During the four years he spent in black Africa as the bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, David Lamb traveled through almost every country south of the Sahara, logging more than 300,000 miles. He talked to presidents and guerrilla leaders, university professors and witch doctors. He bounced from wars to coups oceans apart, catching midnight flights to little-known countries where supposedly decent people were doing unspeakable things to one another. In the tradition of John Gunther's Inside Africa, The Africans is an extraordinary combination of analysis and adventure. Part travelogue, part contemporary history, it is a portrait of a continent that sometimes seems hell-bent on destroying itself, and of people who are as courageous as they are long-suffering.

Photographs highlight some of Namibia's top tourist attractions, among them the dramatic Fish River Canyon, the hauntingly beautiful Namib Desert with its shifting dunes, eerie ghost towns such as Kolmanskop, and the bustling capital of Windhoek.

The Skeleton Coast, where the Namib Desert meets the Atlantic Ocean in south-western Africa, is named after the bleached bones and shipwrecks that lie on its shores. This is Benedict Allen's account of his thousand-mile trek with camels through the Namib Desert and along the Skeleton Coast.

On March 21, 1990, Sam Nujoma was sworn in as the first president of independent Namibia. This ceremony marked the end of a struggle that lasted more than two decades and a period of colonialism that lasted more than a century. Finally, after decades long wars over grazing in the 19th century, genocidal colonial suppression by Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, repressive apartheid racialism throughout the 20th century, and a prolonged armed liberation struggle, Namibians had the chance to choose their own leaders, develop a democratic political process in a free society, and to bring economic development and greater equity to their country. The Historical Dictionary of Namibia covers the history of Namibia through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has several hundred cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Namibia.