I Speak of Africa by Shan Varty & Molly Buchanan

I Speak of Africa (First Edition, First Impression in Dust Jacket)

The Illustrated Story of Londolozi Game Reserve and the Varty Family, from 1926 to 1996

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: I Speak of Africa: The Story of Londolozi Game Reserve 1926 — 1996
• Authors: Shan Varty & Molly Buchanan
• Publisher: Londolozi Publishers
• Publication Date: 1997
• ISBN-13: 9780620206464
• ISBN-10: 0620206462
• Edition Details: First Edition, First Impression.
• Binding: Publisher's green cloth-covered boards in a glossy photographic dust jacket.
• Physical Format: Large, near-square illustrated hardcover, 216 pages. Illustrated in colour throughout.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
• Exterior / Boards: The green cloth boards show no obvious damage at the visible edge. Corners and edges have not been closely assessed.
• Interior: The title page and copyright page are clean and bright, with no visible marks.
• The Dust Jacket: Present. The glossy photographic jacket is clean and bright across front, spine and back, with a leopard on the front and a lion on the back. There is slight whitish scuffing near the lower right of the back panel and a small white fleck near the foot of the spine. Protected in a Mylar sleeve.

Synopsis & Historical Value

I Speak of Africa: The Story of Londolozi Game Reserve 1926 - 1996 is the illustrated history of one of South Africa's best-known private game reserves, set in the Sabi Sand beside the Kruger National Park. Published by Londolozi Publishers in 1997, it is a lavishly photographed volume in the large coffee-table format.

The narrative opens in 1926, when Charles Varty and Frank Unger bought the farm Sparta on the Sand River, and follows the reserve through seventy years of development and conservation. It is, in effect, the story of the Varty family and their role in shaping Londolozi.

For collectors of Africana, wildlife and conservation literature, this is a first edition, first impression copy still in its original photographic dust jacket, an important record of the history of South African game reserves and the growth of conservation tourism.

Author Profile: Shan Varty & Molly Buchanan

Shan Varty is a director of Londolozi Publications and a full partner in Londolozi, together with her husband Dave Varty. I Speak of Africa was her first book. With Molly Buchanan she later co-authored The Return: The Story of Phinda Game Reserve (2000).

Molly Buchanan has travelled widely in sub-Saharan Africa and is the co-author of this history.

I Speak of Africa Londolozi · Londolozi Game Reserve history · Shan Varty Molly Buchanan · Varty family Londolozi book · Sabi Sand game reserve history · first edition Africana wildlife book · South African conservation book