Toyin Falola. A History of West Africa. Abingdon: Routledge, 2023. xii + 503 pp. $153.00. Hardback. ISBN: 9781032055961.

The book illuminates the changes and continuities in the economic, sociopolitical and cultural matrix of West Africa since precolonial times.Falola reiterates the values and nature of history in traditional African societies.History in traditional African societies, he noted, was preserved and transmitted in oral traditions.The book also gives a detailed analysis of the human and material resources of West Africa taking into account the vegetation, soil, economic activities, and indigenous language families.The book traces the evolution of West African development trajectories in three distinct phases: the Stone Age, Neolithic Revolution, and Iron Age.While the transition from a Stone to an Iron Age economy marked a watershed in the annals of West African history, there is a lacuna in the archaeological literature on the Bronze Age phase as substantial evidence of its period remains, largely, uncovered.In Chapter Six, the book examines the materiality and temporality of the Saharan desert and its contributions to regional and global development.During the precolonial era, trade across the Saharan desert was properly organized with routes and caravan settings.The management of the Saharan desert and its resources gave fecundity to the rise of powerful empires including Islamic movements within the region.In the ensuing chapters, the author explores the nature and features of the domestic economy and argues that out of the four factors of production-land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship-land and labor were the most important because of their especial importance for human survival and agricultural production.In Part Three of the book, the author examines the origin and spread of Islam across Africa detailing the actors, patterns, and modes of proselytization and conversion including impact on the people, economy, and society.The author challenges the popular narrative in the literature, which claims that Islam won most converts in Africa through wars and conquests.He opines that during the early phase of Islam, marriage, scholarships, trade, and diplomacy served as peaceful strategies of conversion in West Africa.The Jihadi epoch, despite its negative consequences, particularly in terms of human rights violations and social disorder, was a distinct phase, aimed to revive and expand Islamic teachings across the region.What is more, the book documents the evolution of Christianity in the region, taking into consideration the actors and impact of missionaries on the economy and society.The book points to the activities of Prince Henry the Navigator who traversed the Cape of Good Hope and the Portuguese missionaries who left indelible footprints in coastal regions.