River of gold is the story of South Africa’s most iconic river, described by Rudyard Kipling as the ‘great, grey, green, greasy Limpopo all set about with fever trees’. Here for the first time is the only full account of this river’s history, its ancient past, wildlife, landscapes, early kingdoms and their people, warfare, trade, slaves, 19th-century hunting, travel and adventures and the conservation efforts of four national parks of which the renowned Kruger National Park is one. The book (and the river) encompasses two world heritage sites, two Transfrontier conservation areas, private game reserves, some of the richest rock art sites in southern Africa with the river’s ‘source’ centred at the site of the world’s richest gold deposits ever discovered, Johannesburg. After 1750 km, this amazing river, which to early travellers had neither a beginning nor an end, sharing a border with four southern Africa countries, enters the Indian Ocean 50 km southeast of the town of Xai Xai in Mozambique, first recorded by Vincent Erskine in 1869. Two of the authors, Clive Walker and Peter Norton, in their quest to unearth its secrets have travelled the length of the river from its source to the sea. Not in one journey but several over a number of years while at the same time photographing its unique landscapes, wildlife and people. Only two works have ever been published about the river. The first by Carl Birkby in 1939, Limpopo journey, a journalist and war correspondent, and the artist Walter Battiss in 1965, simply titled Limpopo. Both accounts concentrated on the author’s impressions and journeys along sections of the river. River of gold is to be published by Jacana Media, in full colour with some 200 images, numerous sketches, maps and an afterword by Dr John Ledger. This long-awaited publication comes at a critical time with the growing concern for the country’s water resources, threats to our rivers, wetlands and catchment areas, loss of municipal water through aging infrastructure and contamination through sewage outflow. Add climate change to the mix and the prospects grow dimmer. If this publication can reveal the magnificence of one of our prime rivers and draw attention to its unique biodiversity and history, this publication will reveal information previously unknown and draw attention to rivers and wetlands and the vital need to conserve them.

From the hair of a famous dead poet to botanical ornaments and meat pies, the subjects of this book are dynamic, organic artifacts. A cross-disciplinary collection of essays, Organic Supplements examines the interlaced relationships between natural things and human beings in early modern and eighteenth-century Europe. The material qualities of things as living organisms - and things that originate from living organisms - enabled a range of critical actions and experiences to take place for the people who wore, used, consumed, or perceived them.

Spring is nature's season of rebirth and rejuvenation. Earth's northern hemisphere tilts towards the sun, winter yields to intensifying light and warmth, and a wild, elemental beauty transforms the Highland landscape and a repertoire of islands from Colonsay to Lindisfarne. Jim Crumley chronicles the wonder, tumult and spectacle of that transformation, but he shows too that it is no Wordsworthian idyll that unfolds. Climate chaos brings unwanted drama to the lives of badger and fox, seal and seabird and raptor, pine marten and sand martin. Jim lays bare the impact of global warming and urges us all towards a more daring conservation vision that embraces everything from the mountain treeline to a second spring for the wolf.

'I loved this book... An exhilarating romp through Orwell's life and times' Margaret Atwood 'Expansive and thought-provoking' Independent Outside my work the thing I care most about is gardening - George Orwell Inspired by her encounter with the surviving roses that Orwell is said to have planted in his cottage in Hertfordshire, Rebecca Solnit explores how his involvement with plants, particularly flowers, illuminates his other commitments as a writer and antifascist, and the intertwined politics of nature and power. Following his journey from the coal mines of England to taking up arms in the Spanish Civil War; from his prescient critique of Stalin to his analysis of the relationship between lies and authoritarianism, Solnit finds a more hopeful Orwell, whose love of nature pulses through his work and actions. And in her dialogue with the author, she makes fascinating forays into colonial legacies in the flower garden, discovers photographer Tina Modotti's roses, reveals Stalin's obsession with growing lemons in impossibly cold conditions, and exposes the brutal rose industry in Colombia. A fresh reading of a towering figure of the 20th century which finds solace and solutions for the political and environmental challenges we face today, Orwell's Roses is a remarkable reflection on pleasure, beauty, and joy as acts of resistance. 'Luminous...It is efflorescent, a study that seeds and blooms, propagates thoughts, and tends to historical associations' New Statesman 'A genuinely extraordinary mind, whose curiosity, intelligence and willingness to learn seem unbounded' Irish Times

For many Americans, Katrina's deadly destructiveness offered a first harrowing lesson in the power of hurricanes. For those living along the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico, Katrina was one more disastrous encounter with an overwhelming force of nature. As evidence mounts that these tropical cyclones will only grow more frequent and intense, this book offers a much-needed opportunity to understand the workings of hurricanes. Two recognized authorities on climate and weather gives readers a close look at hurricanes past and present, from the historic Galveston storm of 1900 to the devastating Katrina. Along with near-incredible stories of damage wreaked and lives altered, this book provides a clear and concise introduction to the mechanics of the storms. In scientifically accurate but easily comprehensible terms, the authors explain the formidable wind speed, the heavy rains, and the eye of the hurricane, all accompanied by detailed diagrams and spectacular color photographs. Their work makes it possible for readers to make informed decisions about a natural phenomenon that increasingly affects our lives.