The most complete documentation resource on the state of the book in Africa 

Publishing, Books & Reading in
Sub-Saharan Africa
A Critical Bibliography

Print & online

2nd completely revised and expanded edition*

by
Hans M. Zell

With an introductory essay
by Henry Chakava

*previous edition published as Publishing and Book Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Annotated Bibliography 
(London: Hans Zell Publishers, An imprint of Bowker-Saur, 1996)


This is a new, completely revised and fully updated edition of a much acclaimed bibliography published over ten years ago. Covering both print and online resources, it charts the growth of publishing and book development in the countries of Africa south of the Sahara, as well as including a very large number of entries on many other topics as they relate to books and reading in Africa. With over 2,500 critically annotated citations, it is the definitive bibliography, and the most complete documentation resource on the current state of the book on the African continent.

Essentially an entirely new reference work, the content and focus of this edition has been considerably recast in several ways. Annotations and abstracts, which are often quite extensive, are now more evaluative rather than descriptive. Much greater emphasis is placed on the relative significance of the material included, thus offering a more critical dimension in reviewing the available literature on the topic. The annotations aim to provide informed commentary and critical analysis, and draw attention to particularly important contributions of the literature on publishing and the book in Africa.

The bibliography is arranged under five major parts: 
(1) Serials and reference
(2) General, comparative and regional studies
(3) Country studies
(4) Studies by topic, listing material by 30 topic headings (5) Book industry training/Self-publishing

The new edition covers primarily material published over the last two and a half decades, from 1980 through to 2007, although some literature published earlier has been retained because of its historical importance. Most of the material is in English, but there are also a sizeable number of entries of relevant literature in French. The bibliography aims to cover all aspects of book publishing and the "book chain" in Africa, including book marketing and distribution and the retail book trade. Additionally, there are a numerous citations on more specialist areas of publishing, such as publishing for children, journals and magazine publishing, scholarly publishing, publishing in African languages, and digital media and electronic publishing; and there are many sections on related aspects of book development, for example authors and publishing, copyright, national book policies, reading culture and reading promotion, publishing by and for women, and much more. 

 in this edition:

• Now published both in print format and as a searchable electronic version. Providing the online resource as an integral part of the print version will allow multiple users to access its contents concurrently, and from a place of their own choosing.
   

• An introductory essay by Henry Chakava, one of Africa's most innovative and most respected publisher, who has written prolifically on many aspects of book development in Africa.
   

• In addition to including a large number of articles, books, and other new print material published since 1995, this edition now also contains several hundred entries covering articles, reports, presentations, and other documents that are available online, most of them freely accessible.
   

• Listings for each country in Section 3 are part directory and part bibliography and now also include details of African national bibliographies. 
   
  The directories of African book professional and allied associations that precede each country section have been fully updated, as have the listings of organizations and agencies elsewhere supporting the African book sector, providing full address and contact details. 
   

• The new edition contains an expanded subject and geographical index, together with an author index. 
   

• As a further new feature in this edition, references to reviews of some of the book titles and edited collections are now included, including some reviews which are accessible online.
   

752 pp. 234x156 mm cased 
£130.00/€195.00/$260.00, online access bundled with print
ISBN-13: 978-0-9541029-5-1
Publication date: October 2008 
Format: Print and online 

How to order
About the authors
Contents
From reviews of the previous edition

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About the authors

Hans Zell has been author, editor, and publisher on African topics for almost four decades. He has published several reference resources on Africa and African studies, the latest of which is the 4th revised and expanded edition of The African Studies Companion: A Guide to Information Sources. He was twice the winner of the Conover-Porter Award, presented biennially by the Africana Librarians Council of the (US) African Studies Association for "the most outstanding achievement and excellence in Africana bibliography or reference work". He is the founding editor of the quarterly African Book Publishing Record, which he edited from 1975 to 2002. 

Henry Chakava, who contributes a substantial introductory essay, is Chairman of East African Educational Publishers in Nairobi. He is widely recognized as one of the continent's most innovative and enterprising publisher, and has amassed a wealth of experience during a lifetime devoted to strengthening the indigenous book industries in Africa. He is one of the most prolific authors of articles and studies on many aspects of the state of the book in Africa, and has been the recipient of several awards and honours.
 

