Short-listed for the Oklahoma Book Awards, 2013

Timbuktu: the African city known to legend as a land of scholars, splendour and mystery, a golden age in the Sahara Desert. But to many it is a vaguely recognizable name. With this fabled city as his goal, author Rick Antonson began a month-long trek. His initial plan? To get a haircut.

Rick narrates the history of this elusive destination through the teachings of his Malian guide Zak, and encounters with stranded tourists, a camel owner, a riverboat captain, and the people who call Timbuktu home.

The second edition of this important book outlines the volatile political situations in Timbuktu following the spring 2012 military coup in Mali and the subsequent capture of the city by Islamic extremists. Literally, it is a race against time to save the city's irreplaceable artifacts, mosques, and monuments, and to understand why Timbuktu's past is essential to the future of Africa.