Meeting the Invisible Man: Secrets and Magic in West Africa

Toby Green

ISBN 10: 029764615X / ISBN 13: 9780297646150

Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 2002

About this Item

1st printing (2001). 290pp. Near Fine/Near Fine copy, now preserved in archival jacket protector.

Seller Inventory # 023669

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Meeting the Invisible Man: Secrets and Magic in West Africa
• Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 029764615X
• ISBN 13: 9780297646150
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Africa & Caribbean

About this title

Synopsis

Toby Green weaves a mystical narrative of lore and tradition as he searches for, and finds, the secret power of invisibility. Exploring the extraordinarily vibrant spiritual world which underlies the surface of West Africa, this book examines the conflict between the traditional and the modern in a region whose culture is a melting pot of local, Islamic, and European influences. Engaging the reader with themes as diverse as the histories of the slave trade and the kingdoms of West Africa, the invisible men of H.G. Wells and Ralph Ellison, Plato's simile of the cave and Marco Polo's observations about Zanzibar, the book is by turns mysterious, hilarious, beautiful, and troubling.

About the Author

Toby Green, 24, graduated from Cambridge University in 1996, having obtained a First in Philosophy. He was one of four finalists in the 94-95 `Observer Young Travel Writer of the Year' Competition. He currently works in London for a Literary Agency.