This new guide is a "must" for all those interested in African birds. For a field guide, however, it is just a considerable bit too heavy. But if previous guides (Kenya and Northern Tanzania, Indian Subcontinent) are any indication, we may expect a smaller version in due time. Meanwhile, let's just enjoy what has come out. The quality of the color plates varies considerably, but they all range from fairly good to excellent. They are all by the same artist which supposedly ought to guarantee for greater consistency. In this case, it certainly is not so. There are plates that are flat, others come to life vividly; there are plates with lots of blank space whereas others (especially the raptors) are crammed. However, all the plates are most useful, often giving flight pictures for different plumages as well. Overall, color renditions seem to be good, as well. But the Plain Swift on plate 63 should be lighter colored than the Common Swift, whereas it is depicted darker. This is, however just nitpicking when compared with all the faults and deplorable plates found in recent field guides for South America. Thus, once again, birders going to Africa can be envied for another excellent guide they now have available. The text has French names as well (including an index), a good feature in an region that is partly French speaking. The excellent range maps would be more helpful if they would be opposite the plates, but their inclusion in the text allowed for more details. In addition, the caption with the plates already gives a rough indication of the range.

This book has to be an enormous improvement over the "old" guide to the birds of west Africa. In October & November of 2001 I used just the plates of this guide while in west Africa. They are fantastic. There are many views of each species, they are all in color, the citations are quite comprehensive and all plates are grouped together. This is the only book you will need in Western Africa - and I havn't even seen the text! But while using just the plates I was able to identify nearly every bird that I saw in one nation in the region.

This is an excellent chronicle of the Italo-Ethiopian conflict and then of the battles in Africa during WWII between Italy and Britain. It is narrated very well and I rarely felt lost or confused. This is a great book and would be a welcome edition to any library.

This is probably one of the best war histories ever written. Mockler's superb book outlines the causes, actions and consequences of the Italo-Ethiopian conflict from Italy's first (foiled) attempt at conquest in 1896 at Adowa to Haile Selassie's final overthrow in the early 1970s by a military junta.
Mockler was exceedingly fortunate to have interviewed some of the people who appear in his book. Many were old men and several were later reported murdered by the Marxist Dengue that set up shop after throwing Selassie out.
Most of the story focuses on the 1936 war between the two countries when Fascist Italy conquered feudal Ethiopia, the last independent nation in Africa at the time. So often portrayed as barefoot and spear-carrying warriors, Mockler shows us that parts of the Ethiopian Army were fairly well-armed and trained. But it was still underdeveloped and relied heavily on massed attacks that guaranteed being massacred by the mechanized, well-equipped Italians. The book continues through the Italian occupation, the Ethiopian resistance, the declaration of war between Italy and Britain in World War Two, the Emperor's return and Ethiopia's eventual independence. It is rife with intrigue, plots and treachery, as Ethiopian nobles plotted with and against each other to see who would eventually wear the crown. It is an exquisitely crafted piece of work and it is a great great shame that it is no longer in print.

This is the best book I have ever read in my lifetime concerning biblical prophesy. If half of the things revealed in this book are found to be true, then the only hope for this retched planet and the people occupying it is to have all the leaders of the world, e.g UNITED NATIONS come together and acknowledge that there is a CREATOR who will not allow the devil any more glory. This book is significant of the changing times we are living in.

This book is a very ecxellent book because it shows how much livity that a true brethren of this faith lives up. It also shows how ancient this deep Afrakan way of life is, and how naturally and wholistically Rastafari is supposed to live. It eliminates all ism and skism about Rastafari, and makes one how is seeking and hearing the call want to live clean and let Jah works be seen within him/herself.

Sincerely,

Jahmaal Usamah Israel

Jah Blessings!

A seminal work of Thomas' experience living with the Kalahari !Kung hunter-gatherers in the 1950s. This is an intimate, personal account of her experience plus a colorful look at quite possibly how all of our ancestors once lived, including how this culture has, since the '50s, basically been destroyed by civilization. A valuable lesson in 303 pages.

