Pocket Guide Fynbos features over 300 of the most spectacular and commonly seen species
from South Africa’s renowned floral kingdom – all in one handy, easy-to-use guide.

The species are presented in detail, with each entry featuring:

• succinct descriptions of the plant and its habitat, comparisons with similar species
• and fl owering times
• full-colour photographs and distribution maps
• floral key, using symbols to denote main identifying features
• interesting facts about species.

Southern Africa boasts a rich variety of tree species, both indigenous and exotic. Pocket Guide Trees of Southern Africa is an authoritative introduction to the region’s trees, describing and illustrating 132 species.

This publication has its origins in Van Wyk’s A Photographic Guide to Trees of Southern Africa and has been fully revised and updated by well-known authority Braam van Wyk.

Each species account highlights the key identification features, and also touches on the medicinal and commercial uses of the trees.

This compact, easy-to-use guide makes an ideal travelling companion and will help readers to become more knowledgeable about trees.

South Africa has a unique set of characteristics that make walking safaris in big game areas one of the safest and most rewarding outdoor experiences: a huge expanse of protected habitat richly populated with wildlife; excellent tourism facilities; a favourable climate; and expertly trained trail guides.

Seasoned hikers, Hlengiwe Magagula and Denis Costello cover more than 50 guided walks across 21 parks and reserves in South Africa (including two in eSwatini and one in Botswana). They unpack the options available in each park, from short dawn and dusk walks and multi-day wilderness trails to backpacking trails that span several days. Facilities range from ultra-luxurious to ‘wild camping’, either in tents or under the stars. Also included is a series of first-hand accounts that vividly illustrate the magical experience of exploring the bush on foot.

An advisory section gives a rundown of when to go, what to pack, what to wear, and the dos and don’ts of walking in areas with big game.

In this posthumously published collection of poems, Michael Wessels' passionate love for and knowledge of the natural world shines through.

The poems are about life's joyful and also painful journeys, whether physical or spiritual or emotional. The poems are about encounter. And discovery. They are testaments to a life lived to the full. A life filled with deep compassion and wisdom.

Michael Wessels was Associate Professor of English at the University of the Western-Cape. His research explored new ways of reading San oral literature and the politics of indigeneity. He published more than thirty accredited articles and chapters in books in his career. He died tragically in 2018.

This collection consists of 29 stories – 5 in English, 24 in Afrikaans. Several of the stories have been adapted from stage productions over a period of three years: BUTTERFLY, LOVESICK TIM, MOSCOW, SIX IN A BOAT, DIE SMITSTRAAT SUITE, ROME ’62 and PASSI PASSIO.

Hierdie jongste versameling van Nataniël bevat 29 stories – 5 in Engels, 24 in Afrikaans. Verskeie van die stukke is verwerk uit Nataniël-produksies oor ’n periode van drie jaar: BUTTERFLY, LOVESICK TIM, MOSCOW, SIX IN A BOAT, DIE SMITSTRAAT SUITE, ROME ’62 en PASSI PASSIO.

“Not sex please,” sê die monnik en toe hy die verbouereerde uitdrukkings op ons gesigte sien, glimlag hy gerusstellend. “Seven is better . . . OK?”

Tussen misverstande, pogings om die taal en skrif te leer en lokvalle van swendelaars wat daarop uit is om ’n vinnige yuan te maak, is daar die vriendelike vreemdelinge wat soos ’n goue draad deur Elkarien Fourie se ervarings in China loop. Hulle is die “mede”-mense wat uitstaan tussen die gedrang van miljoene in die megastede; wat aanbied om die pad saam te loop eerder as om dit net te verduidelik.

Elkarien het Confucius se voorskrif gevolg en haar hele hart saamgeneem op hierdie avontuur wat haar gekies het eerder as andersom.

SASOL First Field Guide to Common Birds of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the birdlife of the region.

With the help of full-colour photo graphs and distribution maps, and easy-to-read text, the young adult and budding naturalist will be able to identify the more common bird species found in southern Africa, discover where they live, and learn about their unique feeding and nesting habits.

