Welcome!

Enrich Your Travels with Longitude

We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.

SIGN UP FOR

Longitude News

Get our monthly e-mail update

GET A

Catalog

BEST OF 2011

Wild Coast

John Gimlette

SEE ALL >

FOR THE HOLIDAYS

To the Arctic

Florian Schultz

SEE ALL >

OUR FAVORITES

Arctic Dreams

Barry Lopez

SEE ALL >

GLOBES

The Pioneer

Replogle

SEE ALL >

NIGER

More Books

The Adventures of Ibn Battuta, A Muslim Traveler of the 14th Century

The Adventures of Ibn Battuta, A Muslim Traveler of the 14th Century


by Ross E. Dunn

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 359 PAGES

A modern historian's account of Ibn Battuta's travels in the medieval Islamic world. When Battuta left his native Morocco in 1325, he intended a pilgrimage to Mecca; however his travels ultimately took him as far as Mali in the west and Malaysia in the east, stopping in China, the Middle East, and Africa en route. (AFR103, $25.95)

Africa

Africa


by Phyllis Martin | Patrick O'Meara

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES

African history and prehistory, popular culture, art and economics -- it's all here in the most popular introductory text for undergraduate African studies courses in North America. With maps, photographs and drawings. (AFR07, $26.00)

Africa

Africa


by Michael Lewis | John Reader

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2001
  • HARD COVER
  • 320 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

Published by National Geographic, this informative survey of the geography, culture and wildlife of Africa features 175 color photographs and accompanying text by John Reader. (AFR111, $50.00)

Africa North and West Map

Africa North and West Map


by Michelin

  • 2011
  • MAP

A fine regional map covering Senegal, The Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania and their neighbors as well as all the Mediterranean-bordering countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya) at a scale of 1:4,000,000. (AFR34, $11.95)

African Predators


by M.G.L. Mills | Gus Mills | Martin Harvey

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2001
  • HARD COVER
  • 160 PAGES

A natural history of the giant cats and other predators of Africa. (AFR114, $39.95)

African Rock Art, Paintings and Engravings On Stone

African Rock Art, Paintings and Engravings On Stone


by David Coulson | Alec Campbell

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2001
  • HARD COVER
  • 256 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

A beautifully illustrated survey of paleolithic art, ranging from the Cape to Libya and North Africa. With 200 color photos and 178 black-and-white drawings. (AFR136, $60.00)

African Silences

African Silences


by Peter Matthiessen

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 225 PAGES

In this narrative of Equatorial Africa, Matthiessen recounts several trips to The Gambia, Senegal, Zaire and the Congo Basin in search of rhinos, elephants and other endangered wildlife. (WAF36, $13.00)

African Vodun: Art, Psychology and Power

African Vodun: Art, Psychology and Power


by Susanne Preston Blier

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 476 PAGES

A detailed study of West African vodun traditions, particularly in Togo and Benin. Blier compares the psychological and visual elements of Vodun with related voodoo traditions of Haiti and New Orleans. (WAF74, $52.50)

African Wildlife

African Wildlife


by James Kavanaugh

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 1999
  • PLASTIC CARD

Slip this laminated foldout guide in your pocket for quick reference in the field. (AFR109, $5.95)

The Africans

The Africans


by David Lamb

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1987
  • PAPER
  • 371 PAGES

In these 17 well-written essays, news correspondent Lamb ranges throughout Africa, creating an insightful portrait of the land and especially its people. (AFR22, $19.95)

Ake, the Years of Childhood


by Wole Soyinka

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1983
  • PAPER
  • 230 PAGES

A Nobel Prize-winning playwright, recalls his Yoruba childhood in Nigeria during World War II. (WAF47, $14.95)

All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes


by Maya Angelou

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1991
  • PAPER
  • 208 PAGES

A candid memoir of Angelou's experiences in Ghana in the 1960s, just five years after the country's independence from Britain. (WAF24, $14.00)

Ancient Middle Niger, Urbanism and the Self-Organizing Landscape


by Roderick James McIntosh | Rita P. Wright

  • HISTORY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 278 PAGES

A scholarly account of the ancient cities on the Middle Niger, which developed in the first millennium B.C. (WAF94, $34.99)

Angry Wind: Through Muslim Black Africa by Truck, Bus, Boat and Camel

Angry Wind: Through Muslim Black Africa by Truck, Bus, Boat and Camel


by Jeffrey Tayler

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER
  • 256 PAGES

The eye-opening account of an American journalist's trek across the Sahel, the southern region of the Sahara Desert, which encompasses Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon, Chad and Senegal. (WAF83, $25.00)

Bradt Guide Ghana

Bradt Guide Ghana


by Philip Briggs | Hilary Bradt | Annabel Milne

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 448 PAGES

Complete with maps and town plans, this guide to Ghana features practical information on the country's history, culture and attractions. (WAF27, $26.99)

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)

Bradt Guide Nigeria

Bradt Guide Nigeria


by Lizzie Williams

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 342 PAGES

A detailed overview of Nigeria, its history, wildlife, culture and major attractions in the series by Bradt. Geared for the independent traveler, it includes maps, town plans, and lots of practical travel information. (WAF84, $29.99)

