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  1. NEW
    Afonso I Mvemba a Nzinga, King of Kongo

    John K. Thornton

    “John K. Thornton’s new book is another must-read. It contains both translations of the extant letters of the most significant king of Kongo’s history, Afonso I (r. 1506–1542), and a powerful, learned, and highly readable analysis of what these letters tell us about the life and times of one of the most important rulers anywhere in the world during the sixteenth century. This book will be essential reading for scholars, teachers, and students engaged with the history of the Kingdom of Kongo.”
    —Toby Green, King’s College London

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  2. NEW
    Black Protagonists of Early Modern Spain

    Translated, with an Introduction, by Michael Kidd

    Remarkable products of a nation deeply implicated in the Atlantic slave trade, the seventeenth-century Spanish plays Juan Latino, The Brave Black Soldier, and Virtues Overcome Appearances appear together in English for the first time in this volume. The three protagonists not only defy the period’s color-based prejudices but smash through its ultimate social barrier: marriage into the white nobility. Michael Kidd’s fluid translations and extensive critical introduction, bibliography, and glossary are enhanced by Hackett’s title support webpage. Black Protagonists of Early Modern Spain is essential reading for students of theater history, Spanish literature, and the African diaspora.

    Additional Online Resources: Illustrations and maps referenced in the book are available for free on the title support page.

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  3. Destroying to Replace

    Mohamed Adhikari
    Series Editor: Alfred J. Andrea

    "This book explores settler colonial genocides in a global perspective and over the long durée. It does so systematically and compellingly, as it investigates how settler colonial expansion at times created conditions for genocidal violence, and the ways in which genocide was at times perpetrated on settler colonial frontiers. This volume will prove invaluable to teachers and students of imperialism, colonialism, and human rights." Lorenzo Veracini, Swinburne University of Technology, and author of The World Turned Inside Out: Settler Colonialism as a Political Idea

    "A succinct, insightful, and highly readable text discussing an issue that deserves to be integral to any world history course. Using four finely crafted, yet widely dispersed, case studies Adhikari strikingly shows how vulnerability and resistance occur as the waves of global capitalism hit indigenous societies." —Robert Gordon, University of Vermont

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  4. Islamic Legal Theory: A Critical Introduction

    David R. Vishanoff

    David Vishanoff’s thorough and original unpacking of the Sunnī jurist al-Juwaynī’s (1028–1085) Kitāb al-Waraqāt fī uṣūl al-fiqh introduces English-speaking readers to the main concepts, terms, principles, and functions of the classical Islamic discipline of legal theory. This volume offers an ideal entry to the otherwise dense and complex mainstream Sunnī views that dominated Islamic legal thought in al-Juwaynī’s day—and that are still widely accepted today. A critical edition of al-Juwaynī’s Arabic text is also included.

    "In this brilliant, innovative, and engaging book, Vishanoff guides readers through some of the most fundamental questions Muslims have debated, and struggled with, for centuries. Most Muslim scholars' books on these topics are dense and difficult. But here Vishanoff takes one such book—al-Juwaynī’s classic Waraqat—and explains, with lucidity and precision, its complex and obscure arguments. Through this book, readers will reach a better understanding of why such debates mattered to Muslims in the past, why they matter now, and how they affect the ways in which the Sharia—God’s law—might be understood in the future."
     —Robert Gleave, University of Exeter

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  5. Mexico, Slavery, Freedom

    Compiled, Translated, and Edited, with an Introduction, by Pablo Miguel Sierra Silva

    "A welcome tome for the study of slavery and freedom in the African Diaspora. An extensive, and often difficult to access repository of documents has been made available in a bilingual edition that will richly benefit scholars and students alike to better understand the complexities of the Black experience in colonial and early national Mexico. Bridging normal historical chronologies, and featuring sweeping sets of documents ranging from politics, religion, economics, and social life, there is little ground left uncovered for providing windows and glimpses of the evolution of blackness in Mexico. Expertly curated, marvelously framed, and diligently translated, this is a jewel of a book for historians."
    —Ben Vinson III, President of Howard University

