Blog

The Wanderings of an Elephant Hunter

The Wanderings of an Elephant Hunter

Ian Martin in Pearly Beach

I bought this for R10 at the second-hand book stall outside the Standard Bank in Hermanus one Saturday morning about 25 years ago. It was first published in 1923 and my copy is the 1958 edition. After many years of being out of print it was brought back as an annotated digital version by Big Game Books in 2018.  Favourable reviews of the book can be found on Goodreads.

I regard hunting as deplorable, and when I read that the book is ‘Lavizhly illustrated from on-the-spot sketches by the author,’ my low opinion of hunters, including WDM Bell, was confirmed. The cover drawing, which shows a tiny figure with a rifle confronting a charging elephant of laughably enormous proportions, is clearly meant to demonstrate courage of the intrepid white man as he holds his ground and takes aim. However, I did find the book fairly well written, entertaining and factually as well as historically interesting.

Read the full article here.

(You can read Sell Me a Gun for free on Smashwords HERE.)

To view my longer work as an author, you can find me on Smashwords here.

The Wanderings of an Elephant Hunter

Ian Martin

This is my writer's blog and it's a pleasure to have your company. You’ll see that the site is designed to showcase my writing.

View Profile

What is Xplorio?

Xplorio is your local connection allowing you to find anything and everything about a town.

Watch the Gansbaai Video
Read More

Recent Posts

In the Podiatrist’s Dental Chair

In the Podiatrist’s Dental Chair

For more than a decade I paid Doctor Carey to work on my teeth whenever one or more of them caused me pain in the form of toothache. 

The Urinal at Liliesleaf Farm

The Urinal at Liliesleaf Farm

We arrived in Joburg on Friday 17 May 2024, and returned to Pearly Beach on Monday the 27th of the same month and year, which makes the trip an 11-day odyssey.

One Shot: Reflections on Life's Choices

One Shot: Reflections on Life's Choices

In my early twenties I went on a mission to take a drink in every bar in Cape Town.

To Hell with Future Generations

To Hell with Future Generations

We do not inherit the Earth; we borrow it from future generations.

How to Move a Deceased Relative's Possessions from A to B

How to Move a Deceased Relative's Possessions...

The relative who died was my wife's youngest of two sisters.

There Is F*ck-All Wrong With My Heart

There Is F*ck-All Wrong With My Heart

Two weeks after the Cardiac Ablation, which was supposed to correct my Atrial Flutter, I experienced a mild attack, and then, about ten days later, a more serious episode that lasted for over two hours.