Book excerpt: Climatology of West Africa presents the first complete overview of West African climate in textbook form. Lucidly illustrated and thoroughly up-to-date, it provides, for the student, a clear synthesis that coherently demonstrates the importance of environmental dependence on climate. The authors' research has been deep and wide-ranging; they have collated material from many hundreds of sources to produce a text which comprehensively describes the climates of the region, explains them in non-technical language, and shows how crucial this knowledge and understanding is to everyday life in West Africa. The book will be of interest to anyone studying West Africa in the context of geography, agriculture, forestry, health, industry and development.