Duma is at a cross roads in life. Living in an informal settlement in Soweto with his father and young sister, Duma is expected to make a contribution to the household since he does not work. The easy way has been to steal electricity cables. But when his friend gets caught, Duma decides to try a new way of life. The road to a new beginning does not come easy as he goes back to the canoe club at Power Park and he quickly learns that paddling a canoe is not as easy as he remembered. He finds himself drawn to the water and is inspired by Steve an experienced paddler who is determined and pushes himself but lately the gold has been out of reach. Duma goes out on a limb and asks Steve if they can train together for the Dusi. Will Duma and Steve's partnership in the water work out? This is an inspirational story of two men from different backgrounds, coming together to tell their story.

Hoewel Olga Kirsch die enigste Joodse stem in die Afrikaanse digkuns is, is dit skaars bekend onder lede van die Suid-Afrikaanse Joodse gemeenskap. Olga Kirsch was, na Elisabeth Eybers, maar die tweede vrou wat ‘n digbundel in Afrikaans laat verskyn het.

Die doelwit van hierdie biografie is om te keer dat haar werk vergete raak en om te wys waarom haar werk belangrik is, nie net in Suid-Afrika nie, maar ook in Israel.

Dit ondersoek nie net Kirsch se rol as Afrikaanse Joodse digter nie, maar ook haar as voorbeeld van ‘n grensoorsteker tussen kulture en veeltalige immigrante-digter. Daarom is van haar Engelse en Hebreeuse digkuns ook ingesluit in hierdie werk.

Roberts Birds of Southern Africa has been continuously in print for some 65 years and is the most popular African natural history book of all time. The scope and depth of biological information in the Seventh edition of Roberts far exceeds that of any previous edition. It covers all 951 species recorded in the region and also illustrates these in 80 new plates commissioned from the region’s best bird artists. For scientists and conservationists it is a benchmark publication and will be a standard reference for years to come. For birdwatcher it will be an invaluable source of information to help them better understand and appreciate the birds around them.

This book is the story of six years that the authors devoted to the study of an iconic large cat, the cheetah. Their study area was the large, remote, and pristine Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park on the border of Botswana and South Africa.

Their aim here is to relate what they consider to be a fascinating story about the lives of these cats in a different habitat from the one most people associate the cheetah with – a sandy desert rather than a grassy plain. They hope to entertain and inform the reader with what they learnt about the daunting challenges cheetahs face, and the wonderful adaptations cheetahs have evolved to survive in the competitive world of natural selection.

The book is divided into five parts: Part One gives the background to this adventure; the why, when, where, who and how aspects. Part Two discusses the fundamental question of what cheetahs eat and how they go about obtaining their food; the fascinating evolutionary arms race between predator and prey, some of the behavioural, physiological, and ecological ramifications, as well as the relationships of cheetahs with the other carnivores. Part Three turns to social affairs; the way cheetahs distribute themselves in the landscape, the way they find and choose mates, and the trials and tribulations of raising a family. In Part Four, the authors switch to more personal and human matters; the challenges of living and working in an isolated and infrastructurally limited environment, and two chapters written by Margie: one on their experiences with the Bushmen, the other relating a selection of memorable incidents, not specifically related to the cheetah study. The final part addresses two practical topics; the first comparing how cheetahs have adapted to two different environments: the lush Serengeti plains and the arid Kalahari, the other giving the authors' perspective on cheetah conservation.

John Stanford’s anecjokes are yarns against adversity, told with elegance and wry humour.

Spanning half a century from the 1930s to the 1980s, they range from the psychology of sheep to frozen tractor valves to ancestral aunts. Many of the same characters re-appear, forming a patchwork of stories that becomes a rich and lively portrait of both an extended family and a farming community.

New in Struik Nature’s Pocket Guide series, this book covers an astonishing 500 southern African birds yet is small enough to fit in your pocket.

It is loaded with information that makes for quick and easy bird identification:

• Colour photographs show each bird, giving both male and female images where there's a difference.
• Concise text pinpoints key identification features.
• Distribution maps locate each species in the region.
• Calendar bars show the months when the birds are more likely to be seen.
• Bird size and breeding months are indicated.
• For use at home or when travelling to new climes, this handy pocket guide will be an indispensable companion.

