Tertiary sources
 

Since his wife, neither children, nor other family members wrote biographies on Nkrumah his biographers were usually tertiary sources.  These biographers reflected a wide range of ability.  They seldom, however, added to Nkrumah's autobiographical writings choosing usually to repeat only what he himself had stated.  When treading beyond this point the interests and locations of the biographers became apparent.  Some of the tertiary biographers such as B. Davidson (1973), Y. Smertin (1987), and C. Nelson (1985) supported Nkrumah's quest to establish Pan-African agency while it appeared that others such as T. P. Omari (1970) and M. Sherwood (1996) saw his efforts as opportunistic or egomaniacal.  The most recent biography on Nkrumah by D. Birmingham (1998) offers very little in terms of new information and is merely a rehash of other tertiary works.