 elephants in the Addo Elephant National Park, the densest concentration of wild elephants anywhere on the planet. While elephants are undoubtedly still the park’s top drawcard, the past four decades have seen the emphasis shift from protecting a single species to conserving five biomes and the wild animals that occupy them. Today, Addo can boast the Big Seven: elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, as well as great white shark and southern right whale.
Like Shaping Kruger, its successful predecessor, Shaping Addo expertly delves into the history of the park, detailing the positive impact that changing conservation practices have had on its development. Drawing on decades of groundbreaking research, the author provides fascinating insight into the lives and habits of the animals (both terrestrial and marine), examining individual species, the relationship between them, and the carefully crafted management strategies required to ensure the survival of all species.
Shaping Addo is an engrossing account of how a seemingly insigni cant sanctuary was transformed into an astonishingly successful mega-park, and the most ecologically diverse protected space in South Africa.
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Palaces of Stone
R280.00Across the face of southern Africa are more than 460 remarkable stone palaces – some small, others rambling, but many are astonishing. All are the legacy of kingdoms past.
Some, such as Great Zimbabwe, Khami in Botswana and Mapungubwe in South Africa, are famous world heritage sites, but the majority are unknown to the general public, unsung and unappreciated.
Palaces of Stone brings to life the history of various early African societies, from AD 900 to approximately 1850. By exploring a selection of known and unknown sites, the authors uncover the emergence of ancient civilisations and reconstruct the meaning of the ruins they left behind. Woven into the narrative are stories of powerful political states; ourishing local economies; long-distance trade; and the destruction wrought by colonialism and modern-day treasure hunters. This book will appeal to anyone interested in Africa’s ancient heritage.
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Walking Safaris
R320.00South Africa has a unique set of characteristics that make walking safaris in big game areas one of the safest and most rewarding outdoor experiences: a huge expanse of protected habitat richly populated with wildlife; excellent tourism facilities; a favourable climate; and expertly trained trail guides. Seasoned hikers, Hlengiwe Magagula and Denis Costello cover more than 50 guided walks across 21 parks and reserves in South Africa (including two in eSwatini and one in Botswana). They unpack the options available in each park, from short dawn and dusk walks and multi-day wilderness trails to backpacking trails that span several days. Facilities range from ultra-luxurious to ‘wild camping’, either in tents or under the stars. Also included is a series of first-hand accounts that vividly illustrate the magical experience of exploring the bush on foot. An advisory section gives a rundown of when to go, what to pack, what to wear, and the dos and don’ts of walking in areas with big game.
