ABSTRACT
During the last few years a number of relatively short general histories of Africa have appeared in English. One that is widely used and has passed through a number of editions is Roland Oliver and J. D. Fage, A Short History of Africa. The best general survey is J. Desmond Clark, The Prehistory of Africa, This may be usefully supplemented by J. D. Fage and R, A. Oliver (eds) Papers in African Prehistory. The subsequent development of Islam in Africa is perhaps best considered under regional headings, but there is an important collection of essays in Islam in Tropical Africa, ed. I. M. Lewis. Most attempts at contemporary history are necessarily somewhat ephemeral, but John Hatch, AHistory of Post-war Africa attempts a general perspective, while both Ronald Segal, Political Africa and Colin Legum (ed.) Africa: a handbook contain useful material.
