A History of Modern Ethiopia, 1855–1991: Second Edition (Eastern African Studies)

A well written history book based on facts and extensive resources. Wonderful analysis and presentation.

I read this in preparation for a trip to Addis Ababa. The book is more than a well-written and comprehensive political history. Especially as it approaches the present, the author is clearly reflecting on what he has learned from his experience of Ethiopian dynamics. For a beginner like myself the names and ups and downs of 19th c. Ethiopian events are a bit bewildering, but that itself is probably an accurate picture of the disjointed chaos of the military aristocracy at the time.

Good

In a country as fractious and disunited as Ethiopia, it's easy to fall into the trap of only covering the wars. Zewde has given us a book that covers all classes and ethnicities, and that includes economics and religion; you would have to be quite knowledgeable to not find new material here. There are many good maps and photographs, even though many of the latter are sort of washed out. Zewde's prose is a bit stilted in places, though never stupefyingly so. However, he does have a tendency towards too much detail, which is the main reason for my 4 star rating. It would be really wonderful (though unlikely, in view of his age) if a 3rd edition could do some minor tightening; some digital enhancement of the photos; and (of course!) include some coverage of the last 30 years.

I love this well-researched book and learned a lot.

An excellent survey of modern Ethiopian history, highly recommended for anyone interested in the recent past of this fascinating country.

It was a book that I have been looking for to have a background knowledge on the Ethiopian history.

This is a great book and a must read for all with interest in Ethiopian history. It packs a wealth of knowledge about a vast section of modern Ethiopian history into a medium sized book. Concise and entertaining!

Good writing and quality print. Got it for a research project.

This book has everything that has been written about Ethiopia by many authors. All the facts has been substantiated with photo and real evidence. No wonder the Author Bahru Zewde is taken as reference with regards to the Ethiopian History

It is a good book for those who wants to know about history of Ethiopia in the modern world.

I'm looking forward to reading this. It looks authoritative, comprehensive, and well written. But oh dear, the physical quality.... very poor indeed.