For this edition of this book, special thanks are owed to my agent in Mumbai, Sherna Khambatta, for the conviction and enthusiasm with which she worked to find an Indian publisher for it. I’d also like to thank my agent in New York, Jennifer Joel, and the editors Ann Treistman and Christine Duffy, whose support and wisdom were crucial to the success of the original American edition.
Two people whose contributions were indispensable to my understanding of Saharan trade in general and the salt trade in particular are Dr. E. Ann McDougall (professor of history and classics and director of the Middle Eastern and African StudiesProgramme at the University of Alberta) and Dr. Ghislaine Lydon (assistant professor of history at UCLA), both Saharan experts. They provided me with copies of their work, both published and unpublished; took the time to consult with me by phone and e-mail; and turned me on to other sources as essential as they were esoteric, which I likely never would have found on my own. Thanks also to Dr. Susan J. Rasmussen, anthropology professor at the University of Houston, for sending me some of her published work on the Tuareg.
I send a heartfelt shokran to the azalai, the salt miners, and the people of Timbuktu, including historian Sidi Mohammed Ould Youbba, who took time from his busy schedule at the Centre de Recherches Historiques Ahmed Baba to answer my questions about the salt trade, and Jiddou Ag Almoustapha, a Tuareg leader, at whose home I drank many cups of tea while talking about the people and ways of the Sahara.
My deepest thanks go to Walid, Lamana, and Abdi, who opened the doors to a world beyond anything my imagination had conceived. I will never forget them or their kindness, and hope one day to see them again.