Anyone with an interest in West African history will have their hands full with any of the following titles: West Africa Since 1800 by Webster and Boahen for in-depth coverage; A Short History of Africa by Fage and Roland, for more of an overview; and A History of West Africa, 1000-1800 by Basil Davidson, an influential writer acclaimed for bringing academic writing to a popular audience.A Political History of Gambia by A Hughes and D Perfect covers the period between 1816 and 1994.Probably the best known work inspired by events in The Gambia is Alex Haley's mix of historical fact and imaginative fiction, Roots, describing the black American author's search for his African origins.In Mark Hudson's Our Grandmothers' Drums, the author provides a fascinating insight into village life based on his stay in central Gambia.So Long a Letter by Miriama Ba offers an incisive account of the clash between modern and traditional values concerning polygamy.