Struik Nature http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog Just another Book.co.za weblog Wed, 16 May 2012 08:32:52 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 © info@bookslive.co.za () info@bookslive.co.za Just another Book.co.za weblog info@bookslive.co.za No no http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg Struik Nature http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog 144 144 Struik Nature Launches eBook Library App for iPad http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/05/16/struik-nature-launches-ebook-library-app-for-ipad/ http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/05/16/struik-nature-launches-ebook-library-app-for-ipad/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 08:32:51 +0000 Amanda http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/05/16/struik-nature-launches-ebook-library-app-for-ipad/ eBook1   Two Random House Struik imprints have just launched eBook library apps for the iPad. The apps, Earth & Nature (Struik Nature) and South Africa in Print (Zebra Press), will house a wide selection of natural history and current events eBooks at discounted prices.
Guide to Night Skies of Southern AfricaBasic Bird IDFilmer's Spiders
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Two Random House Struik imprints have just launched eBook library apps for the iPad. The apps, Earth & Nature (Struik Nature) and South Africa in Print (Zebra Press), will house a wide selection of natural history and current events eBooks at discounted prices.

Guide to Night Skies of Southern AfricaBasic Bird IDFilmer's Spiders

 
Titles available at the initial launch include Guide to Night Skies of Southern Africa, Basic Bird ID in Southern Africa, Filmer’s Spiders, Winnie Mandela: A Life, Herschelle Gibbs’ biography To the Point and eBook bestseller 32 Battalion.

Additional titles will be added to the libraries on an ongoing basis and will immediately be available for purchase when the customer next opens the app.

The Apple iBookstore is currently not available in South Africa, but South Africans can purchase apps from iTunes. These library applications enable local and international iPad users to purchase South African eBooks. The apps can be downloaded for free from iTunes and customers can then purchase eBooks seamlessly from within the app.

The apps can be downloaded from here iTunes: Earth and Nature and South Africa in Print.

Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd is South Africa’s leading publishing house and offers readers the best of both local and international titles. It promotes books written in both English and Afrikaans through its many diverse and highly respected imprints, which include the Struik Lifestyle, Struik Nature, Struik Travel & Heritage, Zebra Press, Umuzi, eKhaya and Fernwood Press imprints.

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]]> http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/05/16/struik-nature-launches-ebook-library-app-for-ipad/feed/ 0 Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens Featured in the Sydney Morning Herald http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/05/09/kirstenbosch-national-botanical-gardens-featured-in-the-sydney-morning-herald/ http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/05/09/kirstenbosch-national-botanical-gardens-featured-in-the-sydney-morning-herald/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 10:05:27 +0000 Amanda http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/05/09/kirstenbosch-national-botanical-gardens-featured-in-the-sydney-morning-herald/ Kirstenbosch JournalKirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, voted one of the world's top picnic spots by National Geographic Magazine in 2011, has been included in a list of top gardens in Cape Town in the Sydney Morning Herald. Local artist and botanical illustrator, Daphne Mack has created a visual diary inspired by the garden - the Kirstenbosch Journal is illustrated with photographs and drawings of the flora ...]]> Kirstenbosch JournalKirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, voted one of the world’s top picnic spots by National Geographic Magazine in 2011, has been included in a list of top gardens in Cape Town in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Local artist and botanical illustrator, Daphne Mack has created a visual diary inspired by the garden – the Kirstenbosch Journal is illustrated with photographs and drawings of the flora found in the gardens.

From little things, big things grow. In 1652, when the southern tip of Africa was still ruled by Khoikhoi herdsmen and their Nguni cattle, a small orchard and vegetable patch was planted in the shadows of Table Mountain. Initially intended as a victual station for scurvy-blighted sailors rounding the Cape of Good Hope, the Dutch East India Company’s garden grew so fast it was soon able to sustain a permanent settlement: Cape Town.

On this temperate headland of loamy soils, the Dutch had stumbled across a green thumb’s paradise. The Cape Floristic Region may be the smallest of the world’s six floral kingdoms but, for each square kilometre, it is the most botanically diverse. Proteas, geraniums, agapanthus, ericas – all are native to the Cape – and those are just the ones I have in my own garden. This botanical diversity, coupled with nearly 400 years of Dutch, English and contemporary African horticultural influences, makes South Africa’s second city one of the world’s great destinations for garden lovers.

