The tree where man was bornIn this classic volume, Matthiessen exquisitely combines both nature and travel writing to bring East Africa to vivid life. He skillfully portrays the daily lives of herdsmen and hunter-gatherers; the drama of the predator kills; the hundreds of exotic animals; the breathtaking landscapes; and the area's turbulent natural, political, and social histories. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 39
Page 109
Bushes at the kopje base began to twitch where mousebirds and bee-eaters
stilled by the hush were going on about their bright-eyed business, and agama
lizards, stone eyes glittering, materialized upon the rock. The males were a
brilliant ...
Bushes at the kopje base began to twitch where mousebirds and bee-eaters
stilled by the hush were going on about their bright-eyed business, and agama
lizards, stone eyes glittering, materialized upon the rock. The males were a
brilliant ...
Page 122
... in south-central Tanzania, which came to a prompt halt when an investigation
was begun: "Too many eyes are watching now," said a Turu chief.13 Another
chief in the same region predicted to a British District Officer that elephants would
...
... in south-central Tanzania, which came to a prompt halt when an investigation
was begun: "Too many eyes are watching now," said a Turu chief.13 Another
chief in the same region predicted to a British District Officer that elephants would
...
Page 139
But when two strangers meet, there seems to be a waiting period, while fear
settles. One sinks into the grass at a little distance, and for a long time they watch
each other, and their sad eyes, unblinking, never move. The gaze is the warning,
...
But when two strangers meet, there seems to be a waiting period, while fear
settles. One sinks into the grass at a little distance, and for a long time they watch
each other, and their sad eyes, unblinking, never move. The gaze is the warning,
...
What people are saying - Write a review
User ratings
| 5 stars |
| ||
| 4 stars |
| ||
| 3 stars |
| ||
| 2 stars |
| ||
| 1 star |
|
LibraryThing Review
User Review - ljhliesl - LibraryThingI saw this title in my goodreads feed because a goodsreads-only acquaintance added it her to-read list without commentary. I immediately requested it from the library. Most of the books I read before ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - satyridae - LibraryThingLovely prose, absolutely gorgeous words. Why did I have to stumble over this? Why did no one ever say to me, "Hey, you read all that nature stuff, there's this guy you positively have to read!" I ... Read full review
Contents
The Tree Where Man Was Born | 21 |
White Highlands | 31 |
Northwest Frontier | 49 |
Copyright | |
7 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
acacia animals arrow Bantu baobab Barabaig birds buffalo bush camp cattle century climb clouds Crater Highlands crossed dark dead desert dogs Dorobo ears earth East Africa elephant Enderlein Engaruka escarpment eyes feet fire forest gazelle George Schaller Gidabembe Giga grass Hadza Hamitic head herd herdsmen hide hills hunters hunting huts hyena Iain Isanzu Kamba Kenya Kikuyu killed Kopjes Lake Lake Natron Land Rover Lengai leopard light lion Llo-molo Maasai Maasai Land Magadi Magandula Mangati Manyara Mbulu Meru miles mountain Myles Nairobi Nangai Natron Ngorongoro night Nile numbers Ol Doinyo Lengai park plain rain region rhino river rock safari Samburu Schaller Serengeti Seronera shadow Sipunga Sonjo spears stone stood strange Sudan Tanzania thorn tion track trees tribes truck Tsavo tsetse Turkana turned valley Vesey volcano vultures wild wildebeest wind wood Yaida Chini zebra
Bibliographic information
| Title | The tree where man was born |
| Authors | Peter Matthiessen, Eliot Porter |
| Illustrated by | Eliot Porter |
| Publisher | Dutton, 1972 |
| Original from | the University of Virginia |
| Digitized | 1 Oct 2008 |
| Length | 247 pages |
| Subjects | › › Africa Africa, East Animal ecology Animals History / Africa / General Natural history Nature / General Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural Zoology |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |