"Africa's history of publishing is long and multilayered and within these layers is Heinemann's African Writers Series founded in 1962 to nurture indigenous creative writing. This research addresses the contemporary relevance of Heinemann's African Writers Series (AWS) in Nigeria. It examines the current value of the AWS for secondary school students, teachers and retailers, as the examination board in Nigeria continues to recommend the AWS among the prescribed texts for the study and assessment of literature in English. This study is important because these classics represent more than a set of prescribed texts of an academic program for the present-day audience. In fact the AWS is important not only for the history of publishing in Africa but also for teaching African literature. The research approach adopted in this dissertation is qualitative combined with empirical research which was obtained from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The findings from the research identified how the AWS shifted its focus from a general readership market to providing texts for school; it also critically analysed its general relevance on the African literary scene and focused on its enduring significance for secondary school students and teachers of literature in English. In addition, it provides insight into the role of school book retailers as agents of distribution for the authorised AWS texts. The principal conclusions drawn from this study are: the AWS has an enduring legacy. It epitomises historical, cultural, literary and symbolic value for students and teachers and is a pivotal point in the discussions on the culture of publishing in Africa. However, there is need to study the challenges of traditional adherence to canonical lists, to add contemporary voices who address current issues to the prescribed list and resolve the imbalance between demand and supply which affects availability of core texts and encourages piracy." (Abstract)

Thesis of Cardinal Foley Scholarship Fund (CFSF) beneficiary