Wanderings of an Elephant Hunter

Wanderings of an Elephant Hunter is a nonfiction memoir written by W. D. M. Bell and published in 1923. The book chronicles his elephant hunting experiences throughout the African continent in the early 1900s. It is the first book that Bell wrote about his adventures and serves as a good source to understand what Africa was like during and immediately after the Victorian Age. 

Pros

Bell’s writing style is easy to read as he speaks very matter-of-factly, which I like. He does not beat around the bush or mince words he is to the point and does not leave much, if anything to the imagination. I think that works well for this book as most readers have not experienced what he has and really require a good description to understand the situations that Bell found himself in.

Being a memoir it is supposed to have personal touches and the author does that well. When he was scared he tells you so, when he was frustrated he makes it clear. He did a good job helping the reader understand his emotions during his experiences and that bodes very well for this type of book. 

The content of the book gives the reader a good idea of what Africa was like during his time there. He tells about the different tribes and how native people lived in the bush. He describes the culture and explains their beliefs and traditions. He talks quite a bit about hunting techniques and uses his own experiences to back up his claims, even going so far as to explain what calibers he uses and how he tested them. Sometimes he even touches on the government administrations in Africa during the time and comments on how he feels about them. This really is a book that I believe has something for everyone to enjoy, and someone that is interested in Africa, hunting in general, or someone that likes learning about the Victorian age will certainly love it. 

Part of the book explaining different calibers in depth.

Cons 

I am not going to be too hard on this book as it is relatively old and Mr. Bell has unfortunately passed, but even if I was there aren’t many negatives. My biggest and really only issue with the book is the organization. It goes in chronological order which works fine but there are times when the author will go off topic and speak about something that happened several years before the current chapter, and sometimes it is not brief. Another complaint (though this is directed at the printer/publisher and not the author) is that most of the reprints you buy today do not contain the images and diagrams that were present in the original printings. These images are easy to find online and are not referenced to much in the book but it is a minor annoyance. 

Things to Know

These are things that aren’t necessarily good or bad but something you should be aware of when reading this book. The writing style is a little older and not like modern writing, it does not bother me personally but I know that can be off putting to some people. Also know that he may use harsh language towards the natives, though not anywhere near as much a other writers of the time and he even praises them on multiple occasions. If you take issue with the description of dead animals or hunting then this book may be hard to read though it is not gory in my opinion. I do not want to dissuade anyone from reading this book as it really is fantastic and gives a lot of good insight, but I also want you to be aware of things that some people may not like. 

Conclusion 

Wanderings of an Elephant Hunter by W. D. M. Bell is a book I would recommend to anyone, it has something for everyone and its few shortcomings can be easily overlooked. I hope more people purchase and read this book as it deserves way more recognition than it currently receives in our modern day. 

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(Left is paperback, right is kindle)