This is a simple account, yet honest and very entertaining. It describes a people almost totally uninfluenced by the advancements and vices of the outside world. The stories held my attention without fail. While classified as anthropology, it is not written in a scientific manner and is approachable for anyone looking to experience a wholly foreign culture.
The last chapter, which describes the people after thirty years, is discouraging, but gives some insight into our own ways of life. This is probably the best non-fiction "story" I have ever read.

For several years I had been trying to find some books of valid and substantial merit dealing with Yisra'elim or Jews in West Africa. Truly, this books is a very good collection of various accounts of people who professed to believe that varioius peoples in Africa were of Hebrew or Yisra'elee stock.

The accounts of the various customs of the Ashanti were very interesting. The story of Eldad ben-Mahli the Danite was also very insightful. The Ntora account....fascinating. The letter from the Ashanti queen mother to the queen of England concerning the Seventh Day (Shabbat) being the day of the Creator....WOW! This book really helps my research in this area. It is interesting that once I got this book, other sources started to open up to me, and to think this book was published in 1930! How has this book been overlooked for so long?

The book also does not go down the path of claiming that all Africans are Hebrews or Yisra'eleem, and does not get into a racist flare either. This book goes down the path that some or many Africans could be of Hebrew or Yisra'el stock because of the type of contact that existed in ancient times between peoples. The conclusion is very interesting also.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is seriously researching this subject of early accounts of Yisra'eleem in Africa. After reading much of this I had to proclaim, "Barukh attah Adonai Elohim Melekh ha`Olam!"

This book is a goldmine of information that uncovers Hebrewisms in African rituals and history all over Africa. It is also connected with some very recent research by antoher Amazon.com writer, Dr. Linda Thomas of Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. As an anthropologist/theologian, she studied water purification rituals among Africans in Uguleto, South Africa. These rituals are very close to those in the Old Testament. The content in Dr. Williams' book further connects these types of rituals as they occur throughout the continent Africa. It is an amazing breakthrough in research.

I have used the contents of this book in many interesting ways. Just the other day, I was talking with an 80-year old woman at church, whose mother came from Madagascar, as a slave. I was able to share with her some of the information in the book about the Hebrewisms found in the Africans of Madagascar (some of whom were brought to South Africa as slaves by the Dutch). I was able to tell her that it may be possible that her ancestors might have descended from the ancient Black Jews of Canaan, who migrated down through Africa at various points in their history, and whose Jewish rituals were discovered by various historians at various periods. She is an African American. This is not the first time that I have presented this information in order to establish the fact that Jesus Christ, and the Jews of the Old Testament in many ways, were ancestors of the Africans who were brought here, from all over the continent of Africa as slaves.

It should be in the collection of every researcher into the history of Africans on the continent and throughout the Diaspora.

In the style of "The House That Jack Built", this book employs delightful repetitions and stunning illustrations to give children a picture of the animals who inhabit the African savanna. I read this book on a regular basis to children of all ages (and lots of adults), and they all enjoy it. In fact, I have worn out my initial copy, and have had to order another!

This is a wonderful example of a circular story with excellent repeated lines and incredible pictures. It shows the connections of the various animals and plants of the Savanna.

A must for teachers and parents!

A huge ebony tree stands in the center of the village of Tombakonda. Its hard trunk seems impenetrable. A beautiful young girl lives in the village and many men come to ask her father for her hand in marriage. Her father wishes his daughter to marry a man of strength. The girl wishes for a man with more gifts than just strength. With her father's permission, she sets a challenge. She will marry the man whose arrow penetrates the ebony tree. Many men try, but none succeed until one day a young hunter comes to the village who enlists the helps of friends to win his heart's desire.

Author/illustrator Nelda LaTeef uniquely captures the essence of an African folk tale, bringing it vividly to life for children of all audiences. The classic tale of wisdom and cunning to achieve one's goal serves a delightful lesson of encouragement to young readers. The combination of acrylic and collage for the illustrations lends the page a marvelous texture and depth. My young American audience, ages five and eight, found this to be a wonderfully entertaining tale that they ask for again and again. THE HUNTER AND THE EBONY TREE comes very highly recommended.