    "This is the first volume to provide, in dual-language format, selections from primary texts related to the experiences of enslaved Africans, Asians, and their descendants in colonial Mexico. An invaluable collection of primary sources offering a comprehensive and detailed picture of the experiences of the enslaved people in Mexico. This is an excellent research and teaching resource for professors and students.”
    —Cristina Soriano, The University of Texas at Austin

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  6. Muslim Sources of the Crusader Period: An Anthology

    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by James E. Lindsay and Suleiman A. Mourad

    "In the last century, many of the main Arabic chronicles of the crusading period have been made available in English translations and are now well-known. This volume, however, gives us a whole wide range of materials, only a few of which are accessible to non-Arabists. The collection includes not just little-known narrative historians, like the lively and original Ibn Wasil, but also letters, sermons, and inscriptions. Each section is followed by a few questions, ideal essay subjects for advanced students and thought provoking for general readers. Among the many strengths of this collection is that it gives due weight to thirteenth-century writings, often neglected but often interesting. Another strength is that the translations are, in all cases, the authors' own work, giving fresh and interesting versions of such well-known classics as the Rihla of Ibn Jubayr. This is a new and exciting collection which will open new horizons for students and teachers alike." —Hugh Kennedy, SOAS, University of London

    "This is a superb collection, covering nearly every aspect of the Crusader entanglement with the Islamic Near East as expressed in Arabic sources, in clear, readable English translations. The editors are to be thanked for including texts from multiple genres--not just chronicles, but travel literature, memoirs, biographies, poetry, epistles, treaties, and orations. Nor is this collection limited to literary texts, as it also includes evidence from inscriptions--a revealing source for understanding the public propaganda of the age. The informative appendices, maps, and thoughtful discussion questions will make this anthology a breeze to use in teaching, and I can't wait to get started using it." —Paul M. Cobb, University of Pennsylvania

    Table of Contents: Click here to see the full Table of Contents (PDF).

    Sample Syllabus: Cick here to download a sample syllabus for author James Lindsay's HIST 201, Approaches to History: The Islamic Near East during the Crusader Period class.

     

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  7. Nazi Crimes and Their Punishment, 1943-1950

    Michael S. Bryant

    Series: Passages: Key Moments in History

    "With this timely book in Hackett Publishing's Passages series, Michael Bryant presents a wide-ranging survey of the trials of Nazi war criminals in the wartime and immediate postwar period. Introduced by an extensive historical survey putting these proceedings into their international context, this volume makes the case, central to Hackett’s collection for undergraduate courses, that these events constituted a 'key moment' that has influenced the course of history. Appended to Bryant's analysis is a substantial section of primary sources that should stimulate student discussion and raise questions that are pertinent to warfare and human rights abuses today." —Michael R. Marrus, Chancellor Rose and Ray Wolfe Professor Emeritus of Holocaust Studies at the University of Toronto

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  8. Samurai and the Warrior Culture of Japan, 471–1877

    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by Thomas Donald Conlan

    Listen to Thomas Conlan's interview with Jingyi Li about Samurai and the Warrior Culture of Japan on The New Books Network here.

    "This sourcebook provides, for the first time in English, translations of the key primary sources for the study of the history of the samurai across all eras of Japanese history. Conlan has framed these sources with compelling historical analysis, making the book required reading not only for students of the warrior class but for everyone interested in the broad sweep of Japanese history. This is an astounding resource."  —Morgan Pitelka, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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  9. Sanctified Violence: Holy War in World History

