Africa (Hardcover)

by John Reader (Author), Michael Lewis (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Two books on Africa with the same title and familiar themes, yet how different they are in content and approach! In a companion book to the eight-week PBS series that began on September 9, 2001, Reader (Africa: A Biography of the Continent) attempts to document in detail and with informed commentaries every aspect of the continent's evolution and its results. This ambitious and encyclopedic work describes and explains the African savannah and the continent's deserts, forests, mountains, lakes, and coasts. He does this with elegance and a rare admiration of Africa's role in human evolution and history. The land, its people, abundant wildlife, intriguing plants, and challenging climate all receive equal attention and emerge as intricate and indispensable parts of one grand natural scheme. Reader's tone is that of a devout evolutionist, and his style is fluid, simple, and clear.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Reader, in Africa: a Biography of the Continent (1998), wrote a powerful, scholarly account tracing the origins of the first Homo sapiens and their subsequent migrations throughout the world. He returns to the theme that "we all belong to Africa" in his latest title, a sweeping, lushly illustrated companion volume to an upcoming PBS series scheduled for broadcast in September. Divided into sections devoted to geographical regions (savanna, desert, mountains, coast, etc.), the text, illustrated with Michael Lewis' stunning photos, offers glimpses into regional ways of life, always noting how people have adapted to local climate and land. Although the author ends each chapter with a profile of a contemporary individual, his fascination for evolutionary processes shows throughout the book; readers looking for portraits of urban African life may be disappointed. But providing an all-inclusive overview of a continent's people and cultures is an impossible task, and Reader and Lewis offer a beautiful, lively, and opinionated volume, dense with information, while remaining accessible to a wide age range. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792276817
• ISBN-13: 978-0792276814
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #409,434 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding introduction to Africa, September 29, 2001

By	Ed Gibbon www.congocookbook.com (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

This is an excellent book for anyone who might find Reader's earlier book "A Biography of the Continent" too much of a good thing. "Africa" explores many of the same themes and issues, but the information is arranged differently and there are more illustrations; this book is aimed at the educated lay-reader. Still it is an important and outstanding book. Reader is a good writer and his research and grasp of a myriad of disciplines related to his subject is impressive.

The story is told by geography: Savanna, Desert, Rain Forest, Mountains, Sahel, Great Lakes, Coast, Southern Africa. Being a "companion" to the PBS/NGS TV series there is some (but not much) focus on the people who appeared in the television documentaries. Mostly Reader tells the stories behind the story; his history of Africa is as much about the environmental, geographical, and physiological as merely chronological. For example, Reader tells why bananas and plantains are so important in African history; what makes camels so invaluable in the Sahara, how sickle cells and malaria are related, even the advantages and disadvantages of walking upright. Of course there is some in-this-year-such-and-such happened, but that is kept to a minimum. This "Africa" is not only an outstanding introduction to Africa, it should also be of interest to any Africanist.

The photographs by Michael Lewis are good enough to be a book of their own; they combine with Reader's well organized and informative text to make "Africa" an excellent portrait of the continent. Reader's "Biography of the Continent" is also highly recommended.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A concise yet comprehensive look at a fascinating continent, December 15, 2001

By	JLind555 - See all my reviews

"Africa" is the companion volume to the recent PBS series of the same name, and like the series, is organized into eight parts, each one focusing on a particular geographical region of the continent. In clear, concise language, John Reader gives us the historical and geographical background of each area, the current economic and social structure, and the problems affecting the particular region. The photographs are mind-blowing; they are so gorgeous that they almost dominate the excellent text. The one disappointment, for one who has also seen the PBS series, is that the book doesn't follow the individual stories of people in depth as the PBS production did; however, no one who hasn't seen the TV production will miss it, and it in no way detracts from the overall value of the book. This is one book about the "dark continent" that does the continent, and its people, proud.

5.0 out of 5 stars Forensic Buff, April 8, 2009

By	Sharon K. Bush "forensics buff" (St. Louis Mo) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really enjoy this book best of all on Africa.It includes everything and the pictures are terrific. If you want to read a book on Africa, I recommend this one.