Wright emphasizes how a steady widening of Niumi's world and its relationships with world systems over the last seven or eight centuries has affected the lives of people living there. In addition to covering the standard elements of economic, social, and political history, he has incorporated newer concerns in world and African history such as transnational and cross-cultural influences, environmental and biological issues, matters pertaining to women, and the effects of globalization on the world's poor. The first edition appeared in 1997; the second benefits from his 2003 visit to the region.