The Last Ivory Hunter: The Saga of Wally Johnson
by Peter H. Capstick
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Book Summary Information
Author: Peter H. CapstickEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1988-07-15
ISBN: 0312000480
Number of pages: 266
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
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Book Reviews of The Last Ivory Hunter: The Saga of Wally Johnson
Book Review: A collection of delightful although far-fetched stories from a remarkable man
Summary: 5 Stars
The format of "The Last Ivory Hunter" is very good. Peter Capstick has blended the words of Wally Johnson and his own comments into a very interesting story. Wally's words are in block letters throughout the text and Capstick's are in itallics. This is very important because many times with the text alone it would be nearly impossible to tell who the speaker is.
This was one of Capstick's most delightful works. I know! I've heard all of the comments about how far fetched many of the events in this book are and I couldn't agree more. I didn't say that it was Capstick's finest work, only that it was delightful.
There were many parts of the story such as when Wally claims to have made a driveshaft for his Land Rover from the branch of a mopane tree and drilling the holes to mount it with steel-jacketed solids that are, well ... a bit difficult to believe. Then there was the time that he patched a hole in the crankcase of an engine with an animal hide and drove more than a hundred miles on five cylinders. But let's put the story in perspective.
This is not a biography, but the remininiscence of an old man who was relaying events from his life to a writer who recorded them. This is the story of a remarkable man who despite exaggerations and embellishments lived an extraordinary life in Mozambique during an era that is gone forever.
There was no need to build up the true story. But as is so often the case, from the viewpoint of the story teller the truth would sound a bit bland. Spicing the story up more than a little bit seems to be an art that old men use to hold the listener's attention. Wally told these stories with his own brand of spice and Capstick undoubtedly added a bit of poetic license at times. There were times while reading Capstick's comments that I had the feeling that he was having problems believing some of the far fetched tales himself. To his credit as the man who chronicled the stories, he wrote them as Wally told them, to allow the reader to filter out fact from fiction.
I can picture Wally telling these stories to me. Sitting in a rocker on a wooden porch telling another stretcher with a twinkle in his eye. He would watch me very closely, wondering how far he could take this one before I caught on. In respect for the old man I would listen until it just became too much to accept and I would finally ask, "Do you expect me to believe that one Wally?"
He'd stop, take a long pull on his pipe and narrow his brow. Then look me straight in the eye with the gritty response. "You weren't there dammit!"
Read "The Last Ivory Hunter" with this mindset. Understanding that it is likely the only written record of the life of a truly remarkable man. Forgive him the obvious embellishments, such as having killed more than 1300 elephants and standing off two-hundred armed poachers virtually unarmed and you will find it to be a delightful story.
I gave it a five star rating because I found it to be an enjoyable and entertaining read when taken in perspective.
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