Carl Akeley Afrika's Collector

Penelope Sanders-Bodry

Published by Paragon House , hardcover with duskjackett , illustrated

"Carl Ethan Akeley, 1864-1926: Who was this man who, though long dead, still held such a powefull fascination?

...I had come halfway around th world to discover who he was and I wasn't even sur why. I'd come to Africa to find something — a understanding of his obsessions, his hopes, his failed loves, his tenderness, the sum of his parts and maybe, just maybe, in writing his story I' understand myself and life around me a little bit better.

"I had told Laurence (our Rwandan guide) the stories of the gorilla murders in great and gory detail, and he urged me not to write about them because they would taint the reputation of this man, who ultimately became their savior.

"But of course it all has to be told, because all of it is what makes the man so splendid. He was a man — only a man, but a man who accomplished more things in his lifetime than ten men usually do. Adventurer, African explorer, inventor, movie maker, author, sculptor, museologist, conservationist, and taxidermist: not a bad resume.

"He was also husband to two talented women, a reckless driver, a workaholic, a scotch drinker, a sweet and touching man with those he loved, and a monster to his enemies. He cursed like a Marine, dazzled children, could be so distracted he would wear mismatched shoes and rumpled suits, [and] was deeply cherished by his friends.... He was all of it: a combination of disparate entities. And I wanted to see it all. I needed to come to this place called Kabara to find something that would enlighten me."
— from the Prologue