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READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Books for

We feature a handpicked selection of travel guides, maps, literature, books on art, nature and culture, designed to help you get more out of your travels to Mali . Order an essential package, and we'll ship any additional items for free.

Essential Reading

Item EXWAF64. Buy these 4 items as a set for $71 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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Bradt Guide Mali

Bradt Guide Mali

by Ross Velton

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

This third edition of this excellent, travel-savvy guide covers the history, culture and attractions of Mali including its music and festivals. (WAF16, $27.99)

The Race for Timbuktu

The Race for Timbuktu

by Frank T. Kryza

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 322 PAGES

An engrossing account of imperial adventures in early 19th-century West Africa and the quest for fabled Timbuktu. (WAF88, $14.95)

Segu

Segu

by Maryse Conde | Barbara Bray

  • LITERATURE
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 493 PAGES

An epic novel set in the West African kingdom of Bambara (old Mali) in 1797, exhaustive in its detail and thoroughly addictive. Conde transforms actual historical events into a full-blooded, lively tale. (WAF17, $17.00)

Mali Map

Mali Map

by Gizi Map

  • 2004
  • MAP

A fold-up map shown at a scale of 1:2,000,000. (WAF43, $15.95)

 
Africa, A Biography of the Continent

Africa, A Biography of the Continent


by John Reader

  • HISTORY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 816 PAGES

With the ease of a practiced journalist, Reader weaves a masterful and lively tale of the continent, from ancient cultures to modern times. Both authoritative and informal, this is a splendid introduction to all of Africa. (AFR49, $18.95)

Dancing Skeletons, Life and Death in West Africa

Dancing Skeletons, Life and Death in West Africa


by Katherine Dettwyler

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 172 PAGES

This detailed account of life in Mali by a cultural anthropologist won the Margaret Mead Award in 1995. (WAF14, $19.95)

Men of Salt, Crossing the Sahara on the Caravan of White Gold

Men of Salt, Crossing the Sahara on the Caravan of White Gold


by Michael Benanav

  • HISTORY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

An anecdotal account of travel with a camel caravan and their Tuareg drivers from Timbuktu to the salt quarries of Taoudenni. (WAF89, $14.95)

Monique and the Mango Rains, Two Years with a Midwife in Mali

Monique and the Mango Rains, Two Years with a Midwife in Mali


by Kris Holloway

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 212 PAGES

Holloway weaves the powerful story of a young midwife and her own coming-of-age with an open-eyed, frank account of village life in Mali. (WAF134, $24.95)

Salt, A World History


by Mark Kurlansky

  • HISTORY
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 496 PAGES

A digressive history of the world told through a grain of salt. Kurlansky follows the precious commodity through revolution, trade and kitchens. (GEN265, $17.00)

The Masons of Djenne

The Masons of Djenne


by Trevor Marchand

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 376 PAGES

An ethnography and celebration of the mud-brick architecture, monumental mosque, and merchant-traders' mansions of Djenne, a distinctive settlement on the Bani River. (WAF136, $29.95)

West Africa Before the Colonial Era, A History to 1850

West Africa Before the Colonial Era, A History to 1850


by Basil Davidson

  • HISTORY
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 257 PAGES

Davidson puts the stories of peoples and empires into context in this lively, scholarly history. With maps, illustrations and a timeline. (WAF07, $60.00)

Bogolan

Bogolan


by Victoria Rovine

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 178 PAGES

A beautifully illustrated survey of the transformation of bogolanfini (mudcloth) textiles in Mali from its traditional rural roots to contemporary symbol. With 24 color and 33 black-and-white photographs and maps. (WAF62, $24.95)

The Hidden Treasures of Timbuktu, Rediscovering Africa's Literary Culture

The Hidden Treasures of Timbuktu, Rediscovering Africa's Literary Culture


by Joseph Hunwick | John O. Hunwick

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2008
  • HARD COVER
  • 178 PAGES

Hunwick's evocative photographs capture not just the astonishing beauty of exquisite manuscripts at the heat of this book but also the faded majesty of the city and the dignity and warmth of its inhabitants. The manuscripts themselves reveal much about ordinary life. (WAF137, $50.00)

French Lessons in Africa, Travels with My Briefcase Through French Africa

French Lessons in Africa, Travels with My Briefcase Through French Africa


by Peter Biddlecombe

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 434 PAGES
  • CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE
    • >

A scandalously entertaining and useful introduction to Francophone Africa by the hilarious British writer and inveterate traveler. Organized geographically, he devotes a chapter each to Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo and Zaire. (WAF68, $17.95)

Sahara Unveiled, A Journey across the Desert

Sahara Unveiled, A Journey across the Desert


by William Langewiesche

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 302 PAGES

Traveling across the Sahara from Algiers to Dakar, Langeweische has written an uncommonly good memoir of the desert, with meditations on its history, inhabitants and allure. (NAF05, $16.00)

To Timbuktu

To Timbuktu


by Mark D. Jenkins

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 240 PAGES

Jenkin's thrilling account of a first descent down the Niger River to Timbuktu mixes harrowing accounts of previous voyages, childhood memories of Africa, observations and experiences. (AFR50, $15.95)

Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa

Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa


by Mungo Park

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

Park chronicles of the culture, society and nature of West Africa before the colonial period in this classic account of a 24-year-old Scotsman exploring, often alone, in uncharted Africa. First published in 1799. (WAF40, $12.95)

Sundiata, An Epic of Old Mali

Sundiata, An Epic of Old Mali


by D.T. Niane

  • LITERATURE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 96 PAGES

A splendid introduction to Mali's venerable oral traditions. Since the 13th century, Malian griots have told the story of Sundiata, the lion king, who first wrested his throne from a sorcerer, then united West Africa. (WAF48, $16.00)

West African Folktales

West African Folktales


by Jack Berry | Richard Spears

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1991
  • PAPER
  • 229 PAGES

These 123 unembellished tales reflect the rich oral tradition of cultures throughout West Africa, particularly Ghana and Nigeria, where the pioneering Berry did much of his field work. (WAF13, $21.00)

Sahara, The Extraordinary History of the World's Largest Desert

Sahara, The Extraordinary History of the World's Largest Desert


by Sheila Hirtle | Marq de Villiers

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 326 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

A chronicle of the geography, history and nature of the Sahara. The authors combine travelogue, science and archaeology in this informative report. (NAF13, $14.00)

A Guide to the Birds of Western Africa


by Nik Borrow | Ron Demey

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2001
  • HARD COVER
  • 816 PAGES

A comprehensive handbook and guide to the birds of Central and Western Africa from Senegal to Chad and the Congo, featuring 142 original color plates. (WAF59, $115.00)

Birds of Western and Central Africa, Princeton Illustrated Checklist

Birds of Western and Central Africa, Princeton Illustrated Checklist


by Ber Van Perlo

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

An admirably compact, comprehensive guide to 1,500 species throughout Western and Central Africa featuring 109 color plates. (WAF02, $29.95)

National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife

National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife


by Peter Alden

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 988 PAGES

This comprehensive photo guide covers 850 birds, mammals and reptiles of Africa. With range maps and a good country-by-country overview of habitats and parks. (AFR25, $24.95)

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Here are some other groups of books that might be of interest

Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.