ProQuest - Post Colonial Studies Catalog | Subject Catalog (PDF)

Colonial & Post-Colonial Catalog
African
African Library (Bibliothèque Africaine)
Includes rare and important documentary texts on black Africa such as reports of voyages, explorations, colonial
conquests and military campaigns, as well as descriptions of native societies encountered.
705 fiche
Volume I, 16 th Century to 1800
419 fiche
Volume II, 1801-1899
286 fiche
African Military Accounts: War Office Route Books, Military Reports
and Information Précis for British Africa *
1869 - 1933
With the Scramble for Africa and the subsequent ‗pacification‘ of British territories, it was essential for the War Office
to amass accurate information of possible strategic importance regarding the military and economic potential of
indigenous populations, their histories and local topography and to organize this material in a form that would be
readily available in the event of an emergency. Consequently, Colonial Office correspondence and other diverse
sources, as well as military reports, were gleaned for local details which were then correlated to form comprehensive
mosaics. In order to disseminate this intelligence, the corpus of information on individual territories was periodically
printed for wider official use. Thus, for example, the Route Books and Military Reports provided comprehensive
accounts of the country traversed, the location, size and condition of each village along the route, e.g. the number of
huts, availability of water and provisions, populations, population estimates, etc., together with accompanying maps.
As for the Précis, which frequently run to several hundred pages, they most clearly resemble in scope and format the
better known British Naval Intelligence Division, Geographical Handbook Series (Restricted) relating to foreign
nations and territories which were produced during the Second World War. The Précis contain details on the
geography, climate, harbours and communications, forts and docks, trade, bibliography and strategy. Compiled at
the beginning of the colonial era, these long forgotten sources provide a basis for an assessment of subsequent
changes with African societies and are invaluable for historical economic and political research.
Edited by Dr. D.C. Dorward Senior Lecturer in History La Trobe University Melbourne, Australia
London, England; In English
206 fiche
Part I, 1869-1912: From the Ministry of Defense Library *
London, England; In English
136 fiche
Part II, 1906-1933: From the Royal Artillery Institution Library *
London, England; In English
70 fiche
23 Availability subject to change
Titles with an asterisk * may require additional delivery time