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Originally Posted by 3Eighths
PHC may have been a good professional hunter, but he was a poor -- and I mean really really poor -- writer. He completely and utterly screwed up the biography of a true character of the British Empire in Africa of the early 20th Century, Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen. Capstick's book, "Warrior" is virtually unreadable and is full to the very brim of BS.


I'm afraid I agree with the Meinertzhagen book. A tough read. PHC was at his best in article length snippets. DITLG is basically short stories hooked together. I rather like his SAFARI_ THE LAST ADVENTURE as well as DITLG and DITDC.

Peter did look like warmed over death in the leopard video. Looked like advanced COPD. Capstick never claimed to be James Joyce, just an ordinary guy trying to write about Africa. I admit I enjoy his embellishment of the hunting exploits much more than his foray into biography.


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As tough as it is for me to "not believe" in stories about famous authors in the past, you have to wonder whether this guy, "any author", has done anything worthwhile to negate all the bad publicity about his past. It was harder than hell for me to take in the fact that Taylor was a brokeback mtn. type. The only thing that keeps me from being disgusted beyond barfing is that he did publish some good works. PHC did come up with some great stories but that is overshadowed by the fact that he was a stone drunk and wrote about somebody else's experience rather than his own.

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So, to all of you who supposedly knew PHC while he was alive and writing, were you critical (then) to his face and publicly about what you are so critical of now that he is dead?

Did you call him a drunkard, accuse him of stealing others stories, etc. right to his face? Ever confront him personally? If you didn't do that while he was alive and in person, why would you do that now when he is dead? He cannot defend himself, cannot offer rebuttal.

I did not know the guy. Public debate about an author's facts or his life with the author is fine. Actually, its great, if there is just cause. I don't mind that. But when people say they knew the author, but to wait until after he is dead before publicly stating negative things about him, especially this type of stuff, in my opinion, is cowardly.

The same with John Taylor. Or WDM Bell, Wally Johnson, Elgin Gates, Herb Klein, et al.


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Originally Posted by 3Eighths
He completely and utterly screwed up the biography of a true character of the British Empire in Africa of the early 20th Century, Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen. Capstick's book, "Warrior" is virtually unreadable and is full to the very brim of BS.


I have to agree. The Meinertzhagen manuscript should never have been published.

I wouldn't blame Capstick for it, however. The blame has to sit squarely on his estate and his publisher.

It looks like a first draft. Probably half of a first draft. Containing far too much irrelevant, personal material that should have been tossed and wasn't because there was barely enough text to call it book-length.

It might have been a better book had he lived. But I don't know good it could have been. We have Meinertzhagen's own writings, and one really good out-of-print biography, but beyond that, I believe everyone who knew him is long dead.

And if you know anything at all about Meinertzhagen, you know that he was one of Britain's top spooks for a couple of decades, so the chances of some previously unknown material surfacing seems pretty slim to me. He would have seen to that.

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DPhillips, GET OVER IT. This is not about manly men or testosterone or who's dad is tougher than the others. I could care less who confronted whom and called who what and cowardace. I enjoy finding out more about PHC and his actual life and writing. I only hold one person, now deceased, as having been perfect. All the rest of us have warts. I enjoy reading real stories about real men and women of which PHC was one.


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In fairness, "Warrior" was not completed when Capstick died. His wife put it into print, probably to raise some money. Can't fault her for that.

As for alcoholism, it is a progressive disease. Even if Capstick was a falling down drunk late in life, he could have been a normal and rational person, even if a heavy drinker, while completing most of his exploits.

I wonder about a lot of things. He says he researched 200 books about maneating lions before writing "Long Grass." Did he? He says he killed two buffalo with a spear. Did he? And if he was too chicken to follow up 13 wounded lions, why didn't the safari company fire him after the first half dozen or so. If he was a fake, why draw attention to this possibility by exposing John Taylor's Great Tana River Raid as a fake? It would be interesting to hear from any of his former safari clients.

I wish I could write like that man.


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Rolly,
What I wrote wasn't about anything that you referenced. Sure, I have a few Capstick books. Can't say I'm a fan, though. Certainly not like I am of Ruark's, Bell's, Nyschen, Arino, or many others. The last book that Fiona worked on with Andelino Pires (her new husband) "Winds of Havoc" is outstanding, however.

