"Until recently, Africa was seen by the outside world as being without history, a continent left behind in the wider story of human progress. But our understanding of the African past is very different today. This Very Short Introduction examines the changing ways in which African history has been understood and represented by historians and by Africans themselves. Examples drawn from across the continent and from the African diaspora beyond are used...

Offers 16,000 critical biographies of jazz musicians and album reviews. "The Rough Guide to Jazz surpasses all other handbooks with more than 1600 critical biographies, covering the spectrum from the legendary cornettist Buddy Bolden to coll young players of the 1990s, like Roy Hargrove and Julian Joseph. Illustrated throughout with classic jazz shots and album covers, the Rough Guide is a completely revised edition of the acclaimed Essential Guide...