Lot 382
Burton, Richard F.
Rare Books, Maps, Manuscripts & Photographs
Auction: 16 January 2013 at 10:00 GMT
Description
Wit and wisdom from West Africa... London: Tinsley Brothers, 1865. First edition, 8vo, red half calf, spine gilt, t.e.g., slight fading and rubbing to spine and corners, light spotting to endpapers, page edges a little dust-soiled, some pages uncut
Footnote
Note: Burton's work contains over two thousand proverbs and sayings of various West African peoples from 1865, accompanied by literal English translations and an explanation of what many of the metaphors relate to. Burton seeks to show the richness of West African languages and writes that the proverbs which exist: "...may go a long way to refuting the old-fashioned doctrine of an essential inequality of Negroes with the rest of mankind, which now and then shows itself, not only in America, but also in Europe..." [preface, xvi]