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Rating: 
Summary: Poor book
Review: Dear Sirs,When I have ordered the book I thought it will be excellent sourse for me before studing some particular topic. But I was disapointed when I read it from the very begining. It is simply poor. African architecture is very rich. It is hard to imagine how the author could write such a poor book. Photos are also not very good. Everyone who understand and can "read" arcitecture would write that there is not enough information even on the subjects which are described in the book. I would say this book should cost less.
Rating: 
Summary: A book that needs to be written better
Review: Elleh's effort is well-worthy of praise for its scope, but lacks in scholarly quality. Her triple-heritage theory is interesting but poorly-applied in many instances throughout the book, especially because of the broad timeline the book attempts to address. The images are marvelous, and inclusive, though some are incongrous to the articles they accompany. This is a very basic book, good for a coffee table or an introductory course on the subject, but one I could not recommend for the more serious scholar.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: I thought the book was very well written and I also think Nnamdi (also known as Daler Medley) is a very good professor. I had him for an Art History class at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and he certainly helped me have a greater appreciation for African Art. I strongly recommend this book if you are interested in African Art. He always stressed that it is not what kind of letter grade you get in the class, but rather what you get out of the class as a whole. I completely agree with this comment, and it's because of his style, and passion towards art as to why I have such a great interest in art today.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: I thought the book was very well written and I also think Nnamdi (also known as Daler Medley) is a very good professor. I had him for an Art History class at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and he certainly helped me have a greater appreciation for African Art. I strongly recommend this book if you are interested in African Art. He always stressed that it is not what kind of letter grade you get in the class, but rather what you get out of the class as a whole. I completely agree with this comment, and it's because of his style, and passion towards art as to why I have such a great interest in art today.
Rating:
Summary: A very necessary book for Architectural academia.
Review: This book moves vernacular architecture from the backwaters of academia to the vangard. I was impressed by the authors academic and 'open' style. He has given the architectural student and professional population the opportunity to both explore African architecture and their own perhaps jaundiced view of the region. Everyone should come out a winner after reading this book. I say give me more!
Rating:
Summary: Good content but poorly written
Review: This book was a noble effort to shed light on a subject that most people know nothing about, but it misses the mark in literary style. In other words, it would be nice to have for reference, but it's nearly impossible to read. The style is akin to what I'd expect from a high school student writing a research paper. Elleh's triple heritage theory (traditional, Islamic and colonial influences on African styles) appears throughout the book, but never is it defended clearly and cohesively. I'd like to see this book re-written and professionally edited. With the amount of research that Elleh put into this work, the potential is there for a truly great book.
Rating:
Summary: An architectural tour de force
Review: This is a book that is well worth buying, whether you are an undergrad or a professor in Architecture, art, design anthopology or history. I will be using this book as a reference book. I wish this book was around fifteen years ago when I was studying architecture. I say, three cheers to the author.
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