David Birmingham's first book, on the Portuguese conquest of Angola, was published by Oxford University Press in 1965. Since then he has written a dozen other works, including the Cambridge History of Portugal, and edited the three-volume History of Central Africa, with Phyllis Martin. He taught in African universities and at SOAS before being appointed to the chair of modern history at the University of Kent.

"This is a fabulous book, an inspiring work of scholarship that reflects the author's deep engagement with Angola for over half a century. With humour and literary skill, Birmingham condenses several hundred years of compelling history without skipping detail. By the end, you begin to understand why contemporary Angola is like it is." -- Lara Pawson, author of In the Name of the People: Angola's Forgotten Massacre

"This is an exciting excursion through Angola's past conducted by its most authoritative historian. Already in colonial times as rich as French West Africa and today perhaps the most dynamic economy in Africa, Angola is described through the writings of travellers and the experiences of its people, with no attempt to disguise the traumas inflicted on them by colonial rulers, dictators and warlords." -- Malyn Newitt, Professor of History in the Department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies, King's College London

"Angola is now a key player and power-broker across Africa, and so an understanding of the unique historical forces that have shaped it is more important than ever. There are few outsiders who know the country better than David Birmingham, and he has written a timely and incredibly readable book on this rising power. His great knowledge and insight shines through on every page with vignettes and description which tell the tortured story of Angola's rise to nationhood." -- Toby Green, Lecturer in Lusophone African History and Culture, King's College London and editor of Guinea-Bissau: Micro-State to "Narco-State"