    Alfred J. Andrea and Andrew Holt

    "This rich and engaging book looks at instances of sanctified violence, the holy wars related to religion. It covers it all, from ancient to present day, including examples of warfare among Sikhs, Hindus and Buddhists, as well as Christians, Jews and Muslims. It is a comprehensive and readable overview that provides a lively introduction to the subject of holy war in its broadest sense—as ‘sanctified violence’ in the service of a god or ideology. It is certain to be a useful companion in the classroom, and a boon to anyone fascinated by the dark attraction of religion and violence." —Mark Juergensmeyer, University of California, Santa Barbara

    "With Andrea and Holt as sure-footed guides, Sanctified Violence tackles a vast subject: the global history of holy war in its many forms across the millennia. From cosmic struggles between forces of good and evil at the dawn of mythic time to apocalyptic battles at history’s end, this book explores the transcendental impulses and religious ideologies that fuel and shape collective violence in virtually every culture and age. Modern military chaplains and armed Buddhist monks keep company with medieval Templars and Aztec Flower warriors. Sanctified Violence never pretends to have all the answers to difficult questions about warfare and the sacred, but rather invites reflective readers to appraise their complicated relationship for themselves. Richly illustrated, each chapter offers a detailed commentary on its major historical sources and poses questions for further analysis, making the volume ideal for the classroom." Brett E. Whalen, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

    Contents: Introduction: What Is Holy War?, Chapter 1: Holy Wars in Mythic Time, Holy Wars as Metaphor, Holy Wars as Ritual, Chapter 2: Holy Wars of Conquest in the Name of a Deity, Chapter 3: Holy Wars in Defense of the Sacred, Chapter 4: Holy Wars in Anticipation of the Millennium, and an Epilogue: Holy Wars Today and Tomorrow.

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  10. Seven Myths of Military History

    John D. Hosler
    Series Editors: Alfred J. Andrea and Andrew Holt

    "This brief, provocative, and accessible book offers snapshots of seven pernicious myths in military history that have been perpetrated on unsuspecting students, readers, moviegoers, game players, and politicians. It promotes awareness of how myths are created by 'the spurious misuse and ignorance of history' and how
    misleading ideas about a military problem, as in asymmetric warfare, can lead to misguided solutions. Both scholarly and engaging, this book is an ideal addition to military history and historical methodology courses. In fact, it could be fruitfully used in any course that teaches critical thinking skills, including courses outside the discipline of history. Military history has a broad appeal to students, and there’s something here for everyone. From the so-called 'Western Way of War' to its sister-myth, technological determinism, to the ‘academic party game’ of once-faddish ‘Military Revolutions,’ the book shows that while myths about history may be fun, myth busting is the most fun of all."
     —Reina Pennington, Norwich University

    “Why does military history generate so many myths? Is it because easily digestible myths make the subject easier to teach and study? Or because such myths help to paper over the simple but depressing fact that mankind has, since its very origins, permitted the slaughter of millions, often for the most minor of reasons? While such questions are difficult if not impossible to answer, in bringing together seven of the world’s finest military historians to dispel seven of these myths, John Hosler provides a great service in laying bare the myths’ origins. Anyone interested in the subject should read this book first, before embarking on further study.”
     —Kelly Devries, Loyola University Maryland

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  11. NEW
    Seven Myths of the American Revolution

    Edited, with an Introduction, by Jim Piecuch

    "In fast-paced, crystal-clear prose, these four veteran historians quash not just seven myths about the American Revolution but dozens. If you think that slavery was inevitable, that British commanders were lazy nincompoops, or that Indigenous warriors were nothing more than British pawns, you will savor the challenge of Seven Myths of the American Revolution just as much as I did."
    —Woody Holton, University of South Carolina, author of Liberty Is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution (Simon & Schuster, 2021)

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  12. Seven Myths of the Russian Revolution

