A modern Economic History of Africa (Vol. I): The Nineteenth- Century

Edited by Tiyambe Zeleza

Dakar, CODESRIA 1993, 490 p., ISBN: 2-86978-30-3 (paperback) ISBN: 2-86978-026-5 (cased)

The book is an outstanding pioneering work, destined to become highly influential, and providing such a wealth of information and detail as to elevate the study of African economic history to a new pedestal: The Jury, Noma Award for Publishing in Africa, African Publishing Book Record (APBR)

This extensive and well-written survey of nineteenth-century African economic life sets an impressive standard. Zeleza’s study encompasses the whole African continent. Zeleza’s mastery of the literature is impressive, as are his skills of synthesis and argument. For an audience of Africanists, this is an excellent general statement of the issues and evidence in African economic history. Patrick Manning, Journal of African History