{"product_id":"a-fistful-of-shells-paperback-by-toby-green","title":"A Fistful of Shells Paperback by Toby Green","description":"\u003cbody\u003e\n                        \n                            \n                                \u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n                                \u003cul\u003e\n                                    \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cb\u003ePenguin UK\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e(2020-03-17)\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n                                    \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cstrong\u003eEnglish\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n                                    \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePaperback\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cstrong\u003e448\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cb\u003epages\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n                                    \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eISBN-13\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cstrong\u003e9780141977669\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n                                    \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eItem Weight\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cstrong\u003e447.93\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cb\u003egrams\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n                                    \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cstrong\u003e7.8 x 5.0 x 1.1\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cb\u003ecm\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n                                \u003c\/ul\u003e\n                                \u003cbr\u003e\n                                \u003cp\u003eBy the time of the 'Scramble for Africa' in the late nineteenth century,  Africa had already been globally connected for many centuries. Its gold  had fuelled the economies of Europe and the Islamic world since around  1000 CE, and its sophisticated kingdoms had traded with Europeans along the  coasts from Senegal down to Angola since the fifteenth century. Until  at least 1650, this was a trade of equals, using a variety of currencies  - most importantly shells: the cowrie shells imported from the  Maldives, and the nzimbu shells imported from Brazil.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eToby Green's groundbreaking new book transforms our view of West and  West-Central Africa. It reconstructs the world of kingdoms whose  existence (like those of Europe) revolved around warfare, taxation,  trade, diplomacy, complex religious beliefs, royal display and  extravagance, and the production of art. Over time, the  relationship between Africa and Europe revolved ever more around the  trade in slaves, damaging Africa's relative political and economic power  as the terms of monetary exchange shifted drastically in Europe's  favour. In spite of these growing capital imbalances, longstanding  contacts ensured remarkable connections between the Age of Revolution in  Europe and America and the birth of a revolutionary nineteenth century  in Africa.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Fistful of Shells\u003c\/i\u003e draws not just on written  histories, but on archival research in nine countries, on art,  praise-singers, oral history, archaeology, letters and the author's  personal experience to create a new perspective on the history of one of  the world's most important regions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n                                \u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n                                \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eToby Green \u003c\/b\u003ehas worked widely with academics, musicians and writers across Africa, organising events in collaboration with institutions in Angola, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique Sierra Leone and the Gambia. He has written a number of previous books, and his work has been translated into twelve languages. Awarded a 2017 Philip Leverhulme Prize in History, he is Senior Lecturer in Lusophone African History and Culture at King's College London. His 2019 book \u003ci\u003eA Fistful of Shells \u003c\/i\u003ewon\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ethe Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for global cultural understanding and was shortlisted for the Cundill History Prize and the inaugural Pius Adesanmi Memorial Award.\u003c\/p\u003e\n                            \n                        \n                        \u003c\/body\u003e","brand":"Best Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":43337032827041,"sku":"BBSNIJ9780141977669","price":22.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0525\/2084\/5473\/products\/9780141977669.jpg?v=1697646115","url":"https:\/\/www.bestbookstore.ca\/products\/a-fistful-of-shells-paperback-by-toby-green","provider":"Best Book Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}