AN AMERICAN FAMILY ON THE AFRICAN FRONTIER

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AN AMERICAN FAMILY ON THE AFRICAN FRONTIER

Name: AN AMERICAN FAMILY ON THE AFRICAN FRONTIER
Author: Mary E. Bradford
ISBN: 1-879373-66-1

THE LETTERS OF FREDERICK RUSSELL BURNHAM, 1893-1896

edited by Mary E. Bradford & Richard H. Bradford ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 15, 1994

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A poignant and candid account of pioneering in the dying days of the African frontier, by members of an American family, including its head, legendary war hero and adventurer Frederick Russell Burnham (author of the noted memoirs Scouting on Two Continents). Alert to today's sensibilities, the editors (both on the faculty of the West Virginia Institute of Technology) include a prologue setting the actions and opinions of the letter-writers in context—during the 1890's, Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest was in its ascendancy—but they then let the correspondents tell their own stories. The result is a gripping tale of high adventure, bitter sorrows, and even greater dreams: ``You ought to hear the air castles we build almost every day,'' Burnham's wife, Blanche, writes as she and her husband trek by wagon into the region that's today known as Zimbabwe. Burnham, a former cowboy and prospector, had decided to take advantage of the gold fever sweeping southern Africa as men like Cecil Rhodes were busily expanding British rule. As a pioneer of the old school, more interested in finding a new Eden than great wealth, Burnham is frank about British hypocrisy, but once he reaches the Rhodesian city of Bulawayo, he finds himself involved not only in defending the new country but in advising Rhodes's Chartered Company. But, here, politics plays second fiddle to the family's personal story— a story told best by Blanche, a woman of great pluck who vividly describes the rigors of trekking over open country; the difficulties of being left alone with her young son as her husband fought or prospected; daily life in a foreign environment; and the tragedy of losing her baby daughter to fever. This loss, together with Burnham's diminished financial prospects, led in 1896 to the family's departure from Africa. A remarkable look—consistently observant, thoughtful, and frank—by a remarkable American family at a turbulent time in African history: Pioneer writing at its best. (Photos)

Pub Date: Jan. 15, 1994

ISBN: 1-879373-66-1

Page Count: 326

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1993

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.