Allen, J. de Vere. Swahili Origins. 1993. A study of the problem of Swahili identity.

Austen, Ralph. African Economic History. 1987. Classic study of Africa’s economic history.

Austen, Ralph. Trans-Saharan Africa in World History. 2010. Excellent new introduction to the Sahara region and the trans-Saharan trade that gave it life.

Beck, Roger B. The History of South Africa, 2d ed. 2014. Introduction to this large and important country.

Bouvill, E. W., and Robin Hallett. The Golden Trade of the Moors: West African Kingdoms in the Fourteenth Century. 1995. Classic description of the trans-Saharan trade.

Ehret, Christopher. An African Classical Age: Eastern and Southern Africa in World History, 1000 B.C. to A.D. 400. 2001. Solid introduction by a renowned African scholar.

Ehret, Christopher. The Civilizations of Africa: A History to 1800, 2d ed. 2013. The best study of pre-1800 African history.

Gilbert, Erik, and Jonathan Reynolds. Africa in World History. 2007. Groundbreaking study of Africa’s place in world history.

Iliffe, John. Africans: The History of a Continent, 2d ed. 2007. Thoughtful introduction to African history.

Klieman, Kairn A. The Pygmies Were Our Compass: Bantu and Batwa in the History of West Central Africa, Early Times to c. 1900 C.E. 2003. A unique study of Bantu and forest people in precolonial African history.

Levtzion, Nehemia, and Randall L. Pouwels. History of Islam in Africa. 2000. Comprehensive survey of Islam’s presence in Africa.

Marcus, H. G. A History of Ethiopia, updated ed. 2002. Standard introduction to Ethiopian history.

Mitchell, Peter. African Connections: Archaeological Perspectives on Africa and the Wider World. 2005. Places ancient Africa and its history in a global context.

Newman, J. L. The Peopling of Africa: A Geographic Interpretation. 1995. Explores population distribution and technological change up to the late nineteenth century.

Schmidt, Peter R. Historical Archaeology in Africa: Representation, Social Memory, and Oral Traditions. 2006. An excellent introduction to archaeology and the reconstruction of Africa’s history.