Spike Camp

Who made Africa so fascinating for us -- Africa, The Golden Age till Present

DHE

Hello fellow board members;

Who's lives and writings, past through present, made Africa so fascinating a place to dream about to you?

Now, close your eyes and think an few minutes and imagine that you could literally call back anyone from Africa's past Golden Age up through living persons today.  You could spend a day with that person, then the next day the next one on your list would be your guide. You would see Africa from their eyes and experience their lives and sensations.  What men and women would you choose to experience Africa with?

Pick whomever, YOU WANT, even if that name has already been mentioned.  Your list can be longer or shorter than pervious list.  What this tread is really about is getting to know YOU and how you think.

I'll start off:

(1) Robert C. Ruark
(2) Peter H. Capstick
(3) Harry Selby
(4) Isak Dinesan (Karen Blixen)
(5) Beryl Markham
(6) Mary H. Kingsley
(7) Denys Finch-Hatton
(8) Bror Von Blixen
(9) Craig Boddington
(10) Terry Wieland
(11) David Livingston
(12) Dr. Albert Schweitzer
(13) Paul von Lettow
(14) Richard Meinertzhagen
(15) John H. Patterson

There are many others for me, but, I'll stop here.  They are in the exact order of whom I would want to spend a day with. Now, how about YOU?  Who would you have liked to have spent a day in Africa with? 

The main thing here is to become acquainted with you and your taste, so "name away" please.

DHE
 

I think you should include Ernest Hemingway. Green Hills of Africa is an awesome book and
the chapters on Kudu make me dream about hunting them someday.

The other books are good.
I like Use enough Gun and Horn of the Hunter by Robert Ruark as well.

Sincerely,

Thomas
Sincerely,

Thomas

Twud

Capstick, because he was such a character. I met him at the SCI show in Vegas and the first thing he wants to do is sell me his books, most of which I already owned. RIP
Ruark, because he was such a traditionalist, and you'd get to hunt with Harry Selby.
Jeff Cooper, because I would like to have known the man.
Walter "Karamojo" Bell, because I would loved to have seen him drop an Elephant with a 257.
Teddy Roosevelt, because his safaris were such grand productions and was also a character.

How come all the guys I want to hunt with are dead?

jeremyveach

Your picks are great, but would have to add Alexander Lake because of his love for the African natives and for the land itself. I would have to add the contriversial John "Ponduro" Taylor. That guy loved to hunt for the sake of hunting, but I do think that he was a little wastfull of game. I love to read Ruark, but sometimes I think that he was more interested in cocktail hour than the hunt itself. One person that I admire probably more than any other hunter is Jim Corbett, He is most well known for his adventures in India, but did quit a lot of hunting in Africa as his family owned a plantation there and his sister lived there and ran it.

steve65

Here is 3 of mine
PHILIP HOPE PERCIVAL
JOHN ALEXANDER HUNTER
JOHN HENRY SELBY

Cheers
Steve

skyline

John A. Hunter
Owen Letcher

jiminnc

I'd have to dream to be with T.R., he'd take aim at rhino-elephant-lion and gazelle, and the gazelle would be wonderful and flavourful too!
And I couldn't leave out Lewis Puller, if anyone got bored he'd tell of tales of his hunts in Haiti and his expertise with weapons and men. And probably a tiger hunted or two.

good night Chesty, wherever you are!

ray264

Roy Weatherby ,Craig Boddington,Capstick, what a safari....Ray264

JB257460

Here's mine:
1.  Roy Weatherby
2.  Craig Boddington
3.  Harry Selby
4.  Selous
5.  John Taylor

Myke77

Teddy Roosevelt, bodington, roy weatherby(just because he was ballsy enough to use his cartidges when everybody told him to use the old boring ones)

derekwest

Hi all,

This got tough after you all named the best but if you have the time read "Two Hearts, One Passion" by Brooke Chilverslubin.  Good hunting, good writing & a good story. 

beavcrk

Hemingway
Capstick
Hunter
Bell
Weatherby

armchairhunter

In Order:
H.I.H. Prince Abdorreza Pahlavi
CJ McElroy
Watson. Yoshimoto
Bert Klineberger

safarigeorge

mine would have to be: capstick, bert klineburger,cj mcelroy, bunny allen and tony sanchez

Milgauss

Most of  the names mentioned have made Africa glamorous to Brits and Euros, but for Americans, espcially in the 20th century, the two most prominent were Teddy Roosevelt and H. Rider Haggard, their writings fired the imaginations of countless boys who read the serials in Colliers and Boys Life in the teens and twenties - in those days Hemmingway and rest were only read by the elites.  In the 50's Hollywood brought Haggard's classic "King Solomon's Mines" to the screen - a brilliant Technicolor classic and still the best yarn about Africa - hence another generation got Africa fever. It's at this time that Roy Weather comes on the scene with his drop dead "California Style" rifle Hollywood style marketing.  The rest is history.