Cultural Atlas of Africa - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0816038139 ISBN 13: 9780816038138

Publisher: Checkmark Books, 1998

Synopsis

Filled with 248 full-color photographs and ninety-six maps, the revised edition of a widely praised survey of the culture, history, and geography of Africa features a new chapter on prehistoric man, new illustrations, and a new map on AIDS. 30,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

The African continent is huge and varied, so much so that to compress its history and ethnography into a single volume seems an impossibly daunting task. Recognizing this, African historian Jocelyn Murray and 37 specialist contributors nonetheless do a fine job in this richly illustrated atlas of outlining the sweep of hundreds of thousands of years of human activity on the continent. Their narrative incorporates recent scholarship on the emergence of humankind in eastern Africa, an evolutionary tale that can now be traced to 4.5 million years before the present; the history of the great states of prehistory, among them the Asante, Benin, Great Zimbabwe, and Xhosa empires; and the complex pattern of cultural development across the continent. Along the way Murray and company look at such matters as religion, traditional healing, arts and crafts, music, dance, vernacular architecture, and politics. They also consider matters that are of pressing importance to Africa's future, among them resource use and conservation, environmental preservation, economic development, and urbanization. The book includes a nation-by-nation geographical almanac and gazetteer that, while certain to require updating soon, stand as highly useful references for students. The well- annotated maps are especially valuable. --Gregory McNamee

From the Publisher:

Praise for the previous edition:

"Excellent....A well-balanced combination of text, captioned color photographs and maps." --Booklist

"An unusually beautiful book. The stunning photography and excellent clear cartography are models of their kind." --Times Literary Supplement

About this edition

• Publisher: Checkmark Books
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0816038139
• ISBN 13: 9780816038138
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240
• Editor: Murray Jocelyn