History of Africa, Revised Edition (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This work is written from an African perspective e.g., "Alexander of Macedon (known in European history as Alexander the Great)" and is geared to secondary students (it comes complete with questions). It attempts to emphasize developments affecting the lives of "ordinary" people, from the beginning evolution of humankind up to the present, although post-independence Africa receives but 18 pages (and the bibliography lists only 30 items). Nevertheless, this is a good, well-written introductory text, although some might consider a number of its views, based as they are on the latest trends in scholarship, to be controversial (e.g., South African whites are referred to as "settlers"). Recommended.
- Paul H. Thomas, Hoover Inst. Lib., Stanford, Cal.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A work with many virtues...stylistic lucidity, profusion of clear maps and excellent illustrations."--International Journal of African Historical Studies

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Product Details

• Paperback: 433 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; Revised edition (May 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312125984
• ISBN-13: 978-0312125981
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #642,837 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Admirable Intention, January 22, 2004

By	Robert Orion (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

The book is written from an African point of view, which is badly needed in the current world of academia. Shillington does a great job of portraying things from the "other side". The only defect is that he can sometimes be too sympathetic to the other side and penalize westerners, giving the book a slight bias. Despite this, it is an excellent book for getting a look into African history from another angle.

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely outstanding for survey courses!, March 8, 1999

By	[e-mail] (USA - United States Air Force Academy) - See all my reviews

Kevin Shillington's organization and structure serve well the one semester survey course in African history. There are 29 chapters from pre-history to post-independence Africa. The maps are excellent - the best I have seen. The book does not get bogged down into too much detail but has the most important concepts, people and events. We use it at the Air Force Academy every year with no plans to change in the near future.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Analysis of Africa, February 14, 2004

By	John Jefferson (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Shillington provides a good survey style textbook on African history from antiquity to the modern period. He covers in great detail and quality of the relationship between Africa and Islam as well as the nature of slavery and apartheid. He covers the slave trade in quite a bit of detail, explaining the value of the African as a marketable commodity. He also explains the origins of apartheid as a colonial parting gift that became entrenched racist national policy for more than fifty years. Shillington's survey is quite appropriate for a high school African history class, an undergraduate African history survey or introduction or even as a first book for a graduate African history course. The topics covered here are obviously from an Africanist point of view although there is a minimum, if any, level of bias on Shillington's part.