WRITING TIMBUKTU, the book in West African history

209pp., illus., hardback, d.w., Princeton University Press, New Haven, 2026

ISBN: 9780691273853

Shamil Jeppie offers a history of the book as a handwritten, handmade object in West Africa. Focusing his account in the historic city of Timbuktu, he explores the culture of the “manuscript-book” - unbound pages, often held together by carefully crafted leather covers. He describes the most important and most prolific scholars and their works, the subjects they covered, and ways these books were circulated, collected, and preserved, and reveals that the handwritten text persisted even after the advent of the printed book, even among writers whose books were in print.

“Jeppie takes us behind the myths surrounding Timbuktu to reveal the rich culture of learning and writing that extended across more than five centuries and the vast area of the Sahara-Sahel. The manuscript book is the thread we follow through the lives of writers, teachers, and collectors as they navigated the crises of their times. This account, both expert and accessible, offers a wonderful entry into the book culture of West Africa.” Ann Blair, author of Too Much to Know: Managing Scholarly Information before the Modern Age

“Shamil Jeppie takes his readers on a journey to discover a vibrant and persistent manuscript book culture in northwest Africa. From the prolific scholar Ahmad Baba (d. 1627) and his students to the copyist and collector Ahmad Bularraf (d. 1945), both active in Timbuktu, he passes in review scholarly families and individuals, such as the Kunta of Shinqit, their networks and libraries, and their clashes and connections with local rulers and colonial officials over five centuries, anchoring the region firmly within the global history of the book.” Beatrice Gruendler, author of The Rise of the Arabic Book

Shamil Jeppie is Associate Professor of History at the University of Cape Town, where he founded the Tombouctou Manuscripts Project. He is co-editor of The Meanings of Timbuktu and serves on the Advisory Board of Understanding Written Artefacts, a research centre at the University of Hamburg.