The rich history and original culture of the peoples of Africa have long attracted attention in Russia. The first Russian books on Africa appeared as far back as the end of the eighteenth century. Since then about 600 books on Africa, including fundamental monographs, special anthologies, and booklets, have been published in our country; but the new encyclopaedia, Africa, is the first comprehensive reference book on this subject to be produced in the Soviet Union. It has been sponsored by the Africa Institute of the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences and the ‘Sovetskaya Encyclopaedia’ State Scientific Publishing House, with research assistance from several institutes of the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences and other educational and scientific institutions.