¿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