Africa south of the Sahara is a land of wide-ranging traditions and varying cultures. Despite the diversity and the lack of early written records, the continent possesses a rich body of folk tales and legends that have been passed down through the strong custom of storytelling and which often share similar elements, characters and ideas between peoples. So this collection offers a hefty selection of legends and tales - stories of the gods, creation and origins, trickster exploits, animal fables and stories which entertain and edify - from `Obatala Creates Mankind', from the Yoruba people of west Africa, to `The Girl Of The Early Race, Who Made Stars', from the San people of southern Africa, all collected in a gorgeous gold-foiled and embossed hardback to treasure.

Flame Tree Studio creates carefully curated collections of new and classic fiction. We Commission new authors, compile new editions, and promote submissions from a wide range of communities in the literary, horror, sci-fi and fantasy readership. Our short story anthologies are designed to be both beautiful and useful, with comprehensive coverage of each theme, from ancient tales and myths to core texts and contemporary fiction. Dr Kwadwo Osei-Nyame, Jnr (DPhil/PhD, Oxford) (foreword) is a lecturer in African literature and culture at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. His interests include African and African diasporic oral literatures and the relationship between literature, performance cultures, human rights, civil liberties and African development. He has published many articles and contributed to many books.