African Wildlife & Environment Issue 85

GOOD READS

Atlantic Odysseys Norman, Nick (2023). Woodpecker Mystery . The Inevitability of the Impossible. Soft cover, 18 x 24 cm, 232 pp, illustrated with colour and black and white photographs, diagrams and maps. ISBN 978-0-6397- 476-1. The Franschhoek Press, distributed by Protea Distributors, Cape Town. RRP: R295. The subtitle refers to an aphorism ascribed to Sherlock The

Africa a number of times to meet with numerous individuals and organisations that he believed could add value to his project. Again, the list of people he met is another veritable Who’s Who, including his hero and mentor, Dr Ian Player, John Hume (owner of the biggest herd of rhinos in the world), Major General Johan Jooste (head of anti-poaching at SANParks), TK Khama in Botswana, numerous park managers, veterinarians and wildlife capture specialists… the list goes on and on. This book is an absorbing story of human aspirations and expectations, of

good, bad and surprising outcomes. A ‘crash’ is the collective noun for a group of rhinos, and wild rhino populations in Africa are in grave danger of crashing. Regrettably Ray Dearlove’s Australian dream also crashed and burned. He certainly did not deserve the runaround he was given.

Holmes: “ When you have eliminated all that is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” This book is the story of Nick Norman’s personal search for the truth of how some plants and birds found in both Africa and South America, separated by the seemingly vast and inhospitable Atlantic Ocean, are close relatives of one another.

THE WONDERS OF DESERT LIFE: A COMPELLING, IN-DEPTH READ THE LIVING DESERTS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA Barry Lovegrove

A DEFINITIVE NEW EDITION OF A CLASSIC AVAILABLE AT LEADING BOOKSTORES NATIONWIDE & ONLINE

Join the Struik Nature Club for online talks and events, special offers, prizes and upcoming natural history publications: www.struiknatureclub.co.za

8 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 85 (2024)

Struik Nature_African Wildlife Print Advert 01_JAN22_210x148.indd 1

2021/12/08 17:11