This new fourth edition of the Historical Dictionary of Gabon brings up to date the political affairs of the country, since the accession to power of Ali Bongo, eldest son of Omar Bongo, the former president-for-life, who died in 2009 after the publication of the third edition. Themes of “continuity” and “change” are present throughout the entries, not only as the Bongo family continues its half century of dynastic rule (there are a dozen Bongos in this new edition), but as the rare primeval tropical rainforests continue to dominate the landscape yet are menaced by destructive logging and palm oil plantations, and as this former French colony after independence continues to collaborate with the French African sphere of influence yet seeks new partners from America and Asia (China, Singapore), and as the country’s numerous ethnic groups perpetuate a multicultural mosaic that is nevertheless threatened by globalization of communications and cultural convergence.

This fourth edition of Historical Dictionary of Gabon contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 300 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Gabon.

Douglas A. Yates is a political scientist who teaches at the American Graduate School in Paris and the Université de Cergy-Pontoise, also in France. He is co-author of the third edition of Historical Dictionary of Gabon with David Gardinier he is also the author of The Rentier State in Africa: Oil-Rent Dependency and Neo-Colonialism in the Republic of Gabon (1996), The French Oil Industry and the Corps des Mines in Africa (2009), and The Scramble for African Oil: Oppression, Corruption and War for Control of Africa’s Natural Resources (2012)