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Creating a Book Empire: Longmans in Africa

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The Book in Africa

Part of the book series: New Directions in Book History ((NDBH))

Abstract

The impact of the British publisher in Africa is a matter of some contention. Publishers’ memoirs, oral histories and company histories have tended to narrate their history in the continent as a cultural mission, vital to the education and enlightenment of Africa.1 Competing interpretations have been voiced by a number of African publishers and postcolonial scholars, who criticise British publishers as agents of neocolonialism or cultural imperialism that served to prevent the growth of an indigenous publishing industry.2 This chapter aims to analyse Longmans’ contribution to African print culture, and its historical legacy in the continent in the context of these debates.

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Authors
  1. Caroline Davis
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oxford Brookes University, UK

    Caroline Davis (Senior Lecturer) (Senior Lecturer)

  2. Open University, UK

    David Johnson (Professor of Literature) (Professor of Literature)

Copyright information

© 2015 Caroline Davis

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Cite this chapter

Davis, C. (2015). Creating a Book Empire: Longmans in Africa. In: Davis, C., Johnson, D. (eds) The Book in Africa. New Directions in Book History. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137401625_7

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