Pierre-Damien Mvuyekure, "World Eras: West African Kingdoms (500-1590)"

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Pierre-Damien Mvuyekure, "World Eras: West African Kingdoms (500-1590)"

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Patterned after the American Decades and American Eras reference series, this is the tenth volume in World Eras, a cross-disciplinary series that provides an overview from a global perspective with a strong emphasis on daily life and social history. Each volume covers a civilization for a specific period, e.g., European Renaissance and Reformation or Imperial China, and shows its interaction with the rest of the world at the time. Several of the contributors to the present volume are African history specialists.

The first chapter is a 73-page comparative chronology, almost by year, showing events outside West Africa. The format of the subsequent chapters is the same: well-documented chronology, overview, topics, sources, and significant people. The chapters cover "Geography"; "The Arts"; "Communication, Transportation, and Exploration"; "Social Class System and the Economy"; "Politics, Law, and the Military"; "Leisure, Recreation, and Daily Life"; "The Family and Social Trends"; "Religion and Philosophy"; and "Science, Technology, and Health."

The text is enriched throughout by many illustrations, such as maps and photos, and sidebar primary sources, including documents. The illustrations are usually clear, although some of the gray-shaded maps are too small. The influence of Islam on the history and culture of the region is very apparent. The work concludes with a glossary, general references, and an accurate, three-column, 10-page index.

Although this apparently unique resource is aimed at high-school students, it would also be useful in undergraduate and larger public libraries.
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Pierre-Damien Mvuyekure, "World Eras: West African Kingdoms (500-1590)"

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