The Man-Eaters of Tsavo and Other East African Adventures - with - In the Grip of the Nyika. Further Adventures in British East Africa -
Lieut.-Col. J. H. Patterson
1907 - Macmillan and Co., London - First Editions, third/second printings (same year as first).
‘We were never long without excitement of some kind or another at Tsavo. When the camp was not being attacked by man-eating lions, it was visited by leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, wild cats and other inhabitants of the jungle around us.’
A scarce bright and sharp pair. Profusely illustrated with black and white photographs and maps. The Man-Eaters of Tsavo contains Colonel John Henry Patterson’s legendary account of hunting down two man-eating Tsavo lions, which at the time were believed to have killed 135 people, while he was overseeing the construction of a railroad bridge in East Africa, in 1898. Together with In the Grip of the Nyika, the account of Colonel John Henry Patterson’s hunting trips during his later expeditions to East Africa, it includes reminiscences of the Tsavo man-eaters episode, as well as his various experiences on safari, his visit to Nairobi, and his numerous encounters with big game animals, including lions, elephants, and rhino. John Henry Patterson (1867-1947) was a British soldier, hunter, and author, who in 1898, was commissioned by the Uganda Railway Committee in London to supervise construction of a railway bridge over the Tsavo River, in what is present-day Kenya. Shortly after Patterson’s arrival in Africa, several lion attacks took place in the region; workers were reportedly dragged from their tents at night, and killed. Despite building barriers around the campsite, the attacks continued, with many superstitious locals convinced that the rogue male lions were evil spirits, who had come to punish the workers.
An experienced hunter, Patterson soon undertook an extensive search for the man-eaters in an effort to deal with the crisis. After numerous attempts, and several near misses, he killed the first lion on December 9, and the second on December 29, 1898. Both lions were over nine feet long, and required up to eight men to carry them back to camp. While scientists in recent times have lowered the estimated number of deaths caused by the Tsavo man-eaters to between 25-35 – far fewer than Patterson’s popular claim of 135 – the attack remains notorious, and has been the basis for three Hollywood films, and a museum exhibition.
Provenance: The Man-Eaters of Tsavo - T R Ashman with his armourial bookplate (Nil Desperandum), later signature of Colin W. Walker dated 1925.
References: Brian The Seven Lives of Colonel Patterson 2008. www.africahunting.com. Raffaele ‘Man-Eaters of Tsavo’ Smithsonian Magazine 2010. Capstick Death in the Silent Places 1981.
Two large octavo volumes (book size 22x15.3cm), pp. xx 338; xiv [2] 389 [1] 2 advertisements. In publisher’s blue cloth, spines lettered in gilt, gilt vignettes to upper boards, upper edges gilt. Condition: Very good, boards and gilt bright, a few spots, toning to endpapers, hinges weak, one or two pages over opened. Ref: 111892 Price: HK$ 6,000
A scarce bright and sharp pair. Profusely illustrated with black and white photographs and maps. The Man-Eaters of Tsavo contains Colonel John Henry Patterson’s legendary account of hunting down two man-eating Tsavo lions, which at the time were believed to have killed 135 people, while he was overseeing the construction of a railroad bridge in East Africa, in 1898. Together with In the Grip of the Nyika, the account of Colonel John Henry Patterson’s hunting trips during his later expeditions to East Africa, it includes reminiscences of the Tsavo man-eaters episode, as well as his various experiences on safari, his visit to Nairobi, and his numerous encounters with big game animals, including lions, elephants, and rhino. John Henry Patterson (1867-1947) was a British soldier, hunter, and author, who in 1898, was commissioned by the Uganda Railway Committee in London to supervise construction of a railway bridge over the Tsavo River, in what is present-day Kenya. Shortly after Patterson’s arrival in Africa, several lion attacks took place in the region; workers were reportedly dragged from their tents at night, and killed. Despite building barriers around the campsite, the attacks continued, with many superstitious locals convinced that the rogue male lions were evil spirits, who had come to punish the workers.
An experienced hunter, Patterson soon undertook an extensive search for the man-eaters in an effort to deal with the crisis. After numerous attempts, and several near misses, he killed the first lion on December 9, and the second on December 29, 1898. Both lions were over nine feet long, and required up to eight men to carry them back to camp. While scientists in recent times have lowered the estimated number of deaths caused by the Tsavo man-eaters to between 25-35 – far fewer than Patterson’s popular claim of 135 – the attack remains notorious, and has been the basis for three Hollywood films, and a museum exhibition.
Provenance: The Man-Eaters of Tsavo - T R Ashman with his armourial bookplate (Nil Desperandum), later signature of Colin W. Walker dated 1925.
References: Brian The Seven Lives of Colonel Patterson 2008. www.africahunting.com. Raffaele ‘Man-Eaters of Tsavo’ Smithsonian Magazine 2010. Capstick Death in the Silent Places 1981.
Two large octavo volumes (book size 22x15.3cm), pp. xx 338; xiv [2] 389 [1] 2 advertisements. In publisher’s blue cloth, spines lettered in gilt, gilt vignettes to upper boards, upper edges gilt. Condition: Very good, boards and gilt bright, a few spots, toning to endpapers, hinges weak, one or two pages over opened. Ref: 111892 Price: HK$ 6,000