About this title: Noted travel writer Paul Theroux travels back to Africa, where 40 years earlier he began his writing career, and tours the entirety of this immense country. In its descriptions and observations about the people the author meets along the way, DARK STAR SAFARI provides some perspective on America, as viewed through the eyes of those whose lives are radically impacted by many U.S. foreign policy initiatives. Along with pointed political commentary, Theroux offers readers a look at the daily life in bazaars, oases, and deserts, profiling the variety of inhabitants that dwell in these places. A ...
read more
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Acceptable. Book is in good reading condition. Cover has wear at edges and corners, and may have creases. Spine has wear at edges and may have creases. read more
Description: Fine. 0618446877 NEVER USED! This book has never been read. There are no highlights, No pen marks, No missing pages. The binding is sturdy. This book may have slight shelf wear. Upgraded shipping on orders over $49.99. Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed! read more
Description: Fine. 0618446877 NEVER USED! . There are no highlights, No pen marks, No missing pages. The binding is sturdy. There is slight shelf wear. Upgraded shipping on orders over $49.99. Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed! read more
Description: Very good; Collectible. 1st Marinner Books Edition, 1st printing. No marks/underlines/highlights. Slight creases on cover and minor shelfwear on tips. About 10 text pages have slight shrinks. Free deliver confirmation! Satisfaction guaranteed! read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 2004-04-05
ISBN-13:9780618446872ISBN:0618446877
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780618446872. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780618446872ISBN:0618446877
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 2004-04-05
ISBN-13:9780618446872ISBN:0618446877
Description: New. Excellent Condition-Brand New! ! ! Never Been Read-Pages, Cover and Binding are Tight and Bright! ! ! Light shelf wear! ! This book is from the publisher's overstock, and may have a small black or red mark on one side of the page edges-otherwise excellent! ! ! Thanks for considering us, we look forward to the chance to serve you! ! ! read more
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780618446872ISBN:0618446877
Description: Very Good. 485 pages. "In the travel-writing tradition that made Paul Theroux's reputation, Dark Star Safari is a rich and insightful book whose itinerary is Africa, from Cairo to Cape Town: down the Nile, through Sudan and Ethiopia, to Kenya, Uganda, and ultimately to the tip of South Africa. Going by train, dugout canoe, 'chicken bus, ' and cattle truck, Theroux passes through some of the most beautiful-and often life-threatening-landscapes on earth. This is travel as discovery and also, in ... read more
"There are quite a few chapters in this book that are really insightful and enjoyable. Unfortunately, there are just as many chapters where Theroux shifts the focus away from the people and places he encounters on his journey to rag on international aid and development agencies (without actually adding anything substantive to the larger debate on the relative benefits of foreign aid) and remind the reader how much better he is than all other Westerners who come to Africa. He also makes rather frequent mention of how he likes to sleep naked.
I enjoyed the first chapter (Egypt) because I've been there. The following chapter, on Sudan, was also fairly interesting; from there, however, I would recommend skipping ahead to Malawi, but be warned that it's a pretty disheartening chapter (especially if you're a Peace Corps Volunteer). Trust me, the only thing you're missing in East Africa is Theroux being a self-righteous jerk. His account of visiting Zimbabwe is absolutely not to be missed (and the postscript on Zimbabwe in the newer editions is also worth reading), and fortunately by the time he arrives in South Africa in the final chapters, he's mostly dropped the attitude.
Also, for fellow PCVs: Theroux got kicked out of Peace Corps Malawi in the mid-1960s for getting involved with an opposition political movement. Remember the moral of pre-service training: Just don't do it."
"Funny. I had a Paul Theroux on my shelf for years, untouched, and finally decided to take it with me to the Chicago Book Festival last summer where I released it. Theroux was speaking so I thought it would be cool to release one of his books just outside the tent where he was speaking. I left the book next to one of the tent stakes and went inside to hear him talk. He was a fabulous storyteller and I immediately regretted that I had given away his book. I went out to try to retrieve the book, but it had already found its way into the hands of a couple who loved the whole BookCrossing idea. Never did journal the book, but I definitely knew the book had a good home. And I've been itching to read Theroux ever since I heard him speak. I vow not to let this book go before I've given it a thorough reading.
Later: I've been reading this book in bits and pieces for a couple of weeks. What a great safari it has been. Theroux has guided me through Egypt and Sudan, Kenya and Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa. His adventures and misadventures have led me to conclude that I will never visit Africa outside the pages of a book. A wonderful, awful trip to a wonderful, awful place."
"Truly love his writing. Sometimes I find myself thinking about his word choices more than what is happening, or what he is actually saying. In this story he travels from Cairo to South Africa. While doing this he discusses the current conditions in Africa and its roots and its maladies. He has some interesting points. I found myself wondering about things as he read, because on my dad's side my uncle's wife was raised as a missionary in Ethiopa and my mom's cousin lived in Tanzania, then moved to South Africa when it became Tanzania, and now lives in England. I wondered how much of the things he described fit their lives."
"Paul Theroux is a great writer who really makes the landscape come alive as he describes his travels from Cairo to Cape Town. Unfortunately, Theroux really seems to harbor a lot of resentment and distaste towards the people that he meets along the way. Residents or fellow travelers all manage to annoy him and his negativity distracts from the enjoyability of the book. I guess at the end of the day, when I read travel books I'm looking for a bit of escapism and the pettiness of Theroux brings in a little too much reality."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
