Why read A Fistful of Shells?

Book cover of A Fistful of Shells: West Africa from the Rise of the Slave Trade to the Age of Revolution

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By the time the "Scramble for Africa" among European colonial powers began in the late nineteenth century, Africa had already been globally connected for centuries. Its gold had fueled the economies of Europe and the Islamic world for nearly a millennium, and the sophisticated kingdoms spanning its west coast had…

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European history

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Why read it?

1 author picked A Fistful of Shells as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Ana Lucia Araujo

Author

Toby Green’s book is a magisterial history of West Africa and West Central Africa during the era of the Atlantic slave trade.

Exploring a large array of sources from three continents the book tells the history of African societies such as the kingdoms of Kongo and Dahomey, by showing how Africa was connected to the rest of the world earlier before Europeans reached the Atlantic coasts of the continent.

With the rise of the Atlantic slave trade Africa exported currencies such as gold, whose great value persisted over time, but kept importing cloth, cowries, iron, and copper, whose value decreased…

From Ana's list on The best books on the material culture of the Atlantic slave trade and colonialism.