African history

  • Africonomics

    £10.99

    ‘A historically insightful read’Financial Times

    ‘A wry, rollicking, and provocative history’ Michael Taylor, author of The Interest

    ‘A thought-provoking analysis of Africa’s relationship with economic imperialism’ Astrid Madimba and Chinny Ukata, authors of It’s A Continent

  • An African History of Africa

    £10.99

    For too long, Africa’s history has been neglected. Dominated by western narratives of slavery and colonialism, its past has been fragmented, overlooked and denied its rightful place in our global story. Now, Zeinab Badawi guides us through Africa’s spectacular history, from the origins of humanity, through ancient civilisations and medieval empires with powerful queens and kings, to the miseries of conquest and the elation of independence. Seeking out occluded histories from across the continent, meeting with countless historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and local storytellers, and travelling through more than thirty countries, Badawi weaves together a fascinating new account of Africa: an epic, sweeping history of the oldest inhabited continent on the planet, told through the voices of Africans themselves.

  • Nasser

    £10.99

    Anne Alexander describes the life of Gamal Abdel-Nasser (1918-1970), father of modern, independent Egypt and an icon of Arab nationalism. In the 1950s he was a key figure in the Free Officers revolutionary organization. He is remembered for standing up to the British in the Suez Crisis and building the Aswan Dam.

  • Shifting sands

    £25.00

    Blue-veiled nomads, camels crossing infinite dunes, oases shimmering on the horizon: ready-made images of the Sahara are easy to conjure. But they can never truly capture a region that crosses eleven countries and is home to millions. This sweeping account upends old fantasies, revealing the far more interesting reality of the Earth’s largest hot desert. Drawing on decades of research, and years spent living in the region, anthropologist Judith Scheele takes us from Libya to Mali, Algeria to Chad, from the ancient Roman Empire to contemporary regional battles and fraught international diplomacy, questioning every easy cliché and exposing fascinating truths along the way.

  • The language of evil

    £20.00

    In this entertaining and revealing history, professional speechwriter Guy Doza charts how some of the most bloodthirsty and energetic dictators grabbed and maintained power through their skilled use of words.

  • A training school for elephants

    £22.00

    In 1879, King Leopold II of Belgium launched an ambitious plan to plunder Africa’s resources. The key to cracking open the continent, or so he thought, was its elephants – if only he could train them. And so he commissioned the charismatic Irish adventurer Frederick Carter to ship four tamed Asian elephants from India to the East African coast, where they were marched inland towards Congo. The ultimate aim was to establish a training school for African elephants. Following in the footsteps of the four elephants, Roberts pieces together the story of this long-forgotten expedition, in travels that take her to Belgium, Iraq, India, Tanzania and Congo. The storytelling brings to life a compelling cast of historic characters and modern voices, from ivory dealers to Catholic nuns, set against rich descriptions of the landscapes travelled.

  • Can feminism be African?

    £22.00

    What happens when we consider Africa through a feminist lens and feminism through an African one? And what does it mean to centre selfhood in this journey?

  • Africonomics

    £25.00

    ‘A wry, rollicking, and provocative history’ Michael Taylor, author of The Interest

    ‘A thought-provoking analysis of Africa’s relationship with economic imperialism’ Astrid Madimba and Chinny Ukata, authors of It’s A Continent

  • Tangier

    £14.99

    Tangier is perennially fascinating and experiencing a major renaissance. It’s a popular travel destination once again and people are interested in the city’s extraordinarily rich history – from ancient beginnings suffused with myth and legend, through years of invasion and conquest, on to its becoming a focus of European rivalry and hotbed of espionage and intrigue. This book has been woven with traveller’s anecdotes and extracts of inspired poetry and prose, all celebrating the unique charms of the Moroccan city.

  • Fall of civilizations

    £25.00

    Based on the podcast with over 100 million downloads, Fall of Civilizations brilliantly explores how a range of ancient societies rose to power and sophistication, and how they tipped over into collapse.

  • An African history of Africa

    £25.00

    For too long, Africa’s history has been neglected. Dominated by western narratives of slavery and colonialism, its past has been fragmented, overlooked and denied its rightful place in our global story. Now, Zeinab Badawi guides us through Africa’s spectacular history, from the origins of humanity, through ancient civilisations and medieval empires with powerful queens and kings, to the miseries of conquest and the elation of independence. Seeking out occluded histories from across the continent, meeting with countless historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and local storytellers, and travelling through more than thirty countries, Badawi weaves together a fascinating new account of Africa: an epic, sweeping history of the oldest inhabited continent on the planet, told through the voices of Africans themselves.

Nomad Books