THE RUINED CITIES OF MASHONALAND

Third Edition: 376 pages, frontispiece, illustrated throughout with photographs, sketches and plans, half brown calf with maroon cloth sides, top edge gilt, other edges uncut, inscription by a previous owner on the half title page, a very good copy. 

The Ruined Cities of Mashonaland documents the first major detailed archaeological excavation of Great Zimbabwe and surrounding stone ruins. While the book holds historical value for its detailed structural descriptions, maps, and artefact recordings, it remains highly controversial due to Bent's Eurocentric bias. Backed by Cecil Rhodes, Bent erroneously concluded that the complex structures were built by a "prehistoric race" of Phoenician or Arabian origin rather than indigenous Africans.

Mendelssohn (Sidney) South African Bibliography, volume 1 page 114, 'Mr. Bent made a careful examination of the remains of the ancient buildings of Mashonaland, and was of the opinion that they were erected by Arabians, a race of North African explorers, whose civilisation must have been of a high order; he expressed great admiration for the beauty, solidity and intricacy of the masonry….The author investigated the habits and industries of the Mashonas, and the work not only deals with Mr. Bent's archaeological researches, but serves as a pioneer book on Mashonaland under the Chartered Company’.