Death In The Silent Places [Audio Cassette]

Peter Hathaway Capstick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1988

Peter Hathaway Capstick, noted hunter and guide, writes of the exploits of some of the world's greatest hunters, past and present.

Capstick recalls the extraordinary careers of Colonels H.J. Patterson and Jim Corbett, who stalked legendary man-eaters on opposite sides of the world; of Karamojo Bell, most successful elephant hunter of all time and Sasha Siemel, who tracked great cats armed only with a spear.

"With an authenticity gained by having shared the experience of which he writes, Capstick recreates the acrid taste of terror in the mouth of a hunter whose gun has jammed as a lion begins his charge, the exhilaration of tracking, with death all around in the silent places of the wilderness." (American Hunter)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Few writers have matched Capstick's flair for describing the hunt...in gruesome, realistic terms...A page-turner that is absolutely spine-tingling." --Publishers Weekly

"This book had me on the edge of my seat. . .297 pages of spine-tingling yarns." --New York Times Book Review

"Death in the Long Grass is an exciting book, superbly written." --Guns & Ammo

"Capstick...is brilliant in his description of his hunts for some of Africa's most vicious killers...The terror produced by some of these pieces is almost too real. As the pages turn, breathing grows shallow, adrenalin is pumped into the veins, the palms sweat until the outcome is resolved and there is time to drag a handkerchief across a damp brow." --Chicago Sun-Times (Triple Recommendation Rating)

"Death in the Long Grass will excite you, scare you and make you laugh...as a source of information it surpasses itself, and as a narrative it will hold the reader spellbound. . ." --Guns Magazine

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

7 1.5-hour cassettes

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Books on Tape, Inc. (January 1, 1988)
• ISBN-10: 0736612610
• ISBN-13: 978-0736612616
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,189,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After leaving Wall Street, the New Jersey native hunted in Central and South America before going to Africa, where he held pro hunting licenses in Ethiopia, Zambia, Botswana, and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Capstick has also served in that most perilous of trades-- Elephant and Buffalo Cropping Officer.Peter Capstick has long made his home in Africa, the source of his inspiration.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Death in the Silent Places, December 23, 1999

By 

Mike DiSalvo - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death in the Silent Places (Hardcover)

Capstick does it once again. This book takes you along with some of the most famous and infamous hunters ever to walk the planet. He starts with John Patterson, the killer of the Maneaters of Tsavo. Find out just how close the lions came to winning! Next is Chauncey H. Stigand a pig iron tough SOB who was a military master, and a big game hunter. Find out how tough he was when a rhino ripped of his left pectoral and he walked unaided 10-15 miles before lying down! Then meet P.J. Pretorious, the one man wrecking crew of the German war machine in East Africa. He did every thing but shoot the guns to sink the Konigsberg the famed German was ship, as well as capturing an entire German column. Next is Sasha Seimel, perhaps the only white man ever to hunt jaguar with only a spear! Read how he almost lost to a man-killing jaguar. Then meet W.D.M. "Karamojo" Bell, the finest elephant who ever lived. Bell used rifles so small some people would not even use them for deer. Read how he avoid being killed or poisoned by natives, and how he could shoot birds from the air with his rifle. Next up is Jim Corbett, the finest hunter of maneating tigers and leopards ever to walk. Discover the hidden tricks of animal call and signs. See how close Corbett comes to ending up as a statistic. In the final chapter, Sir Samuel Baker gives you and idea of how tough Asian Water Buffalo are in "The Charge of Sixpence". Harry Wolhuter proves a man can kill an adult male lion with a knife! And, Capstick goes a buffalo spearing, not the best of ideas.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tangling with the maneaters, November 21, 2002

By 

"deathfromafar" (North Canterbury New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death in the Silent Places (Hardcover)

Capsticks books are always a delight and this is no exception. Instead of his usual "first person" yarns, this is a look at some of the most famous and gripping hunts of all times- hunting man eaters. The book covers a number of famous hunts, and the standout really is the famous Man eaters of Tsavo (imortalised in "the Ghost and the Darkness" film).

The stories by themselves would be gripping enough, but with Capsticks absolutly delightful style- he would make a Motorcycle repair manual amusing- the book is a gem. I read it in two days, and have read it twice since.

Most highly recommended.

Grade: A+

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandatory Reading, February 12, 2006

By 

Charles C. Hedrick (Maine, United States of America) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death in the Silent Places (Hardcover)

This book was my first encounter with Peter Hathaway Capstick, but it won't be my last. It contains a series of short stories about dangerous game hunting (and World War I scouting) in Africa, India, South America, and Ceylon. The stories Capstick tells are primarily about the exploits of other famous hunters, although he interjects annecdotes about personal experiences and also tells the tale of his own hunting of a cape buffalo with a spear.

One of the most amazing aspects of this book is that Capstick brings to life the reality that, in the not-so-distant past, people in various parts of the world lived in actual, realistic fear of being killed by large, predatory, animinals, including lions, jaguars, and leopards. That might come as a surprise to some, as might the awesome power and cunning possessed by those animals.

This book is a must read for anyone who is even remotely interested in exotic places, big-game hunting, adventure, and the history of the British Empire a hundred years ago. I will be recommending it to my father, brother, and father-in-law, as all of them will enjoy it.