Customer Reviews

White Hunter

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

J.A. Hunter was one of the top professional hunters of his time (See White Hunters by Brian Herne), and he has written several books. This one was his first, and it is obvious that he improved his writing style over the course of writing. A frustrating aspect to this book is his sudden divergence of topics. Further, as another reviewer has said, there are not many dates for events, and he does not always set the scene as well as he does in future books. In addition, his subsequent books display a dry, ironic humor that this book lacks. Nonetheless, it is obvious he knows his topics very well. The stories are fascinating - especially his reasons to not use an elephant carcass for lion bait. His advice for guns (especially calibres) and their maintenance, while not endorsed by everyone, is fascinating as he demonstrates his reasoning and experience on the subject. All in all, I would certainly recommend the book for someone looking to read about an Africa when the game was plentiful and laws were not. But for someone without as much exposure to either Mr. Hunter or this genre, I would suggest some of his other books, notably 'Hunter', to begin.

This book is a quite enjoyable read about Mr. Hunter's hunting exploits in Africa. He takes great care in describing the enjoyment to be had and the danger of Africa's fauna. The style is somewhat chatty, but it fits the subject matter and his particular presentation. Unfortunately, there are no dates in the text, but my guess is that it describes a period from the 1920's to 1950's. Overall, it is fun reading and I look forward to reading his other books.

Let me preface my review by stating that I am an unabashed fan of J.A. Hunter. I read his masterpiece (Hunter) numerous times during my youth and young adulthood and it has never failed to thrill me.

This particular book was unknown to me until a few years ago. Having read it I agree with a number of other reviewer's comments. In particular I found the grammar (i.e. the way he constructed his sentences) a little confusing at times. I also found many of his stories a little disjointed. Since this was his first book I assume that he improved his writing sytle in later years possibly with the help others.

On the other hand, Hunter's obvious love of Africa and his life as a big-game hunter still shone through. He appears to have a genuine desire to educate others of all that he has seen on a variety of subjects and as a result I have certainly benefited.

Many of Hunter's deeds are obviously politically incorrect by today's standards. However, due to the overwhelming positive reviews that I read, it is obvious the readers understand that it was a different (indeed lost) era and he must be judged by that era's standards.

My somewhat low rating on this book is only because it is a relative measure against his most famous book "Hunter". This book will have a cherished place on my bookshelf (like my entire collection of J.A. Hunter's books).

I am a hunter and have hunted in Africa. I have read much of the African hunting literature by Capstick, Ruark, Boddington and others. This is my perspective. From that perspective, the book was a wonderful and enjoyable read.

The book is in reality two parts (two-thirds and one-third). The first part is a series of tales and adventures, starting with tales of elephant hunting, then lion hunting and then others. This has the feel of sitting around a campfire with the author, listening to tales of long ago, days that no longer exist where parts of Africa were overrun with rhinos and lions.

The second part is more information, such as caliber selection. This section is also interesting but obviously some of the information is outdated. For a reader interested in this information, a more modern writer such as Craig Boddington would be better.

All in all, the book is a good read that I did not want to put down.

This is my second Hunter book. Clear writing, somewhat like Jim Corbetts. Gives you a feel for Africa that most other books do not.

This book is written not only by a great hunter,but also a man who loved the game he pursued.John Hunter is aman that did not always like killing the animals he pursued ,but being a gameranger at times there was no choice.I have purchased alot of books on hunting in africa by people like Bell,Capstick,Ruark and many more,but Hunter is one of the best writers yet, so if a good afari book is what you want please read this one.

I bought this book because I really enjoyed "Hunter" by John Hunter. This book was entertaining, but nowhere near as good as the above book.