Guides and Bibliographies

Guides, Collections and Ancillary Materials to African Archival Resources in the United States

Library of Congress African Section guides

Bibliographical Essays and Bibliographies in:
The Cambridge history of Africa. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press. 8 v. 1975-1986.
--v. 1. From the earliest times to c. 500 B.C -- v. 2. From c. 500 B.C. to A.D. 1050 -- v. 4. From c. 1600 to c. 1790 -- v. 5. From c. 1790 to c. 1870 -- v. 6. From 1870 to 1905 -- v. 7. From 1905 to 1940 -- v. 8. From c. 1940 to c. 1975
HOLLIS Record with Online Access

Africa : a guide to reference material, by John McIlwaine. 2nd ed. Lochcarron, Scotland : Hans Zell, 2007, 608 p.
Widener | RR 3970.1.20
HOLLIS Record 
Lists government and colonial yearbooks and other publications. Post-1938 material only. Pre-1938 publications are listed in the 1st ed.

Africa : a guide to reference material, by John McIlwaine. London ; New York : Hans Zell Publishers, 1993, 507 p.
HOLLIS Record

Africa: Reference lists reference works in print about the African collections of the British Library, and about African studies generally. See separate pages for internet links for African studies, and for e-resources and the British Library's African collections in general (text from BL website).

The Colonial Office Confidential Print online catalogue indexes over 1000 documents from 1848 to 1915 pertaining to Africa.

Accidental archives: tracing Africa in the India Office Private Papers in the British Library, by Marion Wallace. African Research & Documentation. 2005, Issue 98, p. 23-39.
Location :  Widener Afr 28.162  (Obtainable via Scan&Deliver; online only since 2006)

Bibliographies of African Official Publications

Government Publications Relating to African Countries Prior to Independence. This list can be browsed and publications found looked up in HOLLIS. If Harvard does not own them, they can be obtained via Interlibrary Loan from the Center for Research Libraries.

A bibliographical guide to colonialism in Sub-Saharan Africa, by Peter Duigan and L.H. Gann. (Colonialism in Africa, 1870-1960, v. 5) Cambridge, Univ. Press, 1973, 552 p.
HOLLIS Record 
Internet Archive Full Text

.A guide to manuscripts and documents in the British Isles relating to the Middle East and North Africa, by Noel Matthews and M. Doreen Wainwright; ed. by J. D. Pearson. Oxford; NY: Oxford University Press, 1980, 482 p.
Widener | WID-LC | CD1048.N4 M37

A guide to manuscripts and documents in the British Isles relating to Africa, by J.D. Pearson. London; NY: Mansell, 1993-1994. 2 v.
Widener | WID-LC | CD1048.A3 P43 1993
--v. 1. London -- v. 2. British Isles (excluding London).

Biography

The Anglo-African who's who and biographical sketch-book. (1905, 1910) - Google Books version (1905)  - Online version (1907)  - HOLLIS record

Central and East African who's who, 1955. - HOLLIS record

The Central and East African directory, 1956- . - HOLLIS record

Document Collections

Confidential print: Africa, 1834-1966 contains printed material, from single letters to large volumes, circulated to officials in the Foreign or Colonial Office, to the Cabinet, and to heads of British missions abroad. Nature and Scope

Pamphlets relating to Egypt, 1884-90 / Great Britain, Parliament. --Includes documents and letters of the British Parliament, Adjutant-General, Treasury Dept. Foreign Office, Colonial Office, and War Office.

Great Britain Colonial Office pamphlets about Africa : microfilm 698, Duquesne University Library : contents listing / by Donald Vrabel. Pittsburgh, PA : Duquesne University Library, 1974. 180 leaves in various foliations.
CRL (Ctr for Research Libs) | [To obtain CRL items, submit an Interlibrary Loan request

The map of Africa by treaty, by E. Hertslet; revised and completed to the end of 1908 by R. W. Bryant and H. L. Sherwood. 3rd ed. London, Cass, 1967. 3 v. [Originally published, London, H.M.S.O., 1909]
v. 1. Nos. 1-94: British Colonies, Protectorates and possessions in Africa.
v. 2. Nos. 95-259: Abyssinia to Great Britain and France.
v. 3. Nos. 260-382: Great Britain and Germany to United States appendix, and index to the three volumes.
Widener | Afr 500.7.4
--Includes texts of treaties between African and European countries and between European countries pertaining to Africa. Illustrated with large fold-out maps.

Great Britain. Colonial Office. The exploration and colonization of Africa (1794-1844). 14 microfilm reels + 1 guide (38 p.)
CRL (Ctr for Research Libs)

Local Government Publications

Documents published by the colonial administrations are findable in a variety of ways.

Do a HOLLIS search: "government publications" and Uganda.

Do a HOLLIS Author search on Uganda.

Do a call number browse on the HOLLIS at Starts with/Browse:  Widener Call Number Afr Doc 4002.

Bibliographies:
"government publications" and Uganda and bibliography  (Bibliography must be searched as a Subject keyword)

Official publications of British East Africa, compiled by Helen F. Conover and Audrey A. Walker. Washington: Library of Congress, 1960-63, 4 v.
Location : Documents (Lamont) Afr Doc 3002.5
Location : Widener Harvard Depository Ref 688.35
--Pt. 1. The East Africa High Commission and other regional documents.
--pt. 2. Tanganyika.
--pt. 3. Kenya and Zanzibar.
--pt. 4. Uganda.

Microfilm collections in the series Government Publications relating to African Countries prior to Independence can be searched as a phrase (in "") in HOLLIS with your country added as a keyword, for example. Most material must be obtained via Interlibrary Loan. This includes:

Government publications relating to Basutoland, 1868-1966
Government publications relating to Kenya and the East Africa High Commission, 1897-1963.
Government publications relating to Nigeria, 1862-1960
Government publications relating to Nyasaland, 1891-1964
Government publications relating to Sierra Leone, 1808-1961
Government publications relating to Southern Rhodesia, 1889-1963
Government publications relating to the Cape of Good Hope to 1910
Government publications relating to the Gambia, 1822-1965
Government publications relating to the Gold Coast, 1846-1957
Government publications relating to Uganda, 1900-1962
Government publications relating to Zanzibar, 1860-1963.

The country Blue Books contain statistical and other information on agriculture, education, transport, imports and exports, crime, hospitals, health, laws passed, expenditures and revenue, etc., together with the name, date appointed, and salary of colonial officials.

African blue books of statistics, 1821-1953: Reports by colonial governors on the condition of their colonies.

Find them in HOLLIS by searching the country and the phrase “blue book”. Example:

Nyasaland. Blue book.
Documents (Lamont) | Afr Doc 3603.5 F (Holdings:  1904/5-Dec. 1929 incomplete)