Uittogboek – ’n bundel wat van fyn vakmanskap, tematiese en stilistiese verskeidenheid en intellektuele diepgang getuig – is ’n hoogtepunt in die digter Johan Myburg se oeuvre. Temas soos die doodsbesef, die mens se verganklikheid en die optekening van laaste dinge word op subtiele en sensitiewe wyse benader en met ironie en humor deurspek. Die samebindende gegewe van die bundel is die Romeinse keiser Hadrianus (76–138 n.C.), en die bundel open met sy bekende sterfgedig in Latyn en Myburg se trefsekere vertaling daarvan in Afrikaans. Myburg bewys homself met hierdie publikasie as ’n digter wat nie slegs formele verse nie, maar ook vrye verse en langer prosagedigte kan skryf wat die leser op verskeie vlakke uitdaag, gevange hou en betower.

Griefseed is a gift, an offering from the pen of Malika Ndlovu that seeks to transform the ways we think about and process grief.

Multidisciplinary in scope, the text includes poems, personal essays, images, and reflections on grief that punctuate the life story of the poet, offered here as medicine. These creative pieces function as both window onto an individual woman’s life as she has journeyed with, through and beyond grief; as well as a mirror, inviting the reader to see their own lives and losses reflected within Ndlovu’s.

This invitation to sit with grief, hold it, look it in the eye, and tend to it, is also an invocation to consider multigenerational relationships – how grief cements our relationships to the past, to ancestors, to descendants. To note where grief echoes along kinship lines, spreading itself throughout the branches of family trees. How centuries of grief from our grandmothers and grandfathers lodge themselves in our own bodies, crying out for release, relief and processing. If we dare to take up this visceral knowing, grief can transform us, becoming a generative site for renewal, rethinking, recasting.

The most burning issue in South African cricketing remains hot: why have the highly talented Proteas never won the Cricket World Cup in 33 years of trying?! The answer lies in a blend of frustrating factors that Cowley calls ‘tragicomic’, and he accordingly tackles it with a mixture of serious analysis and light-heartedness, reaching a positive conclusion.

The book, divided into 53 ‘Bites’, gets its teeth into many other cricket topics, as serious as the Greatest ODI Ever Played (South Africa has two claims), or as light as some memorable instances of streaking at major matches.

Howzit! Howzat! reflects Cowley’s ever-present humour as well as the South African perspective he brings to his global view and understanding of the game.

Saffron is a Cape Town-based plant guru who is obsessed with plants, and she has over 500 of them. After years of amassing them, she put her knowledge to the test by writing "Jungle Problems," a user-friendly guide that will teach plant parents everything they need to know to keep their plants healthy and thriving.

Designed for gardener’s who want to know the secret language of their leafy friends, this fantastic guide will teach readers how to quickly diagnosing any issue with their plants, from the cause of their mysterious yellowing to the cause of their defiant wilting.

Saffron's Jungle Problems is jam-packed with helpful hints, brilliant solutions, and colourful illustrations. This is a fantastic resource which will turn any home gardener into the ultimate botanical investigator.

Natural history and travel writer David Bristow delivers the fourth in his Stories from the Veld series of non-fiction narratives.

You could say this book has a bit of everything: scientific descriptions of animals alongside philosophical discourses on the nature of wilderness, high drama in the jaws of death, and tragedy played out as farce when things go unexpectedly wrong on safari.

You’ll also find out why lions can roar so loudly, why giraffes can barely whisper, why the elephant’s trunk is one of nature’s wonders and why dung beetles study astronomy. The author examines questions featuring little-known information about nature and some of its creatures.

Then there is the quirkier stuff, like men who think they are lions, a woman who watches wolves (otherwise known as brown hyenas), and an explorer who invented his own species. And if that was not enough, there’s the man who fought off hippos and crocodiles only to be rescued by a buffalo, and a woman who lived in a tree.

Written in the same engaging style as his previous three books in the Stories from the Veld series (The Game Ranger, the Knife, the Lion and the Sheep; Of Hominins, Hunter Gatherers and Heroes; and Big Pharma, Dirty Lies, Busy Bees and Eco Activists), these bush tales are written in his usual highly entertaining style, yet are intricately woven through with scholarly insights into his subjects.

