This book is the liveliest account of African history ever written, covering over [one] thousand years of trans-Saharan trade. Finely written and researched. ... This edition will no doubt whet the appetites of a fresh generation of scholars and students for greater knowledge of parts of Africa still surprisingly little-known to the outside world. -- Journal of Islamic Studies A unique source book. - The New York Times Utterly enthralling ... splendidly romantic. -- The New Yorker