Books

New York: Random House, 1938. First edition of the author’s classic memoir, which recounts events of the seventeen years when Blixen made her home in Kenya. Octavo, original half cloth. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket. Bookplate to the front pastedown. An exceptional example. From 1914 to 1931, Danish aristocrat Baroness Karen Blixen owned and operated a coffee plantation in Kenya. After the plantation failed, she returned to Europe and began to write under the pen name Isak Dinesen. Out of Africa reads like a collection of stories in which she adheres to no strict chronology, gives no explanation of the facts of her life, and apologizes for nothing. Basis for the film bearing the same name, directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep, which went on to win seven Academy Awards. Named by Modern Library as one of the 100 best non-fiction books of the twentieth century.

Out of Africa is Karen Blixen's poignant memoir that details her life on a coffee plantation in Kenya. Through lyrical prose, Blixen reflects on the beauty, challenges, and friendships experienced during her stay from 1914 to 1931.