(CROMWELL LIBRARY) John Sarbah Fanti Customary Laws

Sale 2562 - Lot 193

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Estimate: $ 800 - $ 1,200

GIFT FROM ONE FORMERLY ENSLAVED SCHOLAR TO ANOTHER (CROMWELL LIBRARY.) John Sarbah. Fanti Customary Laws. xxiii, [1], 295 pages. 8vo, publisher's gilt cloth, moderate wear, chipping and repairs to backstrip; hinge split after page 64, minimal wear to contents; 3 inscriptions to internal leaves. London: William Clowes and Sons, 1897

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First edition. This book is most notable for its gift inscription, from one highly distinguished man who had risen from slavery to another. John Edward Bruce (1856-1924) was a Pan-Africanist historian who helped Arthur Schomburg found what is now the Schomburg Library. Bruce signed the first preface page and noted the book's purchase from William Clowes & Sons in London on 13 August 1897. On page 1, he added "John W. Cromwell Esq. from his friend Jno. E. Bruce, Aug 25 1897." Cromwell's distinguished granddaughter later signed on the dedication page "Adelaide C. Hill."

Provenance: family of John Wesley Cromwell (1846-1927) through his daughter Otelia Cromwell (1874-1972), a noted literary scholar; granddaughter Adelaide M. Cromwell (1919-2019), an important sociologist.