Wonderfully written for young readers ages 5 to 9 by Nelda LaTeef, The Hunter And The Ebony Tree is an authentic African folk tale brought to life in picturebook form with LaTeef's remarkable, shape-centered full-color illustrations. The Hunter And The Ebony Tree is the story of a hunter who must demonstrate intelligence, skill, and loyal friends to overcome challenges and win the hand of a wise young woman makes for enjoyable reading aloud to young folks. The Hunter And The Ebony Tree is enthusiastically recommended for family, school, and community library folk tale and picturebook collections.

Koigi's book is a good narrative of his life and philosophy as it relates to Kenya. A large part of the book is dedicated to describing his early life experiences and how they shaped his outlook on life and his dedication to the liberation of Kenya.

The fact that he was detained by both the Kenyatta and Moi regimes shows his resolve to fighting injustice no matter the leadership at hand. The contribution of Koigi to the "second" liberation of Kenya cannot be overlooked.

This book is an autobiographical exposition of a living freedom fighter that has experienced the oppressive conditions of colonial Africa as well as the terror of African dictatorship that people in Kenya and other countries find themselves in today.

Koigi's personal story is simply incredible. The son of impoverished forest workers, he was a first hand witness to the brutality of British colonialism against Mau Mau freedom fighters. He witnessed the birth of an independent Kenya led by Jomo Kenyatta, as well as Kenyatta's eventual betrayal of the ideals that informed the Mau Mau struggle for independence. Miraculously, the emphasis that his parents placed upon education led him to an opportunity to study at Cornell University in New York in the 1970's, where he was exposed to democratic freedoms that were unheard of under Kenyatta's reign.

Koigi then returned to Kenya to fight for these democratic ideals within his homeland, and as a consequence, was imprisoned by Kenyatta for speaking for freedom and land reform. He successfully ran for and served in Parliament in 1979, and was then imprisoned once again by President Daniel Moi. What followed was a series of exiles and detentions, eventually resulting in his exile to Norway and now, to New York city.

Koigi is a true democrat, and has devoted his life to the struggle for democracy and human rights in Kenya. The book title, 'I Refuse to Die' is a clever interplay upon the distinction between physical death and spiritual collapse; to Koigi, death of the conscience and the will to speak truth to power is the ultimate end of one's being. Albert Camus' phrase, "I resist, therefore I am" applies aptly to Koigi's life story to date.

The product of Koigi's history of suffering and sacrifice is a wonderfully written autobiography. And this story is certainly not over, as there is little doubt that Koigi will continue to fight for these ideals in the years to come.

I visited Londolozi in 1997. I ordered and received the book almost a year after I returned home. It captured everything I remember from the animals and the landscape to the wonderful people themselves. I am able to pick up the book, now 2 years later, and still get the same feeling.

After visiting Londolozi and purchasing this book there, it was wonderful to learn about the background and evolution of this very unique game reserve from the founding family. This book is a must for those planning a trip to the "bush" as well as for those fortunates that have been to Londolozi or anywhere to share space with the magnificent animals of the transvaal.

Very informative and excellent editorial! (Good research on graphics and pictures too!) It's definitely one of the best History publications that I ever read on SA. The best part I found about this book is its excellent chronological order way down to the earliest time before the Dutch moved-in in the early 16th century. Which is good because most of the publication I come across seems to ignore it. In add-ons, the book also comprises different points of view from not only from the old ruling class (Afrikaners) but also includes the voices of people from different ethnics. In all, it is truly a book of which contents extensive information on history; politics; social development of South Africa.Anyone who are interested in SA history should have a copy at home!

Very informative and excellent editorial! (Good research on graphics and pictures too!) It's definitely one of the best History publications that I ever read on SA. The best part I found about this book is its excellent chronological order way down to the earliest time before the Dutch moved-in in the early 16th century. Which is good because most of the publication I come across seems to ignore it. In add-ons, the book also comprises different points of view from not only from the old ruling class (Afrikaners) but also includes the voices of people from different ethnics. In all, it is truly a book of which contents extensive information on history; politics; social development of South Africa. And it is definitely a book for everyone SA history lovers should have!