Portraits of the Game and Wild Animals of Southern Africa Captain W Cornwallis Harris 144pp; 330 X 245-mm; 32 prints of hand-coloured plates of game, 45 b/w lithographs; Hardback pictorial; ISBN 0-9470-2004-7; non-fiction. Redesign of the original portfolio edition published in 1840

Imagine Africa 164 years ago, in 1836. North Africa had been well known to the civilised West since Roman times and before, but south of the great desert, other than settlements on the east and west coasts, it was truly the dark continent, vast mysterious and unknown.

Hunters, mostly Boers, but some Englishmen as well, had undoubtedly penetrated far north into the interior, but either because they could not or were just not interested, few had left written records of their travels and even fewer had left artistic records. Stories of the wildlife paradise that the plains of southern Africa were, had filtered through to the outside world, but there were minimal specimens to be found in the natural history museums and even less live ones in the zoos to confirm the existence of these many wondrous species. A Frenchman, M Le Vaillant, had towards the end of the 18^th Century included sketches of the giraffe in his book; but he was derided in Europe as a charlatan.

Capt William (later Sir William) Cornwallis Harris, an Indian Army officer, led a party into the interior in September 1836. His prime purpose, as can be read in the pages of this book, was to hunt, and this he most certainly did. His actions in killing during the chase a vast number and a great variety of animals, would, in this a different age, be frowned on - but times were not the same then and no one would have believed most species of African game animals would one day face extinction.

The first edition of this book published in 1840, comprised a mere 500 copies. Its beauty has made it the rarest, most sought after, as well as the most expensive piece of Africana ever published. Since then two further limited editions have been published - expensive editions for the specialist collector - which has ensured this outstanding work on African wildlife has remained virtually unknown to the average man-in-the-street, to whom the heritage of Africa must truly belong. It is for them that this Galago edition was produced.

...

Media reviews:

It is a marvelous record of 19^th century South Africa and a treasury of wildlife.
Daily Despatch - Durban

Cornwallis Harris, the poet, not only accurately described the natural behaviour of the animals in verse, but also succeeds in capturing the true nature of his subjects. Wonderful reproductions of hand-coloured lithographs of game.
Excellence - Johannesburg

The first properly documented record of the wildlife of the sub-continent with verbal descriptions and watercolours of great sensitivity.
The Daily News - Durban

A magnificent piece of Africana . . .
SABC - Sunday at Home

........