The Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies at the Northwestern University holds a unique collection of conference papers, and has recently made this important research literature accessible through a two-volume index listing 562 conferences and over 12,000 individual papers. The first volume contains a register of the conferences, with the indexed papers listed alphabetically by author, while the second volume provides an extensive keyword index. Although the list of conference papers reflects the paucity of scholarly work on Namibia during the 1960s and the early 1970s, it is nevertheless possible to find references to some valuable material. All papers are held by the Northwestern University Library and are available for either loan or by photocopy through the interlibrary loan department. (Eriksen/Moorsom 1989).

Trends in Geography: An Introductory Survey reviews trends in geography, including physical geography, human geography, and applied geography. Topics covered include progress in geomorphology, meteorology, climatology, hydrology, historical geography, transport geography, and industrial geography, along with the geography of rural settlements and the ecology of agricultural systems. The importance of geography in area studies is also discussed. This book is comprised of 26 chapters and begins by tracing developments in the field of geography, followed by a discussion on the study of soils in geography and the economic geography of agriculture. The following chapters explore the diversity of urban geography; the role of geography in physical planning and economic planning; planning studies in rural areas; and geographical research on local government. A cultural and historical perspective in area studies is presented by citing the case of Latin America. The final chapter is devoted to geographical studies of developing areas, focusing on the case of tropical Africa. This monograph will be of interest to teachers, students, and practitioners of geography.

In the post-colonial era, historians have begun to understand the middle belt of Nigeria as the cradle of several Nigerian groups. Studying the area has become central to the search for a proper identity of the diverse peoples of central Nigeria, and for an understanding of African history generally. This pioneering effort puts together, in one volume, research by some thirty academics on a region taking in the states of Kwara, Kogi, Plateau Nassarawa, Kaduna, Niger, Benue, Bauchi, Taraba, Adamawa and the Federal Capital Territory. The volume is organised thematically around subjects about the origins of the region, its archaeology and pre-history and migration and settler patterns. Further essays cover geography and environment; the origins and growth of political organisations, and change; oral tradition, kingships and the development of centralised authorities; the economy - cloth manufacturing/textiles and agriculture; economic relations between groups, and inter-group relations under the colonials; and experiences of exploitation and resistance.