    Jonathan Daly and Leonid Trofimov

    "This fascinating volume is a major contribution to our understanding of the Russian Revolution, from World War I to consolidation of the Bolshevik regime. The seven myths include the exaggeration of Rasputin’s influence; a purported conspiracy behind the February Revolution; the treasonous Bolshevik dependence on German support; the multiple Anastasia pretenders to the royal inheritance; the antisemitic claims about “Judeo-Bolsheviks”; distortions about America’s intervention in the civil war; and the “inevitability” of Bolshevism. In each case the authors analyze the facts, uncover the origins of the myth, and trace its later perseverance (even in contemporary Russia). To assist readers, the volume includes three reference guides (people, terms, dates), nine maps, and twenty-nine illustrations. The result is immensely valuable for undergraduate courses in Russian history."
    —Gregory L. Freeze, Raymond Ginger Professor of History, Brandeis University

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  13. NEW
    Seven Myths of the Spanish Inquisition

    Gretchen D. Starr-LeBeau
    Series Editors: Alfred J. Andrea and Andrew Holt

    “Gretchen Starr-LeBeau has given us a deeply researched, wide-ranging correction of the various myths attached to the Spanish Inquisition. Her ability to track and explain the development of those myths over time is remarkable. The volume is wonderfully written and consistently accessible for a student audience. I learned a great deal from it and look forward to assigning it in my classes.”
    —Lu Ann Homza, William and Mary

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  14. The Book of the Courtier

    Baldesar Castiglione
    Edited and Translated by, with an Introduction, by Peter Hainsworth

    Peter Hainsworth’s sparkling, eminently readable new English translation of The Book of the Courtier, Baldesar Castiglione’s (1478–1529) literary and philosophical masterpiece, captures all the nuance, stylistic flair, and humor of this foundational work of Renaissance humanism.

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  15. The Essential Greek Historians

    Edited, with Introduction and Notes, by Stanley Burstein

    Includes an introduction, maps, and selections from Herodotus' The Histories, Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, Xenophon's The Hellenica, Aristotle's The Constitution of Athens, The Parian Marble, Polybius' The Histories, Memnon's History of Heracleia, Plutarch's Life of Alexander. See the full Table of Contents (PDF) here.

    "Burstein’s The Essential Greek Historians is an excellent collection of texts representing the development of historiography in the ancient Greek world. Each text is presented in an engaging and readable translation, with an insightful introduction exploring the purposes behind its composition, the significance of its contribution to the growth of historiography as a literary genre, and the context in which its author thought and wrote. These texts include not only familiar favorites like Herodotus and Thucydides, but also sources such as The Parian Marble and Memnon's History of Heracleia, which give a broader and richer view of the ways in which Greeks engaged with history. In one economical volume, Burstein has created an indispensable introduction to the historical thought of the ancient Greeks. No student of Greek historiography should be without it." —Erik Jensen, Salem State University

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  16. The Essential Thucydides: On Justice, Power, and Human Nature (Second Edition)

    Thucydides
    Translated, with Introduction and Notes, by Paul Woodruff

    Thucydides was the first ancient Greek historian to double as a social scientist. He set out to understand human events entirely in human terms, without recourse to myth. He sought to know why people go to war and how they are affected by its violence. He studied the civil war in Corcyra, which began when radicals burst into the council house and killed leaders who favored democracy. The strengths and weaknesses of democracy are a major theme of his History. Its larger story shows how the Athenians tried to expand their empire too far and came to a crushing defeat. Here are vivid stories of land and sea battles, interspersed with fascinating and disturbing debates about war and policy. All of Thucydides’s History is here, either in summary or translation, in a volume short enough for a wide readership. This Second Edition is expanded to include all the important debates and battle scenes, and the entire translation has been revised in accord with the latest scholarship. The Essential Thucydides is the second edition of Paul Woodruff's On Justice, Power, and Human Nature: Selections from The History of the Peloponnesian War (first published by Hackett 1993, paperback ISBN 978-0-87220-168-2, cloth ISBN 978-0-87220-169-9).

