Visually stunning, this book covers evolution, indigenous cultures and European exploration of the 3,500 miles of the great Rift Valley. 202 col photos, 4 maps, 208pp, USA. ABRAMS.

1: 50 000 scale foldout map with plenty of useful information on what to see, where to stay and animal migrations. SOUTH AFRICA. JACANA MEDIA.

A guide to the area and its people, birds, animals and flora. Well illustrated with colour photographs. 128pp, KENYA. CAMERAPIX.

A collection of dramatic photographs capturing the wildlife of East Africa as it feeds, mates and follows courtship rituals. 131pp, KENYA. CAMERAPIX.

The eighth edition of this popular guide covers Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. The usual Lonely Planet format includes accurate maps and up to the minute information about the countries, value for money accommodation and places to eat and see. Also addresses questions of safety and possible problems when travelling across borders. Includes a colour wildlife guide and basic language information. Index, gloss, maps, colour photos, 664pp, UK. LONELY PLANET.

Seventh edition of this guide which features helpful information on travel in the region. Many maps, col illus, index, 973pp, UK. FOOTPRINT.

2002 1900949652 Paperback

The wildlife of east Africa is the major visitor attraction of this region, thanks to the legendary game reserves of Serengeti and the Maasai Mara. This new guide provides a colourful overview of the region's variety of large animals together with information on their habits and habitats. Aalso provides an introduction to the region's less heralded variety of smaller creatures including 1,500 bird species and butterflies. Over 240 photographs illustrating all major animal groups. Country-by-country summary of key wildlife sites. 288pp, UK. BRADT PUBLICATIONS.

This is the first comprehensive field guide dealing exclusively with the birds of this spetacular region. It covers all resident, migrant and vagrant species found in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Over 1300 species are illustrated with full details all the plumages and major races likely to be encountered. Concise text describes identification, status, range, habits and voice with range maps for each species. 604pp, UK. CHRISTOPHER HELM.

Covers all 1089 bird species known from the region, including vagrants. This book combines the format and detailed treatment of the larger version with the convenience of a field guide. All the species are illustrated with full details of all the plumages and major races likely to be encountered. Concise text describes identification, status, range, habits and voice with range maps for nearly every species. 576pp, UK. CHRISTOPHER HELM.

Detailed field guide covers the identification of all snakes, lizards, crocodilians and chelonians (turtles and tortoises) found in the east African countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. With species accounts describing appearance, habitat, distribution and natural history, with distribution maps and many colour photos, this is a complete reference book for anyone with an interest in the reptiles of this area. 543pp, UK. A & C BLACK.

2004 2002 0713668172 Hardback

A reissue of the classic Vitorian explorer's account. Sir Richard Burton (18211890), the famous Victorian explorer, began his career in the Indian army in 1842. While in India he developed his linguistic talent, mastering more than forty different languages and dialects. He turned to writing books in the 1850s and, over the remaining forty years of his life, published dozens of works and more than one hundred articles. In this book, first published in 1856, Burton recounts his travels to Harar, a city in East Africa notorious for its slave trade activity. His plan was a challenging one, as it was believed that no European had been there before; upon arrival he claimed to be an agent of the British government and presented himself to the ruler of Harar. Burton was allowed to spend ten days there, and his account give a fascinating glimpse into a then unknown city and culture. 706pp, UK. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

Lamu Old Town is the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa, retaining its traditional functions. Built in coral stone and mangrove timber, the town is characterized by the simplicity of structural forms enriched by such features as inner courtyards, verandas, and elaborately carved wooden doors. Lamu has hosted major Muslim religious festivals since the 19th century, and has become a significant centre for the study of Islamic and Swahili cultures. 116pp, ZANZIBAR. GALLERY PUBLICATIONS.

2007 9987667430 Hardback

The complete tourist guide to Kenya and Tanzania. Very authoritative and thoroughly researched. Includes a short glossary of Swahili words. Index, xxxv, 243pp, USA. FODOR.

2002 0676901832 Paperback

Captures the essence of living in the Mara-Serengeti region in a way that you would not experience in a dozen safaris to Africa. The images of predators, prey, wildlife migrations, and the Masai bring you close up during moments of blazing color in the sky and dramatic action in the grasslands. The images are improved by thoughtful essays that draw on the photographers' many years of experience with these subjects. Over 200 colour photographs and 36 line drawings. Index, bib, 192pp, U. FOUNTAIN PRESS.

Covers 237 species of the most common snakes, skinks, chameleons and other lizards, as well as crocodiles, tortoises and frogs of East Africa. Each species account features a brief text that highlights diagnostic features, a distribution map and a colour photograph. Index, 144pp, SOUTH AFRICA. STRUIK.

2005 1770071504 Paperback

An incredible journey on foot from the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro to the Indian Ocean, offering a rare view of East Africa as it is today and how it once was before the incursion of European civilization. Map, index, 288pp, ix, UK. BLOOMSBURY.

In this gloriously illustrated book, world traveller and style expert Bibi Jordan introduces Swahili style, a school of design, architecture and graceful living that instils a sense of simplicity, sensuality and spirituality into any interior. Each chapter details the region's rich past, with fascinating facts about African culture and history, and highlights the most intriguing and inspirational aspects of the local decor, making this an ideal book for both the armchair traveller and the globetrotting adventurer as well as decorating devotees. Foreword by Richard Leakey. Bib, 284pp, 475 col illus, UK. THAMES & HUDSON.

This book features stunning images in the warmth of the sun and the cool of the shade. Locations change from bungalows to posh hotels, with portraits of Lamu, Mombassa and Zanzibar. There are features on the world renowned carved Swahili doors, a glossary, and contact addresses and websites for the featured hotels. Over 150 colour photosgraphs. 175pp, ZANZIBAR. GALLERY PUBLICATIONS.

2005 9987667449 Hardback

Second edition of this informative, text-centred guide. Maps, some col illus, index, 411pp, UK. CADOGAN GUIDES.

Describes 106 plants giving both their English and African and botanical Latin names, details of the plant family (English and botanical Latin), notes on identification and distribution, and practical, medical and other uses. 116 photos, 248pp, KENYA. CAMERAPIX.

2007 9781904722281 Paperback

Third Edition. A walking guide to exploration of Kilimanjaro, Mt Kenya and the Mountains of the Moon. Also includes new routes through the massifs and plateaus of Malawi and the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia. Illustrated with colour and b/w photographs and inludes a language guide. Index, 264pp, UK. LONELY PLANET.

2003 1864502894 Paperback

All in one safari guide to help find, identify and understand the wildlife of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. Includes guides to East Africa's most popular destinations and National Parks including Hell's Gate, Lake Turkana, Mt Kilimanjaro, Kibale Forest, Murchison Falls, Mont Kenya, and Zanzibar. Also includes travel advice about the region and information about birdwatching, gorilla and chimpanzee tracking, snorkelling and alternative safaris. Well illustrated with colour photographs and maps. Index, gloss, 344pp, UK. LONELY PLANET.

New edition. Martha Gellhorn's three intertwined novellas are concerned with the integration of European outsider into the dramatic landscape of East Africa. It is a story of rejection and enchantment. Two sisters, one beautiful, one plain, return unmarried from their adventures in the great to their parents' hotel on the mountain, where they are caught up in a scandalous relations with an African official and an English botanist. A heartbroken woman tries to escape the memory of her son's death on a doomed holiday by the sea. A lonely, awkward young Englishman, disorientated by years as a prisoner-of-war, orphaned by bombs in London, seeks a new life in the highlands. 256pp, UK. ELAND.