Barry Morton and Jeff Ramsay, Historical Dictionary of Botswana, Fifth Edition

Abstract

Barry Morton and Jeff Ramsay’s new edition of their Historical Dictionary of Botswana brought up to
date, is a marvel, much like its predecessor volumes. It appears now with a different publisher, in a larger
format, with a different type face and different paper. It has a good feel. Anyone interested in this country
has lost their marbles if somehow, they fail to get their hands on it. It is costly, but it is also indispensable.
It is also such a good read. Routinely it should be in all decent libraries and most certainly in all Botswana’s
ministries, the Embassies and High Commissions around the world. Once again, its revised and brought up
to date content is an impressive work of scholarship. The authors explain that the invaluable bibliography
has been greatly expanded. Self-evidently, the knowledge of the country’s overall landscape possessed by
the few editors of these now five volumes is awesome. Nevertheless, there are bound to be small problems.
How could it not be so? But let’s make a start.