The habits of the lion and the elephant, with anecdotes of their pursuit, mainly in South Africa.

Frederick Courteney Selous (1851-1917) was a British explorer, hunter and conservationist, and is most remembered for his activities in Southeast Africa. Selous explored lesser-known areas, where he recorded ethnographic notes and collected specimens. ‘Big Game Shooting’, published in 1894, is an anecdotal account that chronicles his experiences of hunting the lion in South Africa, and offers a personal insight into late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century game hunting practices. It would suit anyone with an interest in the culture of hunting from that period, from the historian to the enthusiast. This vintage text is being republished in a high quality, modern and affordable edition, complete with the original artwork and a specially written concise biography.

Kruger National Park is known as the Eden of South Africa. Here, wildlife exists in a natural state and during the day time, more than one million tourists a year wonder at the elephants, antelope, rhinos and lions. Night time is a different story. It is then that the lions of Kruger seek out refugees from Mozambique -- and prey upon them as if they were zebra or impala. What causes this phenomenon, which may have claimed thousands of human lives? There are many answers, but the apartheid history of South Africa, still impacting the nation years after its demise, is a chief suspect.

The Serengeti is one of the world's most renowned ecosystems, and at its apex prowls the Serengeti Lion. These majestic mammals are iconic, and integral, and also in constant danger from encroaching humans. Craig Packer is among the unique species that has spent a lifetime ensuring the study and perpetuity of these dark maned cats. He has dedicated countless research hours and dollars to the coexistence of humans and wildlife in the Serengeti. He has even proposed ways of using lion hunting to ensure their value, and hence their protection. "Lions in the Balance "takes us into the red-in-tooth-and-claw world of lion conservation. It is an incredibly candid, entertaining, and at points alarming look at what the future of the Serengeti lions entails, and how the politics of conservation require survival strategies far more creative and powerful than what animals (humans included) on the savannas must possess. A sequel to Mr. Packer's "Into Africa, "this diary based chronicle of the past decade draws readers along the dusty trails and into the spectacular sunsets of the Serengeti. Through his experiences we learn that female lions prefer their male manes dark and long, that lion attacks on humans most commonly occur during the full moon cycles, and that citizen science is shaping the world--Packer's initiative Snapshot Serengeti has helped engage globally, and locally, and has identified thousands of images of the Serengeti. The narrative moves from Arusha to the Serengeti to Washington DC, and with some temporal hopping, as often the stories are as rich and multilayered as the Serengeti ecosystem. And Mr. Packer demonstrates that he possesses himself a bit of cat, having needed nearly nine lives to persist in the ever dynamic and vexed world of conservation in Africa.