THE BOOK SMUGGLERS OF TIMBUKTU, the quest for this storied city and the race to save its treasures

400pp., illus., maps, paperback, Reprint, London, (2017) 2018

"Running alongside Mr English's lively telling of the quest for Timbuktu is a thrilling account of a more recent story: the daring evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Timbuktu's manuscripts by its librarians during a jihadist occupation in 2012 ... [It is] a brilliant device." Economist 

"An exemplary work of investigative journalism that is also a wonderfully colourful book of history and travel" Observer, Books of the Year

"A fascinating account of Timbuktu's history and  the brave and crazy adventurers who sought death and glory trying to get there." The Times

Charlie English is a former journalist for the Guardian. A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, he is the author of The Storied City and The Snow Tourist