Jock of the Bushveld

This is an excellent book, a South African classic comparable to Jack London's "Call of the Wild". I know it does not have all the illustrations of the original 1907 edition and has been "Politically Corrected" somewhat but hey what do you expect for $8. Highly recommend this book.

A true classic. Suitable for book lovers, arm chair travellers, historians, adventurers and homesick South Africans of all ages. Jock will steal you heart.

I read Jock of the Bushveld by Percy FitzPatrick for a book report and i have to say i enjoyed it very much. The book is about a hunting dog named Jock and his owner, a transport rider, who narrates the story. When the book starts off the narrator talks about the puppies of which Jock is one. Jock is the runt of the litter but the narrator likes him anyway. As the story goes on Jock grows and learns to be a hunting dog. As you read about Jock you also read about the animals and people in the Veld during the Transvaal gold rush. The book is broken up into many stories. Most are about hunting with Jock, such as a hunt for a leopard and an old crocodile. Other stories are about people and the animals that Jock and the narrator face, such as when the duo gets lost in the bush, a fight with a captive baboon, a run from a wildfire, and an encounter with some wild dogs. The book ends peacefully after many years and many more adventures when Jock becomes unable to hunt and must retire. I enjoyed the book greatly because of the history and the people that were discussed in the book. I also enjoyed the story and the way the author painted the picture of the bushveld. I could literally see two men and a dog running across the bush, away from a roaring wildfire. Jock of the Bushveld is a kind of mix between Where the Red Fern Grows because both of the stories involve a young man who gets a dog (or dogs) and grows up with it. Hunting is also a theme in the two books. It is also like King Solomon's Mines because it takes place in Africa, has many interesting stories of animals, and a history of Africa that is twisted into the story. I would recommend this book to hunters, people who have been to Africa, or people who just enjoy exiting and exotic stories.