Contents

Preface to the new edition

Introduction 

Access to the electronic edition 
Periodicals cited in the bibliography

Introductory essay by Henry Chakava

Organizations and associations

International and Africa-based organizations 
Foundations, donors, networks, and other
   organizations supporting the book sector in Africa 

1 Serials and reference

Serials

African book trade and book professional journals
Other journals, newsletters, and book review media
   covering African book publishing output

Bibliographies and continuing sources
Collective online catalogue databases
Directories and book trade reference tools (Continent-wide)

Books in print
Directories of publishers and the book trade

2 General, comparative, and regional studies

Comparative studies (General/comparative studies on
   publishing in developing countries)
Africa: General studies
Regional studies: Africa, East 
Regional studies: Africa, Southern 
Regional studies: Africa, West 
Regional studies: Africa, Francophone


3 Country studies 

Note: each country section is arranged under three parts: 
(i) Associations and book-related organizations (where they exist);
(ii) National bibliography, books in print, and book trade directories; (iii) Books/studies, articles, reports, and interviews.

4 Studies by topic 

The acquisition of African-published material
African Books Collective Ltd. (ABC)
African books in the international market place
African Publishers Network (APNET)
Authors and publishers/Publishing of African writers and
   African literature (in Africa and elsewhere)
Book and journals assistance and donation programmes
Book fairs 
Book marketing and promotion
Bookselling and book distribution
Book trade and book development organizations
Children's book publishing
Christian publishing and mission presses
Community and rural publishing
Copyright and legal deposit/Authors' rights
Digital media and electronic publishing/New printing
   technology
Educational and school book publishing
Intra-African book trade
Journals and magazine publishing
Libraries and publishing
Mass market and popular literature publishing
Multinational publishers in Africa
National book policies
The Noma Award for Publishing in Africa
Open access publishing
Publishing in African languages
Reading culture and reading promotion
Rights sales, licensing, and publishing partnerships
Scholarly publishing (General)
Scientific, technical and medical publishing
Women in African publishing/Publishing by and for women


5 Book industry training/Self-publishing

Articles and reports
Training manuals and resources
Handbooks for authors and self-publishing

Author index

Subject and geographical index

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From reviews of the previous edition 
published as Publishing and Book Development in 
Sub-Saharan Africa: An Annotated Bibliography
(London: Hans Zell Publishers, An imprint of Bowker-Saur, 1996)

"Organized in clearly defined chapters with an easy-to-read typeface, this work exhibits the diligence and intelligence of highly skilled editors. … an essential and unique reference source."
American Reference Books Annual

"… the layout of the bibliography is eminently clear and usable. … has 36 separate sections which range very widely indeed and make the bibliography of value to a wider audience that its title might suggest. ….Many of the entries are annotated, often extensively. Cross references abound. There are author, geographical and subject indexes. The whole is a pleasure to use."
African Research & Documentation. Journal of the Standing Conference on Library Materials on Africa

"… as usual for the award-winning Zell, this is a high quality reference work. It is formatted in a way that is easy to use, and its introduction gives the user all the information needed to understand scope, arrangement, and content. … will be an essential addition to publishing, library science, and Africana collections worldwide."
Library Acquisitions: Practice & Theory

"Most useful for libraries with specialist collections in Africa or supporting programs in journalism, international business, or library science."
Choice

"… as to be expected of a work from the Zell stable, this is a model of a bibliography … this specialist compilation is irreplaceable with references likely untraceable elsewhere … a splendid work of reference."
Learned Publishing. Journal of the Association of Learned & Professional Society Publishers

"This bibliography is a superb example of [Hans Zell's] dedication and thoroughness. …The citations are extraordinary in their comprehensiveness. … This is a work of great significance. It belongs in 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."
World Libraries

"This is much more than a list of citations. It is a chronicle and highly-informed commentary on the tortuous development of indigenous African publishing. … this is the definitive bibliography on publishing in Africa and worthy of acquisition by all interested parties."
African Studies Review & Newsletter (African Studies Association of Australia and the Pacific)

"… contributes significantly to our understanding of the literature of African publishing and book development. … Comprehensive indexing by author, subject, and place enhances one's use of a well-conceived topical arrangement. …an essential resource for scholars and for libraries with interests in publishing and the book trade, in African studies, and in development studies more widely."
Journal of Information, Communication, and Library Science

"The breath of coverage is shown by the fact that articles from over 360 worldwide published periodicals are cited. …a valuable contribution to knowledge about the literature of the subject, and the authors are to be congratulated on their achievement."
Logos. The Journal of the World Book Community

"The most thorough bibliography available on the topic of African publishing, this is a benchmark that provides thorough coverage of the entire range of African publishing …a 'must' for any library concerned with publishing and book development."
Bellagio Publishing Network Newsletter

"… provides annotations that are frequently informed by Zell's personal knowledge about the entry or its author. Useful cross-references are included in the annotations, which could be provided only by someone thoroughly familiar with the material in the bibliography."
Research in African Literatures

Glais Bheinn

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