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]]> http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/05/09/kirstenbosch-national-botanical-gardens-featured-in-the-sydney-morning-herald/feed/ 0 Nou in Afrikaans: Natuurlewe van Suid-Afrika: ‘n Fotografiese gids deur Duncan Butchart http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/05/03/nou-in-afrikaans-natuurlewe-van-suid-afrika-n-fotografiese-gids-deur-duncan-butchart/ http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/05/03/nou-in-afrikaans-natuurlewe-van-suid-afrika-n-fotografiese-gids-deur-duncan-butchart/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 11:30:35 +0000 Amanda http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/05/03/nou-in-afrikaans-natuurlewe-van-suid-afrika-n-fotografiese-gids-deur-duncan-butchart/ Natuurlewe van Suid-AfrikaNatuurlewe van Suid-Afrika: 'n Fotografiese gids is 'n nuttige, allesomvattende fotogids tot die natuurlewe van Suid-Afrika. Dit dek die streek se soogdiere, voëls, reptiele, paddas en bome. Vir elke spesie is daar ’n volkleurfoto, bondage uitkenningsteks en verspreidingskaart, sowel as die plekke waar hulle heel waarskynlik gesien sal word. ’n Kort inleiding bespreek die streek se geologie, klimaat, plantegroeisones, natuurlewebrandpunte, en gee wenke vir die waarneming van ...]]> Natuurlewe van Suid-AfrikaNatuurlewe van Suid-Afrika: ‘n Fotografiese gids is ‘n nuttige, allesomvattende fotogids tot die natuurlewe van Suid-Afrika. Dit dek die streek se soogdiere, voëls, reptiele, paddas en bome. Vir elke spesie is daar ’n volkleurfoto, bondage uitkenningsteks en verspreidingskaart, sowel as die plekke waar hulle heel waarskynlik gesien sal word.

’n Kort inleiding bespreek die streek se geologie, klimaat, plantegroeisones, natuurlewebrandpunte, en gee wenke vir die waarneming van die natuur en sy diere. Dié gerieflike aanbieding van Suid-Afrika se opvallendste diere en bome in een boekdeel sal by sowel toeriste as plaaslike natuurliefhebbers byval vind.

Die gids het voorheen in Engels verskyn as Wildlife of South Africa: A Photographic Guide.

Oor die outeur

Duncan Butchart is ’n natuurkenner, illustreerder en fotograaf wat in 11 Afrika-lande as spesialis in ekotoerismekommunikasie gewerk het. Hy is die skrywer van talle artikels en boeke oor Afrika se natuurlewe, onder meer Wildlife of the Okavango, Wildlife of the Cape Peninsula en Wildlife of the Lowveld.

Boekbesonderhede

]]> http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/05/03/nou-in-afrikaans-natuurlewe-van-suid-afrika-n-fotografiese-gids-deur-duncan-butchart/feed/ 0 Nadine Clarke Engages Young Explorers with Get Bushwise: On Safari http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/26/nadine-clarke-engages-young-explorers-with-get-bushwise-on-safari/ http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/26/nadine-clarke-engages-young-explorers-with-get-bushwise-on-safari/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:18:53 +0000 Amanda http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/26/nadine-clarke-engages-young-explorers-with-get-bushwise-on-safari/ Get Bushwise: On SafariForthcoming from Struik Nature: This bumper edition, comprising three lively children's nature guides, brings together a treasure trove of information, colourful images, games and activities for young readers. A local guide leads adventurers on safaris into three surprisingly varied worlds: the bushveld, a river and a desert. Each environment brings its unique flavour to the adventure; multiple images (both photos and illustrations) and interesting text introduce the ...]]> Get Bushwise: On SafariForthcoming from Struik Nature:

This bumper edition, comprising three lively children’s nature guides, brings together a treasure trove of information, colourful images, games and activities for young readers.

