A Certain Curve of Horn
Subtitle: The Hundred-Year Quest for the Giant Sable Antelope of Angola
Edition: 1ST edition
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press; Grove/Atlantic, Incorporated
Published: October 2002
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 320
ISBN-13: 9780871138583
Subjects: Mammals; History; Animals; Animals / Pets; Sable antelopes; History: World; Sable antelope; Angola; Africa - General; Africa; Antelope hunting
First sentence: I came across the book that started it all in a boyhood bibilographic expedition in the old municipal library in Fort Launderdale, Florida.
Description: "In A Certain Curve of Horn, veteran journalist John Frederick Walker tells the story of the giant sable, weaving an enthralling epic of exploration and adventure, politics and war, bringing to life the brutal realities of today's Africa and the bitter choices of conflicting conservation strategies.

Walker takes the reader on a quest from the giant sable's place in the hunting myths of the Songo and Lwimbi peoples, through the coming of Portuguese colonization in the fifteenth century, the animal's discovery by British railway engineer H. F. Varian in 1916, the horrific six-nation conflict that followed Angolan independence to the current controversial effort to restock a vast wildlife park in coastal Angola that may become the noble antelope's new home.

Along the way, Walker shares the stories of the adventurers, scientists, and warriors who have come under the thrall of the beast, and how their actions shaped the fate of the giant sable antelope - and the war-torn nation that is its only home.".

"Culminating with a riveting voyage into the heart of rebel-held Angola in search of the first scientific confirmation of the animal's existence in decades, A Certain Curve of Horn is a blend of history, natural science, and adventure - and a fascinating look into the world of a magnificent beast that has haunted the imaginations of hunters and naturalists around the globe for generations."--BOOK JACKET.