In 'n oomblik toon die hand van 'n ervare digter wie se poetika reeds gevestig is in terme van temas en tegnieke. Die digbundel verteenwoordig 'n voortsetting van die aspekte van Vos se digkuns waarvoor hy reeds lof verdien het. Op tegniese vlak is daar veral sy baie effektiewe gebruik van 'n onpretensieuse toon wat dikwels sonderlinge poetiese vondste oplewer. 'n Voorbeeld hiervan is die nuutskepping (die slinkshandige). Tegniese vernuwing vind ook plaas deur die aanwending van die epiese gedig en die tersine. Die intertekstuele gesprek met Homeros en Dante as reismotief om 'n langdurige ongeluk en operasie poeties te verwoord, is nuut in die Afrikaanse digkuns. Tydens die reis kom daar fel en verskillende emosies en ervaringe na vore. Dit word alles met die leser gedeel. Die tematiese nuutheid en aktualiteit van die bundel blyk uit die digterlike uitbeelding van die menseslagting op 13 November 2015 in Parys en vlugtelinge uit Sirie se bootreise na 'n heenkome. In die bundel kom daar diep emosies na die oppervlakte. Alles gebeur in 'n oomblik. Op die lewensreis word verskillende emosies ervaar: lig en donker, liefde en ongeluk, geboorte en die na-lewe. Die tema van verganklikheid en ouer-word is sentraal in die bundel. Die lewensreis is ook 'n taalreis. Daarom word die taalgesprek, in 'n boeiende saampraat met Konstantinos Kavafis, poeties uitgedruk. Op die leefreis is daar ook verlies. Hier kom Cas Vos se vertalings van Konstantinos Kavafis en Georgos Seferis se Griekse gedigte aan die bod. Die reis eindig egter nie in wanhoop nie, maar met uit-sig.

To both the beginner and the experienced birdwatcher, this compact guide will prove as indispensable as binoculars.

Special features:

• Updated with new bird names
• Fits your pocket
• Practical and user-friendly
• Over 400 bird species
• Excellent colour photographs
• Logical grouping of birds
• Concise biological information
• English & Afrikaans names
• Southern African bird numbers
• Distribution maps according to the new bird atlas
• Index

Over 90 000 copies of this book have been sold to avid birders from South Africa and across the world.

Op 40 voel Gerard Scholtz onfiks, vet en verveeld. Hy koop ’n tweedehandse fiets en trap saam met sy vrou Anuta die Argus tot hulle gereed is om verder te reis.

Van St Petersburg tot Moskou; die lengte en breedte van Frankryk; oor die Alpe, oor die groot riviere van Europa, Ierland en Wallis reis hulle. Later is dit twee skoeters waarmee hulle elke jaar tot 10 000 kilometer deur Europa aflê. Hulle reis ook per trein, per motor, boot en soms te voet.

In hierdie bundel spreek Gerard se vertellings van sy kennis en liefde vir geskiedenis, kuns, musiek, letterkunde … Hy word veel meer as net reisiger en verteller. Gerard neem die leser ook ’n op metafisiese avontuur …

Hierdie langverwagte derde uitgawe van ’n Volledige Gids tot die Slange van Suider- Afrika is ten volle opgedateer. Nuwe inligting gebasseer op wetenskaplike navorsing is ingesluit, en hou verband met gedrag, identifikasie, voortplanting en gif.

Kenmere van hierdie boek:

• Dek al die noodsaaklike aspekte van biologie en slang gedrag.
• Spesies se beskrywings word vergesel van volkleur fotos en verspreidingskaarte.
• Eenvoudige simbole maak belangrike inligting dadelik beskikbaar.
• ’n Aparte ‘Kyk uit vir’ blokkie help om spesies in die veld gou te identifiseer.
• Hoofstukke oor klassifikasie en identifikasie, aanhou van slange, en die behandeling van slangbyte vul die inligting aan.

Hierdie omvattende gids sal van onskatbare waarde wees vir herpeteloë, slangversamelaars, voetslaners, tuiniers en enigeen wat meer van slange wil weet.

Lucid and lyrical, Lucienne Bestall’s debut collection extends reflections on the seductions and limitations of language. With words and pictures borrowed from literature, contemporary art, art history, and mass media, Except for Breath asks after those experiences that elude simple description and turn instead to image and metaphor.

The collected essays appear an unlikely gathering – taking as their respective subjects death, disappointment, divine love, an unfamiliar city, the news, and headaches. Yet while each is discrete, together they share subtle aff inities, their narratives shaped by memory’s imprecisions and dreams retold, by magical thinking and wishful thinking, and coincidence mistaken as sign.

Pairing art writing and life writing, Bestall’s limpid prose is delicately revealing of her subjective encounter with a shared repertoire of familiar texts and images.