Product Description

Drawing on many years of African experience, John Reader has written a book of startling grandeur and scope that recreates the great panorama of African history, from the primeval cataclysms that formed the continent to the political upheavals facing much of the continent today. Reader tells the extraordinary story of humankind's adaptation to the ferocious obstacles of forest, river and desert, and to the threat of debilitating parasites, bacteria and viruses unmatched elsewhere in the world. He also shows how the world's richest assortment of animals and plants has helped - or hindered - human progress in Africa.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20111 in Books
• Published on: 1998-11-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 816 pages

About the Author
John Reader is a writer and photojournalist with more than forty years professional experience, much of it in Africa. Born in London in 1937, he currently holds an Honorary Research Fellowship in the Department of Anthropology at University CollegeLondon, and is a fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute and the Royal Geographical Society. He is the author of Pyramids of Life, Missing Links: The Hunt for Earliest Man; Kilimanjaro; The Rise of Life; Mount Kenya and Man on Earth.

Customer Reviews

Brilliant: a rivetting and educational read
I bought this book to please a friend of mine who recommended it. Knowing little about Africa and having little interest in the place, I had no expectations of enjoying the book. However, it turned out to be one of the most memorable books I have ever read and I would recommend it to anyone who has any care for or interest in mankind.

The book is brilliantly researched and could almost be described as an encyclopaedia in terms of the huge range of subjects that it covers. This is not just a history of the African continent, but a history of mankind from primeval times to the present, through various stages and periods of civilization. The book describes the exodus of early man from the African continent 100,000 years ago and the disastrous effects of his eventual return over the last 1000 years. Most poignant perhaps is Mr Reader's descriptions of slave trading, European colonization and later decolonization, and he argues strongly how these disastrous events are still responsible for ongoing suffering amongst the inhabitants of the continent.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in human history - and not least to anyone like myself who knew little about the subject before reading Mr Reader's wonderful book.

A Masterpiece!
For a very thick book I read this in a week and a half. Very well written and easy to read but researched in such a way to add serious credibility. The environmental, historical and anthropological detail that Reader employs is very effective. It helps banish to history the stereotypes and false impressions about Africa that have prevailed for centuries.

Some of the information about African languages, the migration from Africa to the rest of the world, the development of iron and the study on why the established western understanding of the development of civilisations and ancient cities just doesn't apply to Africa are really fascinating.

This should be read by everybody who has lived, travelled or worked in Africa. Brilliant Book.

History in Broad Strokes
They aren't kidding when they say 'Biography'! The book literally starts with the birth of the continents and ends with recent history. In between those two points the development of Africa is explained using geology, climate, evolutionary changes, and Western influences. It is clearly and interestingly written. If you want to know why the situation in Africa is what it is today this is an excellent one-stop resource. (If you want information about a specific country or area I wouldn't recommmend this book. Although it goes into a bit more detail on some subjects, it mainly consists of broad information.)

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because the author quotes quite a lot of statistics, which aren't always strictly necessary.