A local guide leads adventurers on safaris into three surprisingly varied worlds: the bushveld, a river and a desert. Each environment brings its unique flavour to the adventure; multiple images (both photos and illustrations) and interesting text introduce the region’s fascinating wildlife with its intriguing habits and lifestyles. Readers are encouraged to play along by means of engaging activities, games and quizzes, with answers at the end of each section. Nature’s edible treats and useful props are introduced, along with survival techniques for the young explorer.

Get Bushwise: On Safari illuminates three important southern African natural arenas, and will engage readers from cover to cover.

About the author

Nadine Clark studied horticulture and zoology, and has extensive training in environmental education – a field that has taken her to Clive Walker’s Lapalala Wilderness School in the Waterberg, the Delta Environmental Centre in Johannesurg, Kirstenbosch Gardens and the Conservation Corporation, where she worked in community upliftment programmes.

Book details

]]> http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/26/nadine-clarke-engages-young-explorers-with-get-bushwise-on-safari/feed/ 0 Sasol to Hold Annual Birds and Birding Fair at the Joburg Zoo (26 & 27 May) http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/20/sasol-to-hold-annual-birds-and-birding-fair-at-the-joburg-zoo-26-27-may/ http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/20/sasol-to-hold-annual-birds-and-birding-fair-at-the-joburg-zoo-26-27-may/#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2012 07:16:35 +0000 Amanda http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/20/sasol-to-hold-annual-birds-and-birding-fair-at-the-joburg-zoo-26-27-may/

Sasol Birds of Southern Africa IVThis year's Sasol Birds and Birding Fair takes place on 26 and 27 May at the Johannesburg Zoo. The fair is designed to foster the love of nature of both amateur enthusiasts and more advanced birders, while educating the public about the conservation of our feathered friends. Highlights of this year's fair include animal contact sessions, a bird of ...]]>

Sasol Birds of Southern Africa IVThis year’s Sasol Birds and Birding Fair takes place on 26 and 27 May at the Johannesburg Zoo. The fair is designed to foster the love of nature of both amateur enthusiasts and more advanced birders, while educating the public about the conservation of our feathered friends. Highlights of this year’s fair include animal contact sessions, a bird of prey identification course, and a full day photography workshop.

Sasol’s Birds of Southern Africa, now in its fourth edition, remains the most trusted guide for birding enthusiasts.

The largest bird fair of its kind in southern Africa, the Sasol Birds and Birding Fair will be held at the Joburg Zoo on the 26th and 27th May 2012. Birding and outdoor enthusiasts are set to come through in their thousands over the weekend. Both days promise to be fun-filled with loads of free activities, exhibitions, workshops and guided bird walks for the entire family.

The entrance fee is reduced for the weekend, at R35 per person. The aim of the fair is to educate and excite the public about birding conservation, and create a love for nature. The Sasol Birds and Birding Fair is a project of Birdlife South Africa, sponsored by Sasol and is held annually at the Joburg Zoo. Africa Birds and Birding magazine is also a partner to the fair.

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Image courtesy Birdlife

]]> http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/20/sasol-to-hold-annual-birds-and-birding-fair-at-the-joburg-zoo-26-27-may/feed/ 0 Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan Helps Debunk the Myths Surrounding Duck-billed Dinosaurs http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/12/anusuya-chinsamy-turan-helps-debunk-the-myths-surrounding-duck-billed-dinosaurs/ http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/12/anusuya-chinsamy-turan-helps-debunk-the-myths-surrounding-duck-billed-dinosaurs/#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:51:18 +0000 Amanda http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/12/anusuya-chinsamy-turan-helps-debunk-the-myths-surrounding-duck-billed-dinosaurs/ Famous Dinosaurs of AfricaAuthor and paleontologist Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, recently took part in a joint University of Cape Town and American study of duck-billed polar dinosaurs. This study has led to some astonishing insights into the life of the Edmontosaurus, a dinosaur that lived in the Arctic 70 million years ago. Chinsamy-Turan, who is a bone histologist and head of UCT's Department of Zoology, is the author of several books, ...]]> Famous Dinosaurs of AfricaAuthor and paleontologist Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, recently took part in a joint University of Cape Town and American study of duck-billed polar dinosaurs. This study has led to some astonishing insights into the life of the Edmontosaurus, a dinosaur that lived in the Arctic 70 million years ago.

