An economic and political study of the region is West African States edited by John Dunn. It's one of the best books on the topic, and more readable that Douglas Rimmer's systematic, analytical survey of the region, The Economies of West Africa . The Africans is an award-winning book by Pulitzer Prize nominee David Lamb. Low on depth but high on entertainment, Lamb travels to 46 countries, interviewing guerilla leaders and presidents. Lloyd Timberlake's Africa in Crisis is a study of the political and environmental factors of drought and famine.
Special attention is paid to the involvement of western aid organisations.
Travels in West Africa by free-spirit Mary Kingsley was first published in 1897.