On Wings Of Fire By Lawrence G. Green
On Wings Of Fire (Collectible True First Edition in New Protective Sleeve)
A Fascinating First Printing Chronicling the Extraordinary Personalities, Solitary Communities, and Flamingo Solitudes Along the Desert Coastline from Swakopmund to the Cape
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: On Wings of Fire
- Subtitle: A Narrative of Odd and Unusual Characters and Queer, Remote Places Along the Flamingo Coast from Swakopmund to the Cape
- Author: Lawrence G. Green
- Publisher: Howard Timmins Ltd, Cape Town
- Publication Date: 1967
- ISBN: Not Applicable (Pre-ISBN Era / Issued Without ISBN)
- Edition Details: True First Edition, First Printing. The original hardcover print cycle produced by Citadel Press for Howard Timmins.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium hardcover cream cloth boards with custom red spine panels.
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 249 pages enriched with a full-colour photographic frontispiece and central text illustrations.
- Language: English.
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Used – Very Good (VG)
- Exterior / Boards: The original cloth covers are beautifully preserved, remaining completely flat, square, clean, and rigid. The spine remains entirely undamaged, crisp, solid, and robustly bound.
- Interior: Outstanding. The condition of the pages is exceptionally clean, crisp, and fully intact. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Free of standard user highlighting, dealer pencil checkmarks, or marginal annotations.
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The Dust Jacket: Used – Very Good (VG)
- Report: The original pictorial dust jacket has been highly looked after, presenting in very good condition with only some light, completely authentic age-related wear along the edge margins and corner tips. It is now beautifully stabilized, preserved, and protected behind a brand-new clear cellophane cover.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1967, On Wings of Fire was originally inspired by a memorable scene observed in the beer garden of a small café in Swakopmund when Lawrence Green first traveled through South West Africa (modern-day Namibia) many years ago. Seamlessly blending travel writing, natural history, and personal memoir, this volume covers a thousand miles of harsh desert coastline. Rather than focusing purely on birds, it chronicles the remarkable, colourful personalities and odd characters who made their homes in the most isolated corners of the territory. From tracing how ancient Bushmen survived in an unforgiving climate to mapping out the magnificent flamingo solitudes along the Cape West Coast, this true first printing stands as an invaluable record of mid-century heritage preservation.
Author Profile: Lawrence G. Green
Lawrence George Green (1900–1972) ranks as one of the most prolific and widely read authors, journalists, and travel biographers to come out of Africa. Over his legendary career, he penned 34 books, spending decades undertaking immersive field expeditions across Southern Africa to capture the changing folklore, hidden wilderness regions, and eccentric characters of the continent with an exceptionally accessible and deeply engaging prose style.
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