In 1978, paleontologists in East Africa discovered the earliest evidence
of our divergence from the apes: three pre-human footprints, striding
away from a volcano, were preserved in the petrified surface of a mudpan
over three million years ago. Out of Africa, the world's most ancient
and stable landmass, Homo sapiens dispersed across the globe. And yet
the continent that gave birth to human history has long been woefully
misunderstood and mistreated by the rest of the world.
In a book as splendid in its wealth of information as it is breathtaking
in scope, British writer and photojournalist John Reader brings to light
Africa's geology and evolution, the majestic array of its landforms and
environments, the rich diversity of its peoples and their ways of life,
the devastating legacies of slavery and colonialism as well as recent
political troubles and triumphs. Written in simple, elegant prose and
illustrated with Reader's own photographs, Africa: A Biography of the
Continent is an unforgettable book that will delight the general reader
and expert alike.