Return to the Wild: A Story of Two Lions by Norman Carr

Return to the Wild: A Story of Two Lions by Norman Carr is a classic of African wildlife literature and an important early work by one of Zambia’s most influential conservationists and safari pioneers. Published by Collins in 1962, this copy is the Third Impression, May 1962, issued only a month after the first impression in April of that year.

Return to the Wild: A Story of Two Lions recounts Carr’s remarkable experiences with two orphaned lion cubs, Big Boy and Little Boy, which he raised before undertaking the difficult process of returning them to a life in the wild. Rather than simply being an animal story, the book provides a fascinating first-hand account of African wildlife behaviour, human interaction with large predators and the developing conservation philosophy of the early 1960s.

Norman Carr became an important figure in the history of wildlife conservation in what was then Northern Rhodesia and later Zambia, particularly in the Luangwa Valley. His writing combines personal observation, adventure and natural history, making Return to the Wild particularly appealing to collectors of Africana, African wildlife, lion literature, Zambia and Northern Rhodesia, conservation history and vintage safari books.

Condition – Good

The book itself is very good, with clean green cloth boards, clear gilt spine lettering, a sound binding and generally clean pages with some age-related toning. The original dust jacket is fair, showing substantial wear with rubbing, creasing, tears, chipping and areas of paper loss, particularly around the spine ends and edges.