Sources for Zambian Historical StudiesA Bibliography of Pre-Independence Zambia: The Social Sciences by William E. RauReview by: R. Kent RasmussenAfrica Today, Vol. 26, No. 2, Namibia: Crisis for the International Community (2nd Qtr.,1979), p. 79Published by: Indiana University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4185865 .

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Sources for Zambian Historical Studies

R. Kent Rasmussen

William E. Rau. A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PRE-INDEPENDENCE ZAMBIA: The Social Sciences (Boston: G.K. Hall, 1978). 378 pp., $45.00.

Most scholars detest bibliographical research. But what scholar does not cherish a good bibliography? A single useful entry can mean an hour not wasted; a full-length bibliography can save hundreds of scholars untold amounts of time they might otherwise spend duplicating each others' efforts. Fortunately, individual scholars occasionally pause from their own research to draw the bibliographical maps which the rest of us can follow.

Considering the amount of attention which scholars have given to Zambia, it is incredible that a comprehensive national bibliography has taken this long to appear. Who compiled it? A librarian supported by a government grant? No. A historian working on his own, mostly from the remoteness of a northeast Zambian village. The limitations imposed by Dr. Rau's isolation and resources were severe, but what he has compiled is remarkable. His bibliography's nearly 4,000 entries are a substantial total, and their accuracy and complete- ness meet a high standard.

The bibliography includes books and articles (but few official publications) published through 1976; they cover Zambia up to 1964 - the year of indepen- dence. (Geoffrey Williams, of the University of Zambia, is now preparing a post-independence bibliography for the same publisher.) The emphasis is on so- cial sciences, but, happily, the concept is interpreted broadly, encompassing scientific and technical works relevant to the nation's development. Thus, be- sides such obvious subject headings as Anthropology, Archaeology, and His- tory, there are sections on Health, Geography, and Wildlife. The inevitable quibbles about occasional omissions and incorrect classifications are more than compensated for by the breadth of the compilation as a whole.

The books contains a number of structural features which one would like to see employed more frequently in bibliographies. Non-English titles are trans- lated in brackets; there are separate indexes for ethnic groups, authors, and proper names appearing in titles; and there are special sections on manuscript collections and periodicals. The arrangement of individual entries is clear and concise; photocopied entries could readily be transferred to index cards.

There may be no such thing as the ideal bibliography; however, this one comes close to the mark. Zambiaphiles are in Dr. Rau's debt.

R. Kent Rasmussen of Los Angeles, California, is co-author with Mark R. Lipschutz of The Dictionary of African Historical Biography (1978) and author of Migrant Kingdom: Mzilekozi's Ndebele in South Africa (1978), and Historical Dictionary of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe (1979), all due to be reviewed soon in Africa Today.

Vol. 26 (1979) No. 2 79

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