ABSTRACT
The justification for publishing the present book is contained in two, related, propositions: it is designed first to fill a gap in African studies, and second to contribute, in a small way, to the economic history of the underdeveloped world. The geographical dimension of the title may strike non-specialists as being rather narrow. However, West Africa, though only part of the African continent, is itself almost as large as the whole of Europe, excluding Russia, and its population is approaching the substantial total of 100 million. The first sizeable landmark was undoubtedly Allan McPhee’s classic study, The Economic Revolution in British West Africa, which appeared in 1926. Pre-colonial Africa is popularly regarded as forming an economic Plimsoll line drawn to mark subsistence activities. An organising principle is required which is broad enough to cover the totality of economic activities over many centuries, yet specific enough to provide a coherent theme for the book as a whole.
