May 6, 3002 – A new collection of 21 books about Africa and Africans is now on the shelves at the Enid M. Baa Public Library.
"This special collection has been presented to the library by The Friends of the St. Thomas Public Libraries Inc. with funding from the Prosser Foundation," a release from the Friends group states. The books were put into circulation about two weeks ago and are available for checkout to anyone with a library card. And anyone who doesn't have a card is invited to apply for one.
Following is a list of the new acquisitions. The brief descriptions of the books were provided by the Friends.
"Africa — A Biography of the Continent," by John Reader. Fascinating synthesis that is deeply penetrating, intensely thought provoking and thoroughly informed; one of the most important general surveys of Africa that has been produced in the last decade.
"African Art," by Frank Willet. A revealing of the astonishing variety and expressive power of the art of a continent that contains more distinct peoples and cultures than any other. It transcends the discipline of art history to become an indispensable part of the history of the skills and ideas of mankind.
"African Civilizations: an archaeological perspective," by Graham Connah. A new examination of the physical evidence of developing social complexity in tropical Africa over the last 4,000 years. It focuses on the archaeological research of two key aspects of complexity, urbanism and state formation. Extensive bibliography.
"Africans and Their History," by Joseph E. Harris. A landmark re-evaluation of African cultures and politics by a leading African-American historian.
"Black Africa: Masks, Sculpture, Jewelry," by Laure Meyer. Coverage of each subject in turn, magnificently illustrated in color and examining in a clear and accessible manner the entire range of black African art from aesthetic and ethnological points of view.
"Crossing the Line — A Year in the Land of Apartheid," by William Finnegan. Showing, in the most direct, human way, life under apartheid with all its cruelty and irrationality.
"A Day in the Life of Africa." Nearly a hundred of the world's top photojournalists document the entire continent of Africa — 53 nations — on a single day, Feb. 28, 2002.
"From Babylon to Timbuktu," by Rudolph R. Windsor. A history of ancient black races, including the Black Hebrews.
"The Graves Are Not Yet Full: Race, Tribe and Power in the Heart of Africa," by Bill Berkeley. Exhaustive reporting and keen historical analysis, showing how Africa's ruinous conflicts are a product not of age-old hatreds but of calculated tyranny. Winner of a Best Book Award for 2001.
"Introduction to African Civilizations," by John G. Jackson. A history of the magnificent civilizations that developed in Africa and the many achievements in ancient times. Extensive bibliography.
"Maasai Days," by Cheryl Bentsen. A unique look inside an ancient African culture faced with a choice between adaptation and extinction.
"The Mirror at Midnight: A South African Journey," by Adam Hochschild. A bold and uncompromising look at contemporary South Africa seen through the mirror of the Great Trek of the Boers and the massacre of the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River.
"The Skull Beneath the Skin: Africa After the Cold War," by Mark Huband. A 2001 book that exposes the often brutal effects of the Cold War on current sub-Saharan Africa's politics and culture and provides a glimpse of Africa's likely future.
"A Social History of Ethiopia," by Richard Pankhurst. Dealing with various aspects of Ethiopia's varied social history, mainly focused on the northern and central highlands, and covering the period from early medieval times to the reign of Emperor Tewodros II. Bibliography.
"The Swahili," by Derek Nurse and Thomas Spear. A reconstructing of the history and language of an African society from 800 to1500. What distinguishes the Swahili from their neighbors is not their culture but the fact that they are maritime urban-dwelling farmers and herders.
"A Treasury of Afro-American Folklore: The Oral Literature, Traditions, Legends, Tales, Songs, Religious Beliefs, Customs, Sayings and Humor of Peoples of African Descent in the Americas," edited by Harold Courlander. An important compilation of Afro-American folklore for anyone interested in investigating one of the main folk sources of American literature.
"The Tribal Arts of Africa," by Jean-Baptiste Bacquart. A survey of the arts of all the people south of the Sahara, one of the most comprehensive books on African art ever published. Over 850 illustrations.
"The Troubled Heart of Africa — A History of the Congo," by Robert B. Edgerton. A 2002 book, the most complete history of the Congo, facing the stark truths of the nation's past and recognizing both the uncertainty and the enormous potential of its future.
"W.E.B. Du Bois Speaks: Speeches and Addresses 1890-1919," edited by Philip S. Foner with a tribute by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"When Africa Awakes," by Hubert Henry Harrison. First published in 1920, this is an important collection of essays and articles written by one of America's great, but seldom noted, intellectuals; it provides valuable insight into the Pan-African world of Harrison's time.
"Yoruba Gurus: Indigenous Production of Knowledge in Africa. " This 1999 publication is a major contribution to historical knowledge that all students of African history will find especially useful.

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