16 December 2005 Books PICTORIAL WEALTH By Sven Lünsche and Linda Stafford The show-offy stuff

Three coffee-table books, always a thoughtful gift for lovers of photography, come highly recommended this season. They are Africa - Continent of Contrasts by Philip Briggs (Struik, R295, 296pp); Dwellers in Eden - A Day in the African Wild by Adrian Bailey (Sunbird, R299, 173pp); and AmaNdebele by Peter Magubane (Sunbird, R299,95, 152pp). The first, Africa, is a photographic journey depicting the natural, cultural, architectural and historical wealth of the continent. Superb photographs of Africa's architecture and indigenous people make this book a somewhat different proposition from the normal diet of wildlife coffee-table books. It is divided into the four main regions, offering detailed information in addition to the visual impressions of each area. Dwellers in Eden - A Day in the African Wild is the result of 10 years spent documenting Africa's ecosystems and wildlife by SA wildlife photographer Adrian Bailey. It is a monograph of his best award-winning images of the past decade and is therefore a superb collection of unusual photographs depicting landscapes and Africa's wildlife. A book worth a prominent place on your coffee table. AmaNdebele, with text by Stellenbosch University fine arts professor Sandra Kloppers, is a tribute by the famed former Drum, Rand Daily Mail and Time photographer Peter Magubane (now 73) to the resilience and creativity of SA's Ndebele, many of whom continue to live in communities scattered across Mpumalanga. Though best known for their remarkable mural art tradition, the Ndebele also wear distinctive beadwork garments on special occasions. Magubane celebrates these arts and, through them, the women who have dedicated their lives to upholding Ndebele traditions. These are traditions the Ndebele have kept alive despite decade upon decade of hardship, including being forced into dehumanising indentured labour in the late 19th century and the trials of the apartheid era. A magnificent book.