THE BAKITARA OR BANYORO, The First Part of the Report of the Mackie Ethnological Expedition to Central Africa

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press , 1923. First edition. Illustrated with 62 plates, a folding map of Uganda, and a plan of the Royal Enclosure. 8vo, publisher’s original red cloth, lettered and ruled in gilt with a gilt publisher’s device on the spine, bordered in blind on the upper cover. xvi, 370. A fine copy, clean, fresh and tight. FINELY PRESERVED FIRST EDITION. After spending 25 years as a missionary in Africa, Rev. Roscoe was asked to lead an ethnographic expedition back into the heart of the continent. Under the auspices of the Royal Society and financed by Sir Peter Mackie, Roscoe returned to Central Africa and became the first to write about the customs and lore of the Bakitara tribe, making a vivid record of the culture before a demise caused by Western settlement and influence. Greater awareness of native cultures enabled the European powers ruling Africa to more thoroughly understand the peoples under their control and help institute more effective governments. In this volume, Roscoe examines solely the culture of the Bakitara tribe (which he referred to as the Banyoro) because he considered them “the most important of the tribes examined.” Included are a comprehensive selection of photographs documenting tribal customs. An interesting and enlightening work.