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 56
Page 87
This eastern region of the plain lies in the rain shadow of the Crater Highlands,
and is very dry. In winter, Serengeti days are made by the prevailing southeast
winds, which lose their precipitation when they strike the east wall of the
Highlands; ...
This eastern region of the plain lies in the rain shadow of the Crater Highlands,
and is very dry. In winter, Serengeti days are made by the prevailing southeast
winds, which lose their precipitation when they strike the east wall of the
Highlands; ...
Page 105
But one calf older than the rest sprang away before the dog and made a brave
run across the plain in stiff-legged long bounces, known as "pronking," in which
all four hooves strike the ground at once. Like the electric flickering of the flank ...
But one calf older than the rest sprang away before the dog and made a brave
run across the plain in stiff-legged long bounces, known as "pronking," in which
all four hooves strike the ground at once. Like the electric flickering of the flank ...
Page 107
I could still see it — I can still see it to this day — a thin still thing come to a halt at
last on the silent plain. The unseasonal rains of late January continued into
February, falling mostly in late afternoon and in the night; many days had a high ...
I could still see it — I can still see it to this day — a thin still thing come to a halt at
last on the silent plain. The unseasonal rains of late January continued into
February, falling mostly in late afternoon and in the night; many days had a high ...
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 |