A Certain Curve of Horn: The Hundred-Year Quest for the Giant Sable Antelope of Angola

A Certain Curve of Horn: The Hundred-Year Quest for the Giant Sable Antelope of Angola
ISBN-10
0802194427
ISBN-13
9780802194428
Category
Nature
Pages
496
Language
English
Published
2004-02-20
Publisher
Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
Author
John Frederick Walker

Description

“Walker . . . weaves a surprisingly fascinating story around one animal, involving colonialism, revolution, biology, and politics . . . Hard to put down” (Booklist). In A Certain Curve of Horn, veteran journalist John Frederick Walker tells the story of one of the most revered and endangered of the regal beasts of Africa: the giant sable antelope of Angola, a majestic, coal-black quadruped with breathtaking curved horns over five feet long. It is an enthralling and tragic tale of exploration and adventure, politics and war, the brutal realities of life in Africa today and the bitter choices of conflicting conservation strategies. A Certain Curve of Horn traces the sable’s emergence as a highly sought-after natural history prize before the First World War, and follows its struggle to survive in a war zone fought over by the troops of half a dozen nations, and its transformation into a political symbol and conservation icon. As he follows the trail of this mysterious animal, Walker interweaves the stories of the adventurers, scientists, and warriors who have come under the thrall of the beast, and how their actions would shape the fate of the giant sable antelope and the history of the war-torn nation that is its only home. “A Certain Curve of Horn deserves to be ranked with Peter Matthiessen’s classic, The Snow Leopard.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

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