There is however a lot of his travel through the many countries, and for me these were some of the most interesting parts! Gunthers task was aggravated by serious eye trouble which made the taking of notes and the reading and rereading of them an ordeal. John Gunther was one of the best known and most admired journalists of his day, and his series of "Inside" books, starting with Inside Europe in 1936, were immensely popular profiles of the major world powers. While Gunther does go off on various tangents, hr does provide some basics for each - size relative to other countries and/or states of USA, the population (incl a split between Europeans and natives) and a description of the system of rule. The racial tensions which exist in one section are almost wholly different from those prevailing in another.

Everywhere, colonies and protectorates are seething with nationalistic agitation which may or may not be justified.

The long section on South Africa is bogged down in politics and race, and individual biographies of prominent people, and for 30 or so pages my attention waned. WITH ''The Africans'' David Lamb has produced a timely and valuable work that cuts through many of the distorted images propagated by Africans themselves, by the continent's apologists and by its detractors.

By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.The Africans'' invites comparison with John Gunther's ''Inside Africa,'' published 30 years ago, when the countries covered in Mr. Kipling succeeded in convincing me at least of the heroic work being done by British administrators and soldiers. People who he views as great men often turned out in reality to be brutal thugs and Africa fell far behind his predictions.

A chapter on gold and diamonds completed the South Africa section with more vigour, and then a short chapter on 'German' South-West Africa, which is now Namibia.Significantly, some of the conclusions are the same: that the West must not ignore Africa, and that what the continent needs most is not guns but education. A visit to all 44 African countries, including Haile Selassie's Ethiopia, Albert Schweitzer, Tubman of Liberia, Nkrumah, and the Mau Mau of Kenya.

I started out writing a few notes about each country - they are below in a spoiler, as they quickly got out of hand, and I know my reviews are often painfully long under normal circumstances, without this effort! If his experiences there came at the end of his long journey, it may well be that he was tired and could not attack this subject with his usual élan.

Gunther draws are still relevant today: Africa needs education, not wepons and we must not ignore Africa. Great Britain, France, Belgium, and Portugal, and the systems of governance, even the attitudes towards decolonization would vary. hardback, thick octavo, upper hinge cracked but the text block stitching remains sound and the volume is free of marking. The British policy is to educate and train the native Africans for self-government, but they hesitate to have a definite date assigned for that purpose.