Bradt Guide Sudan

Bradt Guide Sudan


by Paul Clammer

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

A practical guide in the popular Bradt series, noted for publishing travel guides to remote and little-visited destinations. (AFR152, $25.99)

Call of the Desert, The Sahara


by Philippe Bourseiller

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2004
  • HARD COVER
  • 424 PAGES

This illustrated portrait of the region features color photographs of the landscape, cultures and wildlife of the Sahara. (NAF34, $50.00)

Captain Sir Richard Burton, A Biography


by Edward Rice

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 688 PAGES

A splendid, absorbing account of the Victorian explorer. (AFR99, $27.50)

Changes, A Love Story

Changes, A Love Story


by Ama Ata Aidoo

  • LITERATURE
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 196 PAGES

A novel from the multitalented author and playwright, in which the independent Esi Sekyi confronts traditional values in marriage, love, career and family in contemporary Ghana. (WAF35, $15.95)

Conversations with Ogotemmeli, An Introduction to Dogon Religious Ideas

Conversations with Ogotemmeli, An Introduction to Dogon Religious Ideas


by Marcel Griaule

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1977
  • PAPER
  • 248 PAGES

An account of the complex metaphysical beliefs and cosmology of the Dogon people of the upper Volta region. (WAF44, $39.95)

The Cruelest Journey, Six Hundred Miles to Timbuktu

The Cruelest Journey, Six Hundred Miles to Timbuktu


by Kira Salak

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2004
  • HARD COVER
  • 320 PAGES

Adventurer Kira Salak's account of her journeys on the Niger River and her record-breaking 600-mile solo kayaking trip to Timbuktu. (WAF75, $26.00)

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)

Dogon, Africa's People of the Cliffs

Dogon, Africa's People of the Cliffs


by Stephanie Hollyman

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2001
  • HARD COVER
  • 192 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

Hollyman's 125 intimate photographs capture the essence of the tightly knit, cooperative society of the Dogon of Mali, their traditional ways of life and distinctive architecture. (WAF46, $49.50)

Einstein and the Total Eclipse

Einstein and the Total Eclipse


by Peter Coles

  • SCIENCE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 80 PAGES

An account of the solar eclipse expedition that vindicated Einstein's theory of relativity. The success of the experiment immediately propelled Einstein onto the front pages of newspapers around the world. (SCI28, $7.95)

Empires of Sand

Empires of Sand


by David Ball

  • LITERATURE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 770 PAGES

A rousing tale inspired by the French attempt to build a railroad across the Sahara in 1880. It's a page-turner in the grand style, mixing up French colonial ambitions, the nomadic Tuareg and romance. (NAF33, $7.99)

The Famished Road


by Ben Okri

  • LITERATURE
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 500 PAGES

The haunting, Booker Prize-winning novel set in a Yoruba village in modern Nigeria. (WAF39, $16.95)

A Field Guide to the Birds of The Gambia and Senegal

A Field Guide to the Birds of The Gambia and Senegal


by Clive Barlow | Tim Wacher | Tony Disley

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 400 PAGES

A guide to 660 species of birds of Senegal and the Gambia, featuring 48 color plates and short descriptions on the facing pages. (WAF03, $45.00)

Forests of Gold, Essays on the Akan and the Kingdom of Asante


by Ivor Wilks

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 405 PAGES

A collection of essays that explores the Akan peoples of Ghana and examines the Asante kingdom. (WAF33, $25.00)

From Slavery to Freedom, A History of African Americans


by John Hope Franklin

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • HARD COVER
  • 742 PAGES

A classic history of the African American experience. (USA39, $75.00)

Ghana Map

Ghana Map


by ITMB

  • 2011
  • MAP

A colorful, folded map of Ghana at a detailed scale of 1:500,000. (WAF37, $12.95)

The Girl Who Married a Lion and Other Tales from Africa

The Girl Who Married a Lion and Other Tales from Africa


by Alexander McCall Smith

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • HARD COVER
  • 192 PAGES

McCall Smith brings together folktales, often hilarious or bizarre, which he heard as a child growing up in Zimbabwe. (AFR141, $22.00)

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)

Hemingway in Africa, The Last Safari

Hemingway in Africa, The Last Safari


by Christopher Ondaatje

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2004
  • HARD COVER
  • 240 PAGES

In this illustrated account of travels in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, Christopher Ondaatje conjures Hemingway and his love for Africa. (AFR139, $37.50)

Historical Dictionary of Mali


by Pascal James Imperato

  • REFERENCE
  • 1996
  • HARD COVER
  • 576 PAGES

A dictionary of people, places, and events in Malian history. (WAF49, $100.00)

Kwame Nkrumah, The Father of African Nationalism

Kwame Nkrumah, The Father of African Nationalism


by David Birmingham

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 142 PAGES

The tale of the remarkable life of Kwame Nkrumah, the African statesman who championed for independence, won Africans the right to vote, and became the president of Ghana in 1960. (WAF34, $14.95)

