Owen Letcher Books

Owen Letcher (1884 - 1943) was a British gentleman adventurer and one of the first 'tourist' trophy sportsmen who made their appearance with the arrival of the railway at the Zambezi. He had studied mining and became a mining journalist in the 1920s in South Africa.

Bonds of Africa: Impressions Of Travel And Sport From Cape Town To Cairo 1902-1912 by Owen Letcher (1913). Letcher spent time hunting in Rhodesia's Luangwa Valley after elephant and rhinoceros. In British East Africa, he bagged buffalo along the Guaso Nyiro River, as well as gerenuk, giraffe, oryx, gazelle and other game. An often overlooked work with considerable big game hunting. Free eBook

Big Game Hunting in North-Eastern Rhodesia by Owen Letcher (1911). Letcher hunted in the Luangwa Valley for elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, eland and other game. After crossing the Muchinga Mountains, he bagged rhinoceros and elephant as well as roan. He continued his hunt in the swamplands near Lake Bangweulu, then returned to the Luangwa Valley for additonal sport. He concludes his book with descriptions of the types of game encountered in the area.

When Life Was Rusted Through: A Tale Of Northern Rhodesia And Of The Beira And Mashonaland Railways by Owen Letcher (1934). Among the many accomplishments of Rhodes was the building of a considerable mileage of his proposed Cape-to-Cairo railway. In 1907, when Letcher travelled over it from the Cape, through Rhodesia and across the Victoria Falls bridge, the railhead was at Broken Hill. Beside the line, he observed 'a tiny mound, a little clump of stones, a cross of wood - the human milestones of the Great North Metalled Road.' This is a beautiful story of some of the 'grimy, shrivelled crew' who built and ran part of Rhodes's railway in the early years of this century. Reprinted in 1973, the first 1934 edition is hard to find.

African Mysteries: Strange And True Stories Of The Congo And Adjacent Territories by Owen Letcher (1935) this hard to find book contains accounts of Stanley's rear column, Emin Pasha and the Queen of Sheba's gold.

Africa Unveiled by Owen Letcher (1931) consists of a poem and fifteen short stories, more or less based on fact, covering the period 1909-1930, with a futuristic look at a post apocalyptical 1940.

The Gold Mines Of Southern Africa: The History, Technology And Statistics Of The Gold Industry by Owen Letcher (1936) is a classic text which presents a detailed chronological historical survey of the gold mining industry and production in South Africa. Includes topics covering discoveries of gold in the Transvaal, geology of the Witwatersrand system, gold mining in Southern Rhodesia, gold in Natal, gold bearing deposits of Kenya, mining camps of Johannesburg, mining on the Rand, metallurgical practices, ultra-deep mining, government leases, taxation and pricing of gold.

Cohort Of The Tropics: A Story Of The Great War In Central Africa by Owen Letcher (1930). "This little book is intended to give some general impression of the campaign and of the manner in which all ranks stuck it. The saving grace of many a situation was the humour of the British soldier and I have endeavoured to portray a few incidents which will serve to show how that priceless spirit overcame obstacles and boredom and intense hardship."

Congo Belge: A Work To Commemorate The Founding Of The Congo Free State And To Describe The Civilization Of The Heart Of Africa Under Belgian Rule 1885-1935 by Owen Letcher (1935)

Medals And Decorations Of The British Commonwealth of Nations by Owen Letcher (1941) covers and illustrates all the better-known military decorations of the British Empire, along with a number of interesting medals from less celebrated campaigns, such as the Arctic Medal, several Ashanti medals, the Tibet Medal and the Natal Rebellion 1906 medal.

Page Updated: Oct 2020