A well-written and beautiful book, illustrated throughout with maps and photographs, and a useful bibliographical essay. The achievement of presenting the diversity and vibrancy of differing regions and thorough examination of this topic of such scanty data set it apart from many previous interpretations of these challenging and controversial issues.... This book greatly increases our understanding of the processes and patterns of the peopling of Africa and the diverse and dynamic natures of populations". -- Tamasine Robins, African Affairs

"If you either claim or aspire to be an African scholar, you should read this book. Newman clearly fills a niche in African scholarship by focusing on the largely ignored period of African history before Europeans colonized the continent. While anthropologists and historians have brought together most of the pieces of the puzzle of African humanity, this work by a geographer puts them in a new context which illuminates 'peopling' and helps explain it in rich complexity". -- Gary L. Gaile, Journal of Anthropological Research