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Wild Coast

John Gimlette

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Florian Schultz

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Niger

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Get the featured set of Essential Reading, our top picks of what to read, and get free shipping on anything else you order.

Essential Reading

Item EXWAF62. Buy these 3 items as a set for $51 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
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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)

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)

Niger Map

by IGN

  • MAP

A good, full-color shaded relief map of Niger at a scale of 1:2,000,000. (AFR38, $16.95)

 
Lonely Planet West Africa

Lonely Planet West Africa


by Lonely Planet

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 904 PAGES

A comprehensive guide to all West Africa, this is the book to carry for travels from Mauritania to Niger, with both a good overview of culture and history and the usual Lonely Planet attention to practical travel information. (WAF10, $33.99)

Rough Guide West Africa

Rough Guide West Africa


by Jim Hudgens | Richard Trillo

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 1312 PAGES

A comprehensive guide to all West Africa, including its history and culture. With its region-by-region descriptions, 172 maps and 12 pages of color photos, this guide covers from Mauritania south to Cameroon. (WAF38, $34.99)

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)

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)

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)

African Art, An Introduction

African Art, An Introduction


by Frank Willett

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

A concise, well illustrated overview of the art and culture of Africa, portraying the range of spectacular art produced throughout the ages. (AFR18, $21.95)

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)

In Sorcery's Shadow


by Paul Stoller | Cheryl Olkes

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 235 PAGES

An anthropologist's account of his time in Niger and his experiences with local sorcerers and traditional healers. It's an excellent introduction to the role of magic and its moral complications in African culture. (WAF55, $22.50)

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)

Still Waters in Niger


by Kathleen Hill

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 216 PAGES

An atmospheric novel set in America and Niger. After living for in the United States for 17 years, an Irish-American woman returns to a small village in Niger where she had once lived with her husband and three daughters. (WAF53, $15.95)

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)

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)

The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals

The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals


by Jonathan Kingdon

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 476 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

This stunningly-illustrated, comprehensive field guide by a leading authority includes Kingdon's 480 exquisite color paintings. (AFR32, $49.50)

More Recommendations

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.