Out in the Midday Sun by Elspeth Huxley

Out in the Midday Sun by Elspeth Huxley is the compelling continuation of the autobiographical African story begun in her celebrated The Flame Trees of Thika. In this volume Huxley turns from the memories of her childhood in colonial Kenya to the fascinating people, places and events that shaped her adult life in Africa.

Returning to Kenya after several years abroad, Huxley encountered a society undergoing profound social and political change. Through a mixture of memoir, biography, anecdote and historical observation, she recreates the personalities and atmosphere of Kenya between the world wars and during a period that would ultimately lead towards enormous political transformation. Among the notable figures appearing in her recollections are Lord Delamere, Karen Blixen and Jomo Kenyatta.

Huxley was particularly well placed to document this period. Having spent much of her childhood in Kenya, she possessed an intimate knowledge of the country while her later career and travels gave her a broader perspective on African political and social affairs. The result is Out in the Midday Sun, a highly readable combination of personal memoir, African history and travel writing.

This Penguin edition is especially appealing to collectors and readers of Africana, Kenyan history, colonial African history, autobiography and twentieth-century travel literature. Out in the Midday Sun also makes an excellent companion volume to The Flame Trees of Thika and The Mottled Lizard, forming part of Huxley’s celebrated autobiographical writings about Kenya.

Condition – Good 

Paperback showing general age and handling wear, with tanning/toning to the pages and page edges. Cover remains presentable with some rubbing and edge wear. Previous owner’s name/inscription written prominently on the opening/title page. Binding appears intact and the book remains a sound reading copy.