Four Guineas: a Journey through West Africa

This account of Elspeth Huxley's travels in Gambia, Sierra Leone, the Gold Coast and Nigeria gilds the Dark Continent--not because the author romanticizes it, but because she clarifies it...its history, superstitions and tribal ways, its beauty and power, its great contrasts and complexities.

But this is no postcard and Huxley is not diverted by the exotic scenery and colorful natives. Instead, she pictures a region striving to maintain its heritage while finding a future. It's like going ahead with one foot on the brake.

"No one knows Africa better than Huxley nor shows the continent with greater accuracy and compassion." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board)