During the 1970s and 1980s Peter Matthiessen joined a number of expeditions to Africa, witnessing at first-hand its many and diverse people and wildlife. The fruits of these journeys are three of the most impressive travel journals of the late 20th century. Sand Rivers describes the Selous Game Reserve in Southern Tanzania, one of the largest yet least-known strongholds for wild animals left in the world. The Tree Where Man Was Born records a remarkable journey made from the Sudan through Uganda to Kenya, visiting the Serengeti, the Maasai Mara and the Ngorongoro Crater, and the archaeological sites of the Rift Valley. African Silences is an account of two voyages through Senegal, Gambia, the Ivory Coast, Zaire (as it then was) and the Central African Republic. These three classic works, here presented in a single volume with a new introduction by the author, represent Matthiessen the naturalist at his finest.
