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DESERT ADVENTURE
240 pages Large format. Lavishly illustrated. Full color throughout, Desert Adventure describes a year long journey made by wilderness artist Paul Augustinus through the rich diversity of the desert landscapes of the Namib and Kalahari. Infused with the spirit of adventure. It is an odyssey in search of southern Africa's last remnants of unspoiled and untamed wilderness. The artist's own story is enlivened and given substance by the inclusion of narratives from the explorers of the past, one of whom described traveling in Africa as requiring "the endurance of a camel and the courage of a lion".
The journey begins at the edge of the wilderness, among the dunes of Sossusvlei and continues through Walvis Bay and the delights of Swakopmund into the lonely, rugged scenery of the Kaokoveld. Through the artists eyes, we see a land of mountains, vast plains, and dry riverbeds inhabited by a myriad of wildlife. The reader shares the excitement of being surprised by elephants close to the camp at night, and the thrill of encountering the rare desert rhino, and gaze at the ancient rock-engravings at Twyfelfontein. Leaving the arid grandeur of the Kaokoveld, the reader is taken to a world of dazzling dunes and a turbulent ocean - the Skeleton Coast - and is regaled with stories of coastal lions and desert elephants, and the many shipwrecks still visible on the beaches.
After the freedom of the wilderness, the Etosha National Park, where nature is 'controlled' by man, appears tame by comparison, but this lack is more than made up for by the abundance of wildlife and the drama of their encounters. Lion and cheetah chases and the competitive interactions between elephant, rhino and lion around the waterholes are vividly captured by the words, brushes and camera of the author.

Price and ordering details from Acorn Books, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Contact person Elanor Mary Cadell.
Tel ++27 11 8805768
E- mail - acorbook@iafrica.com