Chinsamy-Turan, who is a bone histologist and head of UCT’s Department of Zoology, is the author of several books, including the children’s title Famous Dinosaurs of Africa:

Once dubbed the ‘happy wanderers’ of the North Pole, a new study suggests that duck-billed dinosaurs weren’t migratory at all. They preferred to stay closer to home, it appears – the evidence, as a UCT and American team has found, is in their bones. A team of dinosaur palaeontologists from South Africa and the US have uncovered these insights in the bones of Edmontosaurus, or duck-billed dinosaurs, which lived in the Arctic about 70 million years ago.

Bone histologist and head of UCT’s Department of Zoology, Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, and colleague Dr Anthony Fiorillo, of the Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Texas, reasoned that perhaps clues showing how these dinosaurs lived at such high latitudes might be recorded in the microscopic structure of their bones.

Book details

]]> http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/12/anusuya-chinsamy-turan-helps-debunk-the-myths-surrounding-duck-billed-dinosaurs/feed/ 0 Extract from Dangerous Creatures of Africa by Chris and Mathilde Stuart http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/04/extract-from-dangerous-creatures-of-africa-by-chris-and-mathilde-stuart/ http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/04/extract-from-dangerous-creatures-of-africa-by-chris-and-mathilde-stuart/#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:38:45 +0000 Amanda http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/04/extract-from-dangerous-creatures-of-africa-by-chris-and-mathilde-stuart/ Dangerous Creatures of AfricaNamibiana Buchdepot brings you an extract from Dangerous Creatures of Africa by Chris and Mathilde Stuart. In the following passage, which constitutes the introduction, the authors reveal how injuries or fatalities caused by potentially dangerous animals are often occur within scenarios humans have created:
Africa is riven by civil wars, cross-border conflicts, starvation and death by disease. The southern region of Sudan was in a state
...]]> Dangerous Creatures of AfricaNamibiana Buchdepot brings you an extract from Dangerous Creatures of Africa by Chris and Mathilde Stuart. In the following passage, which constitutes the introduction, the authors reveal how injuries or fatalities caused by potentially dangerous animals are often occur within scenarios humans have created:

Africa is riven by civil wars, cross-border conflicts, starvation and death by disease. The southern region of Sudan was in a state of civil war for 21 years, when some 1.5 million people died, while at least 200 000 have been killed in the region of Darfur in the past four years. In the Democratic Republic of Congo possibly as many as three million humans have died from violence, hunger and disease since 1997. It is believed that despite the ‘peace’ in that country, 1000 people continue to die every day. A tenth of the population of Somalia has died since 1991. Diseases and parasites thrive and prosper in situations of chaos, climatic extremes and warfare, situations all too well known in Africa. In South Africa alone about 15000 people die on the roads every year, and more than 10000 are killed by bullet, knife or other assault. By contrast, dangerous creatures kill fewer than 50 with their venoms and poisons; and stompers, homers, tuskers and biters perhaps account for 100 human fatalities each year in southern Africa. The number of humans killed or debilitated in Africa by the insect-borne diseases, such as malaria, still tops the list.

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]]> http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/04/extract-from-dangerous-creatures-of-africa-by-chris-and-mathilde-stuart/feed/ 0 Introducing Struik Nature’s “Find 50″ Series: Seashore and Game Reserve http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/02/introducing-struik-natures-find-50-series-seashore-and-game-reserve/ http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/02/introducing-struik-natures-find-50-series-seashore-and-game-reserve/#comments Mon, 02 Apr 2012 07:01:55 +0000 Amanda http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/02/introducing-struik-natures-find-50-series-seashore-and-game-reserve/ Find 50 at the SeashoreFind 50 at the Seashore is a checklist of 50 fascinating seashore plants and animals which will liven up any trip to the beach or aquarium. Children will have great fun ticking off these creatures as they discover them, reading about each one and studying the beautiful, full-colour illustrations. About the illustrators The illustrations are chiefly by Judy Maré, with additional contributions by Sally MacLarty ...]]> Find 50 at the SeashoreFind 50 at the Seashore is a checklist of 50 fascinating seashore plants and animals which will liven up any trip to the beach or aquarium. Children will have great fun ticking off these creatures as they discover them, reading about each one and studying the beautiful, full-colour illustrations.

