Full Text Review(s)
"The Peoples of Africa series is an extraordinary set for grades 5 and up: it features 11 volumes in an A-Z arrangement which covers the peoples of Africa, presenting a country-by-country organization which makes for quick reference reading and including contemporary color photos, maps, charts, and discussions of both history and culture which extend for multiple pages. The depth and detail make this set perfect for lasting report writing use."

"Arranged alphabetically by country, this set chronicles the history and migration of African peoples from ancient civilizations and kingdoms to the present day. Together the entries succeed in presenting a picture of the rich mosaic of cultures alive on this vast continent. Each one begins with a map of the country and a globe indicating its location in the world, along with descriptions of its geography and climate. Specific information on each nation’s period of colonialism (except Liberia and Ethiopia), history, language, arts, food, and religion is also given. A sidebar for each country notes population, currency, capital, peoples, etc. Large pictures of the national flags, time lines, and many dazzling photographs appear throughout. The 11th volume contains a pronunciation guide for each nation, several indexes, lists of national days, and more. An informative, colorful resource."

"This reference set has a good balance between historical and current coverage, including events of the year 2000. Color photographs, maps, time lines, and fact boxes add informative interest to every page. With the coverage of fashion, sports, music, art, and recipes, this set offers information difficult to find elsewhere and has excellent potential for cross-curricular use. Each volume includes an individual index, a glossary, and a bibliography. The last volume has an index of the entire set, a comprehensive pronunciation guide for each country, and an extensive bibliography listing magazines, Web sites, references, and nonfiction sources. Recommended."

"Divided into 11 books, this reference begins with an introductory essay giving a general overview of African history. The series proceeds with individual entries focusing on each country’s history, political evolution, cultural development, and geographic distinctions. Each nation is showcased with an article illustrating its uniqueness and connects the reader to the people of that geographical entity by providing information on the economy, music, dance, arts, cuisine, religion, language, and daily activities of the populace. Maps, photographs, timelines, sidebars, and even recipes highlight each country’s contributions to the world’s experience. The diversity of the region is portrayed and the reader is readily engaged. Readers learn many interesting insights into the continent. For example, only 42 percent of the Angolan population is literate. Burkina Faso has an international reputation for its Pan-African film festival. And, Ceuta was the first European colony in Africa and is still governed as a territory by Spain. Features include a glossary of definitions for the key concepts covered in each volume. There is a comprehensive index by general topic as well as additional indexes by individuals, national holidays, geographic features, arts, festivals, food, religion, and sports. Referrals for further reading are also given. This set is a well-written secondary education resource for a little-understood and under-appreciated part of the world."

"Peoples of Africa provides ‘detailed coverage of the peoples of the African continent, including the indigenous peoples that have lived there for thousands of years and the more recent immigrants from Europe and Asia that have made Africa their home’ (Reader’s Guide, xii). The work is comprised of eleven volumes, paged sequentially. The first volume begins with an essay by Bryan Callahan of the department of history at Johns Hopkins University, who serves as joint consultant for the whole set, in which he summarizes the tumultuous history of the continent from prehistory through colonialism to the present day.

A uniform arrangement has been adopted for the set. Countries are listed in alphabetical order. Each entry contains a brief description of the history and natural features of the country, followed by information about the people who populate it, focusing upon topics such as religion, rituals, and myths; housing; clothing; languages; education; health; food and drink; family life; social life and customs; and the arts, including music, dance, and crafts. When non-English words appear in the text, a pronunciation guide is provided. At the end of each volume, a glossary provides definitions of unfamiliar words used in the articles. ‘Further Reading’ lists Internet sites as well as print sources for expanded information on each country.

The first ten volumes contain the countries; the final volume provides detailed indexes and supplemental information. This includes a comprehensive bibliography of general works and individual countries. Memoirs, biographical works, and fiction books, as well as Web sites, are listed and briefly annotated. Music citations that appeared throughout the set are gathered in one section in volume eleven. A comprehensive pronunciation guide to peoples, countries, and terms is arranged by nations. National Days are listed both by country and by date. In addition to a comprehensive index of the ten volumes, the specialized indexes include: biographical, geographical; arts, festivals; foods, peoples, and cultures; religions and religious ceremonies; and sports and games.

The information in each article is arranged to provide quick reference facts by placing data in special boxes or through a timeline. Each entry begins with a map of the country showing important cities and physical features. A second map shows the location of countries on the map of Africa. An unfortunate error appears in the article about Zimbabwe. The second map is of Zambia (564), not Zimbabwe. The text is accurate.

The illustrations are the most striking feature of the set. Most are in color as are the fact boxes. The flags of the countries are found facing the title page of each volume. The use of color illustrations distinguishes Peoples of Africa from the other reference sets. The Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations (UXL, 1999) and Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Cultures (UXL, 1999) provide similar information about countries of the world, but they rely upon black-and-white illustrations which are not as visually exciting. Also, these two sets require a reader to search through both sets for information found in one source in Peoples of Africa.

The articles in Peoples of Africa can be accessed by children in fifth grade but will be appreciated by adults who are looking for quick facts and overviews. While the price may place this reference set beyond the realm of most school library budgets, it should find a place in public and academic libraries."