    “At last—a good way to navigate the choppy waters of Thucydides’s account of the Great War! Woodruff has focused on themes of lasting importance—human nature, justice, and war itself. These have guided his skillful selection of passages and his deft explanatory comments, all in a fast-moving, readable style.”
    —W. R. Connor, Andrew Fleming West Professor of Classics, Emeritus, Princeton University

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  17. The French Revolution

    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by Laura Mason and Tracey Rizzo

    "This new edition of Mason and Rizzo's anthology is a welcome addition to the study of the revolutionary and Napoleonic French Atlantic. It includes a wealth of documents related to life in metropolitan and colonial France from the middle of the eighteenth century through the Napoleonic Consulate as well as concise section overviews that detail experiences on the continent and in Saint-Domingue, France’s wealthiest Caribbean colony, during this tumultuous era. These features, along with images, maps, and a detailed timeline, provide an invaluable resource for scholars and students alike."
    —Rebecca Hartkopf Schloss, Texas A&M University

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  18. The Greco-Persian Wars

    Erik Jensen

    Series: Passages: Key Moments in History

    "Erik Jensen's The Greco-Persian Wars offers a refreshing introduction to a critical (but often misunderstood) historical event in world history. Rejecting dated models of East-West confrontation, this book usefully frames the Persian invasions of Greece in terms of imperial expansion and frontier development, and also considers the long-term evolution of Greco-Persian relations after 480–479 BC. The source selections draw on both Achaemenid documents as well as Greek narratives to contextualize the conflict." —John Hyland, Christopher Newport University

    "I like Jensen’s book very much. This 'key moment' in world history has traditionally been read almost exclusively through Greek eyes, and having these translations of the Persian sources provides the opportunity and impetus for a fresh interpretation of this classic encounter. . . . The Introduction provides an excellent background to the Persian sources and sheds invaluable light on the people and society that produced them." —Robert GarlandColgate University

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  19. The Indian Rebellion, 1857–1859

    James Frey

    Series: Passages: Key Moments in History

    "Frey's concise and readable history of the Indian Rebellion is an excellent introduction to one of the most important wars of the nineteenth century. The rebellion lasted more than a year and pitted broad sections of north Indian society against the British East India Company. British victory consolidated colonial rule that would only be dislodged by twentieth-century nationalist movements. Frey provides a crystal-clear account of the causes, principal events, and consequences of the rebellion. Equally importantly, he deftly discusses why the rebellion remains controversial. Well-chosen documents add texture to the analysis. This is the best short history of the rebellion in print."
         —Ian Barrow, Middlebury College

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  20. The Medieval Record (Second Revised Edition)

    Alfred J. Andrea

    "I am delighted that The Medieval Record—a book I used successfully in my medieval history survey over many semesters—is getting a new lease on life. The color illustrations are wonderful, and the new documents are translated beautifully into modern English. I like that this collection includes many sources not available in other readers, which tend to bundle the same old bunch of traditional sources (in varying translations from different translators). I like the very thoughtful introduction, which helps students think about historical documents and how to ‘do’ history when they read them. I especially appreciate the Topical Contents feature in the front matter—this is very helpful in guiding students to writing assignments." —John Contreni, emeritus, Purdue University

    "I am delighted that a new edition of Medieval Record has finally been published. I want to thank the author and Hackett Publishing. I have used the old version for years and still consider it the best text out there. This year I’ll use it as the primary book for my class; it will serve both lectures and labs/primary source work. What I appreciate about the book is that it teaches students to read primary sources critically, a skill they can apply to their lives. It teaches students how to do history, rather than just learn and memorize." —Joëlle Rollo Koster, University of Rhode Island

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  21. The Mexican Revolution

    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by Jurgen Buchenau and Timothy Henderson

    Selected as one of the best historical materials of 2023 by the Reference and User Services Association, a division of The American Library Association.

