Book Reviews

Publishing and Book Development in Sub–Saharan Africa: An Annotated Bibliography. By Hans M. Zell and Cecile Lomer. London: Hans Zell Publishers, 1996. 409 p. ISBN: 1–873836–46–5. This work is available in North America from Reed Reference Publishing, 121 Chanlon Road, New Providence, New Jersey 07974.

This is the third work in the series, “Hans Zell Studies on Publishing.” It is published in association with the African Publishers’ Network, Harare, Zimbabwe. The first work in this series is Philip Altbach’s Publishing and Development in the Third World (1992), and the second is Gordon Graham’s As I Was Saying: Essays on the International Book Business (1993).

Hans Zell and Cecile Lomer have compiled a major bibliography containing nearly 2,300 entries, all of which provide access to the literature relating to the development of publishing in general—and of book publishing in particular—in Africa south of the Sahara. The development of book publishing in Africa, the distribution of African imprints in and outside of Africa, the commercial success of African book publishing, and the over all promotion of African book publishing have been a passion in Hans Zell’s professional life. Of the many contributions he has made in this area, one is in his own publishing efforts, both as a compiler and publisher. This bibliography is a superb example of his dedication and thoroughness. Zell’s first bibliography on this topic, published in 1984, Publishing and Book Development in Africa: A Bibliography (Paris: UNESCO, 1984), contains just under 700 entries. This comparison in number of entries between the two works clearly indicates the progress which has been made in African book publishing in the last decade.

The bibliography is divided into four sections. The first, “Serials, Reference, Biography, Handbooks, and Teaching Guides,” is a miscellaneous category which provides access to a wide–ranging selection of works. The second, “General, Comparative, and Regional Studies,” provides access to publications with an Africa–wide, regional (for example Francophone or Southern Africa), or Third World focus. It also includes references to comparative works which include one or more African case studies. The third and largest section, “Country Studies,” contain separate subdivisions for forty–four countries. Some, such as those for the Central African Republic or Liberia, contain references to only one or two publications. Others contain many more references, such as that for Nigeria, with 139. The final section, “Subjects,” is divided into thirty–six separate sections, on such topics as awards, book fairs, donor organizations, trade and professional associations, libraries, national book policies, promotion of reading, types of publications (religious, children’s, mass market, etc.), and legal (copyright, right sales, licensing, etc.).

The bibliography is followed by these three indexes: author, geographical, and subject. It is preceded by two important lists. The first one gives the complete title and place of publication of each of the nearly 400 journals from which articles are cited in the bibliography. This comprehensive list includes African titles as well as those published in other parts of the world. It includes those in languages other than English, in particular French. The second is a “Directory of African Book Trade Associations and Other Organizations Supporting African Publishing and Book Development.” It cites ninety–six African associations and agencies concerned with book developments in Africa, and encompasses national trade associations, donor organizations, international agencies, and private organizations. For each entry there is its recognized acronym, complete address, and telephone and fax information, as well as the name of a personal contact (if applicable).

The citations are extraordinary in their comprehensiveness. They come from nearly 400 periodicals published world–wide, many of which are not indexed in online bibliographic sources. They also include monographs; publications of governments; international agencies, and NGOs; limited–distribution reports; and conference papers. The exhaustive coverage of this bibliography assures the user of access to all of the relevant literature.

There is also an introductory essay by Hans Zell. In it he not only explains the scope, criteria for inclusion, arrangement, and annotation policy of the work, but also summarizes the highlights of African book development and publishing over the past fifteen years. These include such events as the establishment of the Noma Award for Publishing in Africa, the Zimbabwe International Book Fair, the African Books Collective, the Bellagio Publishing Network, and the African Publishers’ Network.

This is a work of great significance. It belongs in the library and information science as well as African studies collections. It will also be of great use in libraries supporting research in the area of Third World and development studies.

About the author

David L. Easterbrook is Curator, Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.