a brilliant contribution to the growing corpus of more-than-human histories of Africa. Integrating humans, animals, microorganisms, sea currents, desert sands, rainfall, harbors, railways, and other nonhumans as agentive forces in the history of the German settler colony of Southwest Africa (now Namibia), Kalb makes major contributionsa master class in writing more-than-human histories of both colonialism and African countries. It deserves the greatest success and the highest praise. H Net
In this compelling portrait of how non-human actorsfrom ocean currents to arid interiors to naval shipwormsthwarted German colonial ambitions, Martin Kalb fills a significant gap in the scholarship about a country and a region of growing international interest to environmentalists and ecotourists. Thomas M. Lekan, University of Southern Carolina