Leo Africanus

Leo Africanus


by Amin Maalouf

  • LITERATURE
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 360 PAGES

A fictional memoir of the first 40 years in the life of Leo Africanus, a Muslim whose travels led him throughout the Mediterranean and North Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. (MED55, $16.95)

Lonely Planet Gambia and Senegal

Lonely Planet Gambia and Senegal


by David Else

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 328 PAGES

An excellent practical guide to The Gambia and Senegal geared for independent travelers, with good overviews of culture, history and natural attractions. (WAF01, $24.99)

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)

Mango Elephants in the Sun

Mango Elephants in the Sun


by Susana Herrera

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 270 PAGES

Teens will especially respond to this lively tale of the transformation of a 23-year-old Californian from bumbling volunteer to a member of the community in this tale of Herrera's two years teaching English in northern Cameroon. (WAF20, $22.95)

Myth and Reality in the Rain Forest, How Conservation Strategies are Failing in West Africa


by John F. Oakes

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 338 PAGES

A survey of national parks and conservation throughout West Africa, of primary interest to conservationists. Oakes uses West Africa as a case study to argue against the prevailing notion that wildlife is best protected through small-scale community development. (WAF11, $28.95)

Nigeria Map

Nigeria Map


by ITMB

  • MAP

A shaded relief map of Nigeria at 1:600,000. (AFR39, $11.95)

No Sweetness Here and Other Stories

No Sweetness Here and Other Stories


by Ama Ata Aidoo

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 160 PAGES

A collection of eleven short stories about the lives of women and men in postcolonial Ghana and the tensions between traditional village and urban life; Aidoo's stories emphasize Ghana's prominent oral culture. (WAF23, $14.95)

Onions are My Husband, Survival and Accumulation by West African Market Women

Onions are My Husband, Survival and Accumulation by West African Market Women


by Gracia Clark

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 488 PAGES

A vivid ethnographic portrait of the women of the enormous open-air Kumasi Central Market in Ghana based on interviews and fieldwork by University of Indiana anthropologist Gracia Clark. (WAF28, $42.50)

The Peoples of the Middle Niger


by Roderick James McIntosh

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1998
  • HARD COVER
  • 346 PAGES

A scholarly study of the ancient inhabitants of the Niger floodplain, incorporating archaeological discoveries and oral traditions. (WAF93, $82.95)

The Peopling of Africa, A Geographic Interpretation


by James L. Newman

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 252 PAGES

An anthropological study of Africa, which considers, among other factors, genetics, religion, language and technology. (AFR140, $26.00)

The Remarkable Baobab

The Remarkable Baobab


by Thomas Pakenham

  • NATURAL HISTORY
  • 2004
  • HARD COVER
  • 144 PAGES

A celebration of the tremendous, twisted baobabs of Africa, Madagascar and Australia. The 60 large-format color photographs show that the Baobab is indeed remarkable. (NAT71, $19.95)

Roots

Roots


by Alex Haley

  • LITERATURE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 912 PAGES

Haley's epic story of Kunta Kinte and his descendents opens in Jufureh The Gambia, in 1750, going on to traces seven generations of one family and tell the story of Africans in America. Thirtieth anniversary edition. (WAF21, $17.95)

The Scramble for Africa

The Scramble for Africa


by Thomas Pakenham

  • HISTORY
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 738 PAGES

Absorbing and meticulously researched, this in-depth history of the Victorian land grab in Africa includes excellent portraits of the egomaniacal personalities who overran the continent. (AFR26, $23.99)

The Seasons of Beento Blackbird

The Seasons of Beento Blackbird


by Akosua Busia

  • LITERATURE
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 367 PAGES

A provocative novel dissecting the issues of marriage and African identity by the daughter of a former Ghanaian prime minister. (WAF42, $24.95)

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)

Skeletons on the Zahara, A True Story of Survival

Skeletons on the Zahara, A True Story of Survival


by Dean King

  • EXPLORATION
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

King weaves a gripping tale of Captain James Riley and the men of the merchant ship Commerce, shipwrecked, captured and sold into slavery in 1815. King relies on published journals and his own travels to recreate the drama and hardship of the four-month trek across the Sahara. (NAF16, $14.99)

Sufferings in Africa, The Astonishing Account of a New England Sea Captain Enslaved by North African Arabs

Sufferings in Africa, The Astonishing Account of a New England Sea Captain Enslaved by North African Arabs


by James Riley

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 336 PAGES

The classic tale of a shipwrecked and enslaved captain in North Africa, first published in 1817. (NAF15, $14.95)

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)

Viceroy of Ouidah

Viceroy of Ouidah


by Bruce Chatwin

  • LITERATURE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 160 PAGES

Chatwin evokes in rich detail the rise to power of a wretched slave trader and the 19th-century court of Dahomey (Benin) in this slim novel. (WAF18, $13.00)

Wanderings in West Africa

Wanderings in West Africa


by Richard Francis Burton

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1991
  • PAPER
  • 624 PAGES

This account, originally published in 1861, results from a three-year stint in the British Foreign office in Fernando Po, an island off the coast of West Africa. It's a valuable first-hand account of short trips around the West African coast. (WAF12, $19.95)

 

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.