As Al Venter likes to say, diving is a state of mind. You head for your favourite venue – be it False Bay, one of the islands off Mocambique, or one of those elusive little hideaways along the Wild Coast - and everybody is charged with anticipation. The dive itself, which might not always be the most memorable underwater experience, rarely disappoints, if only... read more

WRECK HUNT: Salvaging the Ocean's Treasure
BY CHARLES SHAPIRO

Due to be pulished 2009

A remarkable new book on shipwrecks and salvage. It covers much of the period of maritime discovery of the East by all the European Nations then active in the maritime realm.
This work will be a touchstone in the genre of underwater discovery. Hugely illustrated and in full colour throughout, it is to be published in several of the languages of the countries that historically traded with the Asia, from the 15th Century onwards.
Apart from American and British editions, Wreck Hunt will concurrently be published in Dutch, Portuguese, French, Danish, Swedish, German, Italian and Japanese language editions... read more

MERCENARY INVASION OF THE SEYCHELLES:
The Aborted Indian Ocean Island Raid Led by Former Congo Mercenary Mike Hoare
BY AUBREY BROOKES AND GRAHAM LINSCOTT

Due to be pulished 2008

Aubrey Brookes was part of the ill-fated mercenary force that went into the Seychelles in the 1980s under Colonel Mike Hoare and ran into immediate difficulties through the most amazing ill-luck. He was wounded, captured, subjected to the most horrific beatings and torture and sentenced to death.

The book describes one man’s journey into and out of that pit of despair; how he survived and how, in the end, the experience strengthened and uplifted him and changed his life... read more

JACK MALLOCH:
The Most Illustrious Freebooter of them all
BY ALAN BROUGH

Due to be pulished 2009

World War 2 Spitfire pilot, erstwhile CIA Agent and Participant in a Dozen African Wars, Coups and Revolutions.
This book is due for publication in the United States, Britain and South Africa in 2009. It will deal with the life of one of the most unusual characters to emerge in Africa after World War 2. It is a classic series of tales about one man’s determination to help those whom he believed needed assistance during a period when many... read more

DEADLINE AFRICA
BY CHRISTOPHER MUNNION

A continent in turmoil as witnessed first hand by foreign correspondents.

Scheduled for publication early 2009

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Few outsiders have had such unique opportunities as foreign correspondents assigned to Africa to witness first hand the tortured modern history of the continent. For three tumultuous decades, Christopher Munnion covered the unfolding story of post-colonial Africa for The Daily Telegraph of London, sharing the adventures – and misadventures - of fellow foreign correspondents as they reported first hand on the wars, revolutions and coups which saw the rise and fall of numerous despots and tyrants.... read more

BATTLES OF THE ANGLO-ZULU WAR OF 1879
BY KEN GILLINGS

Due for Publication 2009

In the 1870s, India was Great Britain's most important Colonial possession. The two colonies in South Africa - the Cape of Good Hope and Natal - were seen as financial burdens.

How could this be overcome? Confederation was the one possibility; it was working in Canada, was supported by the Colonial Secretary, Lord Carnarvon, and endorsed enthusiastically by Her Majesty's High Commissioner in South Africa, Sir Bartle Frere. Carnarvon was succeeded by Sir Michael Hicks Beech who had far less interest in the region and left Frere to his own devices. Frere considered King Cetshwayo kaMpande of the Zulus as a stumbling block to his ideal of a confederation of white states in Southern Africa and felt that his objective would secure British dominance politically and economically in the Region. ... read more

DIVING WITH SHARKS: Close up in the Milieu of the Oceanic Predator
BY AL J. VENTER AND WALTER BERNADIS WITH PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREW WOODBURN

Scheduled for completion 2008 with international editions to follow in the US, Britain and Australasia.

This remarkable book reflects a deep-seated enthusiasm for predators that has been years in the making. Noted underwater photographer, South African-born Andrew Woodburn has been shooting sharks in the oceans of the world and succeeded in capturing many striking images of these denizens. The book follows Al Venter’s Dive South Africa that he co-authored with Cape Town marine archaeologist John H. Visser... read more

NEALL ELLIS: MERCENARY AND HELICOPTER GUNSHIP PILOT
BY JAMES MITCHELL

The book is in preparation. Publication date is likely to be in the summer of 2009.

Former South African Air Force pilot who saw action throughout the region from the 1970s on, Neall Ellis is the best known mercenary combat aviator alive. Apart from flying Alouette helicopter gunships in Angola, he has fought in the Balkan War (for Islamic forces), tried to resuscitate Mobutu Sese Seko's ailing air force in the final days of his rule in the Congo, flew Mi-8s for Executive Outcomes, and thereafter, an Mi-8 fondly dubbed 'Bokkie' for Colonel Tim Spicer in Sierra Leone and finally, with a pair of ageing Mi-24s, Ellis ran the Air Wing out of Aberdeen Barracks in the war against Foday Sankoh's RUF rebels. ... read more

BARREL OF A GUN: MISSPENT MOMENTS IN COMBAT
By AL J. VENTER, with an Introduction by FREDERICK FORSYTH.

Due to be published 2008/2009

Barrel of a Gun: Misspent Moments in Conflict by Al J. Venter - with an Introduction by Frederick Forsyth (the two men were in the Biafran War together) is to be published by Ashanti Publishing in Britain, the United States and Canada in 2009 and late 2008 in South Africa ... read more

SOUTH AFRICA'S BORDER WARS - A RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN CONFLICTS
Edited by Willem Steenkamp et al

Due for publication early 2009

Conflict was as much an ingredient of the status quo during South Africa's apartheid era as racially-dominated politics. At its worst, it extended over a region as vast as Western Europe and involved not only Angola, Zambia, Mocambique and Rhodesia (which was to become Zimbabwe), but just about all the other countries south of the equator.
These included Tanzania, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and, to a lesser extent, Malawi and Congo (Brazza). ... read more

THE 'COLOURED' PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA AND APARTHEID
With a comprehensive Prologue and Epilogue by veteran South African political journalist Graham Linscott.

TEN SECTIONS OF HISTORICAL PHOTOS FROM THE FILES OF CAPE PHOTOGRAPHER CLOETE BREYTENBACH.

Due for publication early 2009

This book was originally published in 1973. It appeared under the title Coloured: a Profile of South Africa's Two Million South Africans

In his original introduction to this book, published in 1973, the author made the point that 'if White South Africans cannot come to terms with this group, with whom they share a common history, language and culture. They will never be able to deal with what has been called "the slowly awakening African Giant".' ... read more

New Titles Coming Soon.