With Forks and Hope: An African Notebook – Elspeth Huxley – First UK Edition, 1964 – Jonathan Kingdon Dustwrapper

Author: Elspeth Huxley
Illustrator: Jonathan Kingdon
Publisher: Chatto & Windus, London
Publication Date: 1964
Edition: First UK Edition
Binding: Hardback with original illustrated dustwrapper
Stock Code: 004253
Location: Bookroom

Description

A first UK edition of With Forks and Hope: An African Notebook (1964), the important account of East Africa by the British writer, journalist and commentator Elspeth Huxley (1907–1997), illustrated by the distinguished wildlife artist Jonathan Kingdon. Published during a period of extraordinary political transformation across the African continent, the book records Huxley’s three-month journey through Kenya, Tanganyika and Uganda in 1963. Her observations provide a revealing contemporary portrait of East African societies as colonial government gave way to African independence.

Elspeth Huxley and East Africa

Elspeth Huxley was among the most influential British writers on twentieth-century East Africa. Born in London in 1907, she spent much of her childhood in Kenya, where her parents established a coffee plantation.

Her upbringing provided the foundation for a lifelong engagement with African society, politics, agriculture and wildlife. Her best-known books, The Flame Trees of Thika (1959) and The Mottled Lizard (1962), drew upon her childhood experiences and established her reputation as an exceptionally perceptive observer of African life. Unlike many European travel writers visiting the continent for the first time, Huxley approached East Africa with decades of personal experience and an extensive understanding of its social and political complexities. Her writing combined literary skill with an informed interest in agriculture, economics, conservation and the relationships between African communities and European settlers.

An African Notebook: East Africa in 1963

With Forks and Hope captures a particularly significant moment in modern African history.

Tanganyika had achieved independence in 1961, Uganda followed in 1962, and Kenya became independent in December 1963. Huxley’s journey therefore coincided with the emergence of new political institutions and the redefinition of relationships between African populations and former colonial administrations. Travelling across the region, she considers the aspirations and difficulties facing the new African nations, exploring questions of political leadership, education, agriculture, economic development and social change. Her account ranges from discussions of African nationalism and political personalities to observations of rural communities, wildlife, traditional practices and the practical problems of development. The book includes chapters on Olduvai, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, the Tsavo region and Uganda, combining travel narrative with political commentary and natural history.

Today, the work is of interest both as a literary account of East Africa and as a contemporary historical document reflecting the assumptions, concerns and expectations of the early postcolonial period.

Jonathan Kingdon: Illustrations and Dustwrapper Design

An especially appealing feature of this edition is its artwork by Jonathan Kingdon (born 1935), the celebrated British zoologist, naturalist and wildlife illustrator.

Kingdon became internationally recognised for his detailed studies of African mammals and his ability to combine scientific observation with artistic expression. His illustrations for With Forks and Hope reflect his close engagement with the wildlife and landscapes of East Africa. The original dustwrapper is particularly striking. Its bold arrangement of stylised African birds, rendered in a restricted palette of red, cream and blue, creates a highly decorative composition that combines modern graphic design with natural-history imagery.

Condition

A very good, tight, clean copy in a very good dustwrapper.

The spine of the book is faded through the dustwrapper. The binding is nice and tight, and the pages are nice and clean. The original illustrated dustwrapper has some nicks, creasing and rubbing and is faded to the spine. The attractive front panel retains its strong colours and distinctive Jonathan Kingdon design. The dustwrapper is now protected in an easily removable clear acetate archival wrapper.

Please examine the accompanying photographs, which show the actual copy offered for sale.

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