About the illustrators

The illustrations are chiefly by Judy Maré, with additional contributions by Sally MacLarty and Jennifer Schaum. Maré is an accomplished illustrator of children’s books, and is especially experienced in marine illustration.

~ ~ ~

Find 50 in the Game ReserveFind 50 in the Game Reserve is a fun, fold-out checklist which illustrates 50 of the wild animals and birds that you may encounter on a trip into one of southern Africa’s game reserves. Children will love looking at the lively, full-colour illustrations, reading the interesting accompanying facts, and ticking off each creature as they spot them in the wild.

About the illustrators

The illustrations are chiefly by Jennifer Schaum, with additional contributions from Sally MacLarty. Schaum is a Fine Arts graduate from Rhodes University and a highly experienced art educator and freelance illustrator. She has a particular interest in the African environment.

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]]> http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/04/02/introducing-struik-natures-find-50-series-seashore-and-game-reserve/feed/ 0 Take Pleasure in Writing and Reflection with Daphne Mackie’s Kirstenbosch Journal http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/03/27/take-pleasure-in-writing-and-reflection-with-daphne-mackies-kirstenbosch-journal/ http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/03/27/take-pleasure-in-writing-and-reflection-with-daphne-mackies-kirstenbosch-journal/#comments Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:38:44 +0000 Amanda http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/03/27/take-pleasure-in-writing-and-reflection-with-daphne-mackies-kirstenbosch-journal/ Kirstenbosch JournalThe Kirstenbosch Journal is the work of a local artist and botanical illustrator, inspired by Cape Town's world-famous gardens. This elegant visual diary offers 100 lined pages for writing and reflection. The book is enlivened with beautiful images – both illustrations and photographs – of the different areas of the gardens, lovingly captured by the artist. The artwork is evocative but light, so that it does not intrude, ...]]> Kirstenbosch JournalThe Kirstenbosch Journal is the work of a local artist and botanical illustrator, inspired by Cape Town’s world-famous gardens. This elegant visual diary offers 100 lined pages for writing and reflection.

The book is enlivened with beautiful images – both illustrations and photographs – of the different areas of the gardens, lovingly captured by the artist. The artwork is evocative but light, so that it does not intrude, making this a delightful journal and a beautiful gift for any nature lover. It’s printed on eco-friendly paper that is a pleasure to write on.

About the author

Daphne Mackie has painted the wild flowers of Africa for as long as she can remember. In 1970 she settled in Cape Town where Kirstenbosch Gardens, with its wealth of indigenous flora, inspired her to take up formal botanical illustrating. She exhibited at the Celebration of 300 years of Botanical Illustration at the Cape, and exhibits regularly with the Cape Artists’ Society at Kirstenbocsh.

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]]> http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/03/27/take-pleasure-in-writing-and-reflection-with-daphne-mackies-kirstenbosch-journal/feed/ 0 Learn to Identify Lowveld Trees with Eugene Moll’s Short Course http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/03/23/learn-to-identify-lowveld-trees-with-eugene-molls-short-course/ http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/03/23/learn-to-identify-lowveld-trees-with-eugene-molls-short-course/#comments Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:53:16 +0000 Amanda http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/03/23/learn-to-identify-lowveld-trees-with-eugene-molls-short-course/ What's that Tree?Eugene Moll, author of What's that Tree? A Starter's Guide to Trees of Southern Africa, will be offering a short course on tree identification in September this year. Hosted by the Southern African Wildlife College, the course will take place over four days near the Kruger National Park's Orpen Gate. For more information contact Alice at amoll@telkomsa.net or visit Fynbos Hub. Book details ...]]> What's that Tree?Eugene Moll, author of What’s that Tree? A Starter’s Guide to Trees of Southern Africa, will be offering a short course on tree identification in September this year.

Hosted by the Southern African Wildlife College, the course will take place over four days near the Kruger National Park‘s Orpen Gate.

For more information contact Alice at amoll@telkomsa.net or visit Fynbos Hub.

Book details

]]> http://struiknature.bookslive.co.za/blog/2012/03/23/learn-to-identify-lowveld-trees-with-eugene-molls-short-course/feed/ 0