Published in 1950, this is the second English edition of Carl Christian Reindorf’s (1834-1817) history of Ghana. Edited by his son Charles Elias Reindorf (1877-1968), the book describes the history of the various states that occupied territory in the country from antiquity to the nineteenth century.

Originally written in Ga, one of the indigenous languages of Ghana, and first published in 1889, the book is a significant work on the history of Ghana and was written following an extensive research process in which Reindorf used both written and oral histories, interviewing more than two hundred people in the process. In his preface Reindorf stated that the book was written because there was a need for the history of the country to be written by a Ghanaian who was conscious of the traditions and customs in Ghana.

This copy was presented to Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent on the independence of Ghana in March 1957. Marina had travelled to the country to act as the representative of Queen Elizabeth II at the event.