1 Wilhelm J.G. Möhlig and Jekura U. Kavari 2008. Reference Grammar of Herero (Otjiherero). Bantu Languages of Namibia. With a Glossary Otjiherero-English-Otjiherero. Southern African Languages and Cultures, Vol. 3. Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, Köln. 372 pages; 5 Parts – including Glossary and Texts; 12 Chapters; Several Tables and Illustrations; 1 map; Index Amani Lusekelo M., Dar es Salaam University College of Education, Tanzania / Institut für Afrikanistik, Köln <1> First and foremost one should note that the book under review needs to be treated as the leading book for the description of Bantu languages and that other authors, for Bantu languages at least, will get enlightened by this book. The large part of the book contains the description of the grammar of Herero (R30, Guthrie‟s 1967-71), a Bantu Language spoken mainly in Namibia, respectively Angola and Botswana; but there are two chapters, one containing Otjiherero texts and the other containing the glossary of Otjiherero-English-Otjiherero. The cry from linguists and Bantuists for the lack of detailed and well described data for specific Bantu languages has been heard over a century now, and we have been witnessing Bantuists for some decades embarking and continuing to board on a train of analysing and describing Bantu languages to cater for this need. But of recent (within this decade or so), several reference grammar books have been produced, although the exercise cannot claim to have managed half the demands as it needs resources, both human and material, to cater for the grammars of about 500 Bantu languages (Maho 2003; Nurse 2008) scattered over a vast area south of the Sahara desert. The book under review at least reduces the number of Bantu languages to be prescribed in the contemporary outlook. Also, one notices that the grammar books differ significantly with respect to the organization of the materials, content, and tackling of problematic issues like tone, among others. The Reference Grammar of Herero (Otjiherero) has appeared and will become a standard that others should mirror. <2> The book under review is organized, although not explicitly stated in the book, into five major parts, namely (i) phonology and prosody which are covered in chapters 1 to 4; (ii) morphology embraced in chapters 5, 6 and 7; (iii) syntax with five chapters – 8 to12 – covering a good deal of issues patterning word order from basic sentences to complex ones in Herero; (iv) Herero texts follow; and (v) a word list in Herero-English-Herero is given. Although the structuring of the book reflects the traditional chaptering in Bantu – phonology-morphology-syntax – it adds value to its layout as it is structured in a way that the preceding chapters help the reader to follow clearly detailed issues/facts in the following chapters. The main table of contents with pagination and two lists, one of symbols, another of abbreviations used throughout the book are provided (pp. 7-14); as well as each part and/or chapter is provided with a min-table of content with complete pagination. Also, an index provided (pp. 349-353) and the appendices containing mainly tables 1, 2, 3 and 4 showing noun class and agreement patterns as well as tables 5, 6, 7 and 8 containing paradigms of tense and aspect (pp. 375-371) really make the book scientific and a source of data for other interested allies as far as documentation, description and analysis of Bantu languages is concerned. <3> One would judge that the book is a typical eclectic in that it has several faces. On the one hand it is characteristic of a pedagogical reference grammar book because the organization itself reflects that. The definition of terms and description of linguistic issues are quite straightforward, illustrative and instructive all given in simple to grasp English with well filtered terminologies. Afrikanistik online, http://www.afrikanistik-online.de/archiv/2009/1984