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John Henry Patterson
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The Man-Eaters of Tsavo and Other East African Adventures Paperback – April 8, 2010

by John Henry Patterson (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 330 ratings
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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    364 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Nabu Press
  4. Publication date
    April 8, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    7.44 x 0.75 x 9.69 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1148683216
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1148683218
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Nabu Press (April 8, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 364 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1148683216
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1148683218
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.43 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.44 x 0.75 x 9.69 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 330 ratings

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John Henry Patterson

John Henry Patterson

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
330 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jeepster
5.0 out of 5 stars The truth is as scary as fiction
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2015
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Man-Eaters of Tsavo and Other East African Adventures is a well-written account of turn of the previous century East Africa. Col. Patterson, hired to complete a rail bridge over the Tsavo river, enters the scene shortly after a pair of lions have begun to feast on the workers. In plain, matter of fact language, Patterson details the predations of the lions, and his various attempts, finally successful, in killing them. This story was made into the movie "The Ghost and the Darkness" starring Val Kilmer, which, apart from the scenes involving Michael Douglas, is an accurate portrayal of the events that transpired. The uncanny hunting techniques of the lions, and the many abortive attempts to kill them make for an entertaining story. The lions themselves, or their skins anyway, are now on display at the Chicago Field Museum. The Tsavo lion story makes up the majority of this book, but what makes this book special is the inclusion of several other stories by Col. Patterson of his safaris in Africa, and of other violent animal encounters. I specifically searched for this book in order to get the full story of Patterson's tour in Africa, as there are several versions of the book in circulation, most of which cover only the Tsavo story. I found the additional chapters to be a wonderful addition to the main story.
5 people found this helpful
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haybaylav
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Story
Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2023
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I devoured this book in one sitting. I found it to be a fascinating story, which provided great insight to author’s experiences and the realities of the time. The illustrations were pretty odd, though — none of them appeared to have any relation to the story.

It’s very disappointing to read other reviews that advise not to finish this book. It only takes a small mind to avoid thoughts or stories that cause discomfort. If you approach the book with an open mind, consider the differences between the 1890’s and today, and can analyze why certain behaviors and beliefs of the author would not be acceptable in the modern era but were common 125 years ago, then you can learn some interesting history from this book.
One person found this helpful
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Hematite
4.0 out of 5 stars Great tale, but missing visuals
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2022
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The text refers to photos and maps that were not included in this edition. So that is disappointing that the author had intended us to see these 125yr old images from this past world and some editors decided "Eh, that's not important..."

Otherwise, just insane how these people lived in this rugged environment. Interesting how the Empire brought so many Indians to Africa for these projects.

Very disturbing how little respect individual lives were given. I read the Heart of Darkness before this. They go well together. In HOD it was good to see at least some denunciation of the cruelties of Colonialism. Here, the author while part of this cruel system, never seems to be entirely heartless or evil, just seems to turn a blind eye to barbaric behavior which is undoubtedly happening in the background. He does go to great pains to eradicate the lions eating his crew, which surely has as much to do with meeting deadlines as it does saving lives. He does make an effort to heal some ill locals from food poisoning despite a lack of benefit to himseft or the company.

It's a good book, by a remarkable individual. But for Ghost & Darkness fans, that is only a portion of this book.
3 people found this helpful
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Richard Mcnitt
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book Provides Background to Ghost and Darkness
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2011
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This book is well worth reading if for nothing more than historical reasons. It lacks the drama and suspense of the movie, The Ghost and the Darkness; but you appreciate Patterson the more for it. He vastly understates the effort he went through to track down the animals. The pictures of the lions, I think, are the best parts of the book. In the photos they are absolutely MASSIVE, and appear far larger than they do as pictured in the photos in the Chicago Museum. You definitely would not want to run into them. When you see the photo's in the book, you'll feel like Samuel, the headman in the movie who said, "if you dare lock eyes with them, you will be afraid." Book is highly recommended.
3 people found this helpful
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DB
3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good story with a however
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2010
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I would recommend anyone who has seen the movie based on this book, "The Ghosts in the Darkness" read the actual account. Hollywood being Hollywood, did a pretty good job telling the story but several parts of the movie were manufactured/fictionalized (probably to draw more movie customers). The true account is fascinating enough, the author does a good job of relaying actual events. The author doesn't write like John Grisham or other contemporary authors, he was an Engineer and basically relayed the story/events without a lot of superfluous imagery and storytelling. Now, for the however. After the actual events of hunting and killing the man-eating lions, I recommend to put the book down, don't read the rest of the hunting stories. I read the whole book and found the other chapters not devoted to the man-eating lions very disturbing. The author describes various hunts, including several for lions that I wish I had not read about. Reason being, it wreaked of "trophy hunting" mentality at it's worst. Keep in mind the story ocurred at the end of the 1800's, very early 1900's and the book probably accurately portrayed the hunting mentality of that era which, fast-forward to today's sentiments, would be viewed as shameful. It left me with the question of how many lions/big game animals does one need to kill????? It also provided insight (unintentionally) as to why many big game animals are either endangered or about to be. If you are an animal rights or protectionist individual, do yourself a favor and put the book down after reading about the man-eaters as I mentioned earlier. Reading the entire book will only serve to depress you. That being said, the story about the man-eaters was a very good story and true, a fascinating account indeed which I would highly recommend.
10 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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john penner
4.0 out of 5 stars Good story
Reviewed in Canada on August 28, 2021
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Good story. Africa during early 1900's. Pictures inside are a disappointment they have nothing to do with the events of the book and just seem to be random old religious paintings.
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Namachivayam
2.0 out of 5 stars Makes difficult reading
Reviewed in India on March 23, 2021
Verified Purchase
The reading material needs to be neatly presented in paragraphs with spacings so reading is easy and gives a comfortable experience.
However in the book that is received, there are no spaces left between paragraphs, no spaces between photos and text, the sentences are chopped half way and continued in the next line. There are numbers and characters appearing in between the text which have no meaning. Makes very difficult reading.
The printing does not look like a professional work for the amount paid for the book.
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Namachivayam
2.0 out of 5 stars Makes difficult reading
Reviewed in India on March 23, 2021
The reading material needs to be neatly presented in paragraphs with spacings so reading is easy and gives a comfortable experience.
However in the book that is received, there are no spaces left between paragraphs, no spaces between photos and text, the sentences are chopped half way and continued in the next line. There are numbers and characters appearing in between the text which have no meaning. Makes very difficult reading.
The printing does not look like a professional work for the amount paid for the book.
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Adeel
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful experience
Reviewed in Australia on August 28, 2022
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The writer has illustrated the story very well, i was hooked to it until i finished almost half of the book in a single sitting.
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Schulte Peter
5.0 out of 5 stars Super Buch
Reviewed in Germany on September 5, 2014
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Ein sehr schönes Buch über die Löwenjagd in Afrika leider zu wenig Bilder in dem Buch ansonsten sehr Gut Toll.
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W
5.0 out of 5 stars A blast from the past
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2014
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A great read. Incredible story told in measured, factual and undramatic english. Yet despite this it has to be one of the most interesting books I've read. The book does a good job of 'painting' a memory of being a part of truly wild Africa that will never exist again. The underlying irony in this book is the men that got to experience Africa as a truly beautiful and untamed continent were the same people who set out to 'civilise' it: With their trade and transportation network they made a huge contribution to ensuring future generations will never experience Africa in the same way again.
3 people found this helpful
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