Comments on: "Gonna take some time to do the things we never ha-aa-aaaa-aa-ad"

Question: "Gonna take some time to do the things we never ha-aa-aaaa-aa-ad"

inoculatedcities — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 11:25:41 -0800

I'm looking for a great (introductory) book on the history of the African continent.

I recognize that any request such as this should warrant clarification. I'm also aware that any condensed history of an entire continent is impracticable, broad, and inadequate -- in short, asking the impossible. Nonetheless, I'm seeking recommendations of books that might be useful to someone who, like many I'd imagine, is entirely unfamiliar with the history, ancient and recent, of this large continent. Excellent introductory historical and political works in other words. Thanks in advance for the replies.

By: greatgefilte

greatgefilte — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 11:43:02 -0800

"Into Africa," by Marq de Villiers and Sheila Hirtle, might be up your alley..

By: R343L

R343L — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 11:55:27 -0800

Africa: a Biography of a Continent by John Reader is frequently recommended but I couldn't get into it. It might be different for you. History of Africa by Shillington seems to be a standard "intro to africa" text book. I found it more readable than Reader (although very intro textbook-ish).

By: good in a vacuum

good in a vacuum — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 13:08:23 -0800

I read much of A History of the African People by Robert W. July for a second year history course in university. It's a dawn-of-man to decolonization overview.

By: schrodycat

schrodycat — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 13:37:42 -0800

I would also recommend "Africa: a Biography of a Continent" by John Reader. But feel free to skip a few chapters in the middle, and the long intro on geology is probably worth skipping, too.

By: splendid animal

splendid animal — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 13:45:20 -0800

This question immediately brought to mind a history of Latin America that I read: The Penguin History of Latin America.

Penguin doesn't seem to have an exact equivalent for Africa, but here are two books I found that look similar (I haven't read either of these):

A Short History of Africa (6th ed.) - Roland Oliver and J. D. Fage

The Penguin Atlas of African History (rev. ed.) - Colin McEvedy

By: Lockjaw

Lockjaw — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 14:02:49 -0800

I concur with greatgefilte: I found John Reader's book, well, unreadable. It was a disappointment. Remember that Africa is one biiiig continent. Perhaps you should start with regional histories using something like the Penguin Atlas as a guide.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 06:41:46 -0800

The McEvedy atlas is excellent, with lots of readable explanatory text, and would make a good beginning. Like Lockjaw, I think you should take an interest in a particular region (West Africa is where I started—the empires of Ghana and Mali make for a riveting story) and work out from there. Continents don't really have histories.

By: Ustrasana

Ustrasana — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 11:15:41 -0800

Instead of trying to absorb African history as a whole, you might want to start with a more compact subject and branch out from there. While this book covers less territory than what you're asking for, it's very readable and will likely spark your interest in African history.