West Africa before the colonial era : a history to 1850

This is a survey of pre-colonial West Africa, written by the internationally respected author and journalist, Basil Davidson.

He takes as his starting point his successful textA History of West Africa 1000-1800, but he has reworked his new text specially for a wider international readership.

In the process he offers a fascinating introduction to the rich societies and cultures of Africa before the coming of the Europeans.