I guess what sticks in my craw is that the man is dead. He's not alive to defend himself. When he was, there were whispers about some of this stuff, but I can't remember anyone ever publicly admonishing him or approaching him where he could respond in kind. It seems now that he is gone, the gloves come off. Same with John Taylor and Princess Diana.

Just doesn't seem right, that's all.


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I tried to read "Death In the Tall Grass" and had a hard time with his Bogart type style.

Maybe I'll have to try another, which is his best work?

Is Death in Silent Places basically the same stuff as Long Grass?







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If you didn't like DITLG, it's likely that Capstick's style is just not for you.


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fwiw,
I'm very much a fan of the late Mr. Capstick. He intruduced "African" literature to an entirely new group of readers who would not peruse more scholarly tomes...imho

Regards, Matt.


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Not to stir things up, but for the sake of accuracy, I looked at some of my notes from that long ago hunt and the number of lions was "6 or 7" according to the company. Apparently over the years I added the two together. Of course, it really changes nothing of any consequence, but does correct the record.


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I wish you all could view the man in his videos on his safaris. I was wishing I could view his videos again as it's been a long time since I saw the one and only one about hunting elephants.

To say I expected something else is a great understatement. We sure get an expectation of someone from their books. His knack was writing and I find it hard to take that away from him. So he took literary license, bull crap, or whatever you want to call it. I've thoroughly enjoyed his books.

If you look at the life style of many great writers, their writings were done under the use of cocaine, booze or other mind altering drugs. I'll not degrade the man for needing drugs to cope with his life. Yea, it was a poor choice and I'll just wish he didn't have to be a drunk and let it go at that.

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PHC was an outdoor writer of the first order. I don't know if all his stories were true or not. I choose to believe them at face value. He also brought a lot of the old writers back with his reprints and for this he should be applauded. I purchased his videos from Ken Wilson in 2005. I inquired if he would write a biography on Capstick. He mentioned that his wife Fiona was going to write it. I am looking forward to that and hopefully it will dispel some of the myth currently circulating.


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My only complaint about Death in the Long Grass is that the danged book fell apart after I read it too many times.


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I've read a whole bunch African safari books even though I am not a reader.My favourite is "Months Of The Sun" by Nychens.It's been a while since I read a very good one-I check Safari Press from time to time in case someone has a new one out that I think I will enjoy.One day I am sure another great book will come out.

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Originally Posted by tjm10025

I have to agree. The Meinertzhagen manuscript should never have been published.

I wouldn't blame Capstick for it, however. The blame has to sit squarely on his estate and his publisher.

It looks like a first draft. Probably half of a first draft. Containing far too much irrelevant, personal material that should have been tossed and wasn't because there was barely enough text to call it book-length.



I'd have to agree with you here. Capstick isn't the only author whose family/heirs/estate tried to capitalize on his writing after his death by releasing unfinished material.

Ernest Hemingway and J.R.R. Tolkien are two literary greats whose families peddled utter trash after their deaths. It's a shame to have that crap out there tarnishing the legacy of such fine writers.


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Originally Posted by swiftshot
My favourite is "Months Of The Sun" by Nychens.


This is one of my favorites as well. Not particularly well-written, to my mind, but what a fantastic storybook life he lived!


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Originally Posted by IndyCA35
In fairness, "Warrior" was not completed when Capstick died. His wife put it into print, probably to raise some money. Can't fault her for that.

As for alcoholism, it is a progressive disease. Even if Capstick was a falling down drunk late in life, he could have been a normal and rational person, even if a heavy drinker, while completing most of his exploits.

I wonder about a lot of things. He says he researched 200 books about maneating lions before writing "Long Grass." Did he? He says he killed two buffalo with a spear. Did he? And if he was too chicken to follow up 13 wounded lions, why didn't the safari company fire him after the first half dozen or so. If he was a fake, why draw attention to this possibility by exposing John Taylor's Great Tana River Raid as a fake? It would be interesting to hear from any of his former safari clients.

I wish I could write like that man.


Excellent post.

Robert Ruark drank himself to death. So did F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Hemingway's death may have been by suicide on the death certificate, but booze should have been on the list of contributory causes (after all his years of boxing, I have to wonder if he might have had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy?).

The only thing that's kept us from the sad spectacle of those great writers being on video in their dotage was the fact that videography was not ubiquitous in their day.


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Coming from a guy that will never be able to visit or hunt in Africa his books have taken me to places I can only dream about . Wished I could have meet him .
Ps I do own a 375 h&h Winchester model 70


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