Nine Lives: Memoirs of a Maverick Conservationist by John Varty

Nine Lives: Memoirs of a Maverick Conservationist is the compelling autobiography of South African wildlife filmmaker, conservationist and adventurer John Varty, a man whose life has been intimately connected with some of Africa’s most remarkable wild animals. Closely associated with Londolozi and particularly renowned for his pioneering work filming and observing leopards, Varty recounts a lifetime characterised by extraordinary encounters, considerable danger and an enduring fascination with the natural world.

Beginning with his early experiences in the African bush, Varty traces his transformation from hunter to filmmaker and committed conservationist. Nine Lives includes remarkable accounts of working at exceptionally close quarters with lions and leopards, raising the orphaned lioness Shingalana, his long relationship with the celebrated Mother Leopard, and numerous encounters in which the boundary between observing wildlife and becoming part of the action became perilously thin.

Varty also recounts dramatic episodes away from conventional wildlife conservation, including encounters with crocodiles, a near-fatal helicopter crash and the colourful personalities encountered during his career. The result is more than a conventional conservation memoir: Nine Lives is an adventurous and highly personal account of a life devoted to understanding wild animals and communicating their world through film.

Illustrated with colour photographs, Nine Lives will appeal particularly to readers interested in South African wildlife, Londolozi, big cats, conservation history, wildlife filmmaking, African adventure and autobiographical accounts of conservationists.

Condition – Good

Clean and firmly bound paperback with light signs of handling. Pages appear clean and well preserved. There is a previous owner’s ink inscription on the half-title/title-opening area.