The story of Timbuktu and its legacy of ancient manuscripts, proof that reading and writing books have been as important to Africans as to Europeans.

Aminatta Forna tells the story of legendary Timbuktu and its long-hidden legacy of hundreds of thousands of ancient manuscripts. With its university founded around the same time as Oxford, Timbuktu is proof that the reading and writing of books have long been as important to Africans as they are to Europeans.