    "Henderson and Buchenau have done an excellent and thoughtful job of collecting a wide range of voices for students to learn about the Mexican Revolution and its causes, both from ‘above’ and from ‘below’. I’m particularly appreciative of the authors’ inclusion of women’s voices and women’s issues of the era, including the point of view of the first woman elected to public office in Mexico. They deserve praise for including documents that complicate widely accepted, heroic revolutionary narratives of the period for students—such as the experience of soldaderas and the massacre of Chinese people in Torreón. It is also worth mentioning that the editors have done an admirable job in choosing documents from across Mexico’s many diverse and heterogenous regions. The general Introduction is excellent; it is both accurate and highly readable for students. It is no easy feat to succinctly describe both the events and the significance of this period in Mexican history as the authors have done here." —Sarah Osten, The University of Vermont

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  22. The Perry Expedition and the "Opening of Japan to the West," 1853–1873

    Paul H. Clark

    Series: Passages: Key Moments in History

    "In this concise volume, Clark provides a nice split between detailed yet engaging narrative history—of the sort required to understand Japan in the context of the nineteenth century world—and primary sources that include updated translations, previously unused sources, classic texts, and helpful visual materials. A welcome addition to world, East Asian, and Japanese history courses." —Michael Wert, Marquette University

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  23. The Rise of the Mongols: Five Chinese Sources

    Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by Christopher P. Atwood

    "Our modern fascination with the Mongol empire only increases with each passing year. One global myth even claims that Chinggis Khan’s DNA can be found among most of the races of the world today—a story of genetic seeding that surely testifies to the obsessive awe with which the rulers of the largest empire in the history of the world are still held. The Rise of the Mongols: Five Chinese Sources, is thus a timely, important, and welcome addition to the limited sources on the Mongols currently available to us in English translation. Unlike the Yuanshi—the Chinese history of the Mongol dynasty that is retroactively written—Christopher Atwood’s and Lynn Struve’s five Chinese sources recount the important early days of the Mongol ascension to power through contemporary and even eyewitness accounts situated in both southern and northern China. Whether you're teaching Marco Polo, or The Secret History of the Mongols, or courses in early globalism, you’ll find this invaluable collection of newly-translated Chinese sources indispensable.” —Geraldine Heng, author of The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages, and Founder and Director of the Global Middle Ages Project

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  24. White War, Black Soldiers

    Bakary Diallo & Lamine Senghor
    Translated by Nancy Erber and William Peniston
    Edited, with an Introduction and Annotations, by George Robb

    "White War, Black Soldiers is a terrific read, from start to finish, and addresses such an important gap in our knowledge about Africa, Africans, and WWI. The editors offer a rich, balanced and nuanced account not just of the historical contexts in which to read these texts but also of how we should approach them—in all their complexity. Diallo’s text nicely defies a neat postcolonial reading and helps us appreciate the historical contingencies and variations of interwar ‘radicalism’. It also of course helps students confront the ongoing whiteness of WWI studies."
    Antoinette Burton, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

    "With a comprehensive scholarly introduction that contextualizes the service of African men within European-led colonial armies, this book presents two extremely rare personal accounts by African soldiers who fought in the First World War. The early twentieth century writings of Senegalese war veterans Bakary Diallo and Lamine Senghor, here published in English for the first time, illustrate the global nature of the conflict. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the Great War or African History."
    —Timothy Stapleton, University of Calgary, author of Africa: War and Conflict in the Twentieth Century (2018)

    "With White War, Black Soldiers, Prof. George Robb has provided us with both important primary documents (previously available only in French) and valuable historical context to dramatically improve our knowledge and understanding of the African Experience in WWI. As an Africanist who has taught world history for over two decades, I have long been frustrated by student's lack of awareness that anyone other than Europeans were involved in the first World War. This situation was exacerbated by the absence of more than a handful of brief African accounts of the conflict in Europe. By bringing the experiences and perspectives of Bakary Diallo and Lamine Senghor to an English-speaking audience, Robb has provided World Historians, Africanists, and secondary teachers alike with a valuable tool to help address this situation."
         —Jonathan Reynolds, Northern Kentucky University

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