Books & Media Reviews

Empire of Cotton: A Global History

Empire of Cotton” starts by describing cotton cultivation and the trade in cotton textiles going back to the Bronze Age. India and China were the most important early locations, but the continent with the least cotton in early times, Europe, was destined to play the major role in the cotton manufa...

Reviewed By: Daniel Walker Howe

The Fortunes of Africa: A 5000 Year History of Wealth, Greed and Endeavor

Africa has been coveted for its riches ever since the era of the Pharaohs. In past centuries, it was the lure of gold, ivory, and slaves that drew fortune-seekers,merchant-adventurers, and conquerors from afar. In modern times...

Reviewed By: Howard W. French

All Eyes Are Upon Us: Race and Politics from Boston to Brooklyn

If, as many believe, America’s experiment in postracialism is over, then “All Eyes Are Upon Us” is a prescient book that offers a great deal to explain a national self-deception of stunning brevity. According to...