Hans Zell Publishing launches a new second, fully revised and greatly expanded edition of a classic African studies reference resource.

First published in 1993, John McIlwaine’s Africa: A Guide to Reference Material, evaluates the leading sources of information on Africa south of the Sahara published in English and French, and a number of other European languages.

The new 2nd edition contains 3,600 entries, covering encyclopaedias, dictionaries, directories, handbooks, atlases and gazetteers, almanacs, yearbooks, topographic reference sources, directories of organisations, and biographical and statistical sources.

Each title is described and analysed for content. Following a general section on Africa as a whole, with sub-divisions by special subjects, material is arranged under broad regions of Africa, and then by individual countries.

Additional to including a diverse array of new reference material that has appeared in print format since 1992, this new edition now also lists a substantial number of electronic resources, critically reviewed and evaluated. Entirely new sections include a selection of the principal reference sources in the biological and earth sciences, especially on flora and fauna, and on biology, habitat, and geology.

Another new feature in the 2nd edition is the citation of a wide range of reviews from over 80 journals.

The book is extensively cross-referenced throughout. It contains an author and title index, and a separate subject index with expanded coverage to accommodate the increased subject range of this new edition.

More details about the book, and the complete table of contents, can be found at