West African Folk Tales collected by Florence M. Cronise & Henry W. Ward.
Original red cloth, spine lettered in gilt, gilt-stamped vignette and gilt title to front cover.
330pp. With numerous black & white illustrations by Gerald Sichel.
A near fine copy with short xmas gift inscription on front endpaper dated 1904.
'Other than a few sporadic printings of individual tales, this is the first printed collection of West African folk tales, with multiple appearances of Anansi, here rendered as "Mr. Spider". The authors, who collected the stories from children in a mission school in Africa, preserve the tales in the West African dialect, and assert in their preface that they have modified neither the spirit nor the content of the stories. They decry other missionaries who view folk tales as heathen superstition to be obliterated, and assert the importance and value of the tales in understanding the natives. However, the authors also note that they have not recorded any of the tales that "the missionary would not care to hear" and that the recorded tales only represent "the better, purer part" of West African life. Although one must question what was thereby censored, it is still the case that this scarce volume has preserved many tales which would have otherwise been lost forever.'
- Binding Condition: Very Good
- Overall Condition: Very Good
