OUT OF AFRICA

First American Edition, later impression, without “First Edition” on the copyright page: 389 pages, publisher's orange cloth covered boards with a flamingo vignette in gilt on the upper cover and black cloth spine with gilt titling and decoration, top corners bumped, top edge dyed light green with a light stain, other edges uncut, a very good copy in the dust jacket with "A Notable List of Recent and Forthcoming RANDOM HOUSE FICTION" on the back panel, priced $2.75 on the front flap, preserved in a Brodart protector.

The memoir covers the 17 years (1914–1931) Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke spent working a large coffee plantation in the Ngong Hills near Nairobi, Kenya. Written in a lyrical, non-linear narrative, the book reflects on the latter years of colonial rule. It focuses on her deep affinity for the African landscape, her profound relationships with local tribes (including the Kikuyu and Somali), her affection for a pet gazelle named Lulu, and her tragic romance with the English big-game hunter Denys Finch Hatton. The story closes wistfully as the coffee market crashes, forcing her to sell the farm and return to Denmark.