Travels in the White Man's Grave [Paperback]

Donald MacIntosh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2001

At the beginning of the 1950s, the interior of West and Central Africa was still known to most of the outside world as the "White Man's Grave," and consisted of vast expanses of mysterious and threatening primeval forest. When Donald MacIntosh, 23-year-old Gaelic-speaking Scottish forester, was offered a position in Nigeria in 1954, it was a dream come true and he found himself posted to the hot, cloying humidity of those fabled lands. During the next 30 years he was to wander through some of the most remote areas of West Africa where he operated as a forest botanist. There he listened to the tales of ancient Africa from the lips of hunters, fishermen, chiefs, and witch doctors from a vast diversity of tribes in myriad encampments.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In 1954, MacIntosh, a Scottish forester, traveled to Nigeria to catalog and survey the vast number of tree species in the area. He ended up staying in Africa for three decades, and his work took him to many different countries. His book is a collection of tales from his time in the land he refers to as the "White Man's Grave." MacIntosh tells of his encounters with the often-dangerous denizens of the forests, which included masses of ants, deadly snakes, and even a leopard. MacIntosh had a close call with a snake when he stepped on it and had to leap away from its snapping jaws. And when a carpenter was killed by a cobra, the residents of his village believed his spirit was responsible for the illness that descended upon them shortly after his death. MacIntosh also met interesting people, including a boy who had an eyebrow-raising name and a reserved man who was part of a deadly cult. Skilled at storytelling, MacIntosh makes everything in his memoir--even the descriptions of trees--fascinating. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

'Although Macintosh's African life was full of adventures and dangers, he never exaggerates them, and writes with a fluidity and understated grace which makes his book a pleasure to read. By turns beautiful, poignant and very funny, Macintosh rarely misses the mark, and this memoir should become a classic of the genre. --Toby Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.' Toby Green, Amazon.co.uk 'Excellent... [Macintosh's] book, one of the surprises of the year, is a slender but richly entertaining memoir' - Sara Wheeler, DAILY TELEGRAPH 'A poignant and humourous storyteller of the West African bush to rival Gerald Durrell.' TLS 'He writes with a charming insouciance that celebrates an Africa before big business tore the heart out of the rainforest.' SUNDAY TIMES 'A colourful and flamboyant read.' IRISH TIMES

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 245 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0349114358
• ISBN-13: 978-0349114354
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 5 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #471,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fanciful, Delightfully Written Tale of Africa, April 3, 2007

By 

C. Stephans - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Travels in a White Man's Grave (Audio Cassette)

MacIntosh has emerged from the continent of Africa with a chest full of treasures and has penned them into a brilliant book. He begins the stories with what led him to Africa...the forests. Through the telling of information about trees and lumber, MacIntosh runs through some entertaining stories about his time in Africa. These stories run the gamut of events that include harrowing escapes and run ins with wild animals and extraordinary encounters with natives whom he befriends. In some of the stories, he is the main character and in others he has heard it secondhand. Both ways are captivating.

On the whole, the book is warm and delightful with many humorous touches. MacIntosh lifts the veil of the mysterious jungles of Africa for readers.

I look forward to learning of more of MacIntosh's travels in the white man's grave.

The narrator of the audio version is a first rate actor and reads the book splendidly.
Shakespeare On Spirituality: Life-Changing Wisdom from Shakespeare's Plays