- Paperback: 740 pages
- Publisher: CSS (December 1997)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 978322929X
- ISBN-13: 978-9783229297
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 14.7 x 4.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 821 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,769,466 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
First published in 1921, and cited on the Africa's Best 100 Books List, this is a standard work on the history of theYorubas from the earliest times to the beginning of the British Protectorate. The first part of the book discusses the people, theircountry and language, religion, government, land law, manners and customs. The second part is divided into four periods, dealing first with mytheological kings and deified heroes; with the growth, prosperity and oppression of the Yoruba people; the time of revolutionary wars and disruption; and, finally, the arrest of disintegration, inter-tribal wars, and the coming of the British. There are two appendices, on dealing with treaties and agreements, the other giving tables of Yoruba kings, rulers, and chiefs. The book also includes an index and map of the Yoruba country.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
ONE OF MY PERSONAL FAVORITE BOOKS OF ALL TIME
Nov 23 2003
Format:Paperback
Being of Yoruba blood, and ever eager to learn more about the history and culture of my people than I know already, THE HISTORY OF THE YORUBAS is of extreme importance to me (my dad gave me my copy when I was only eleven). It has a lot of information: marriage customs, lessons in Yoruba grammer, the pantheon of gods, the history and origins of the several Yoruba peoples, stories and legends, the rise and fall of the Oyo Empire, legendary kings and warriors...name it. It is perhaps the most comprehensive account of the Yoruba people in the pre-colonial days; Samuel Johnson, the Yoruba author of the book, wrote with tremendous detail. Any avid reader of Yoruba history--or West African history for that matter--would find this book not only highly informative, but very entertaining.
Ayo Sotunbo's Review
Oct 29 2003
Format:Paperback
Any student of political history will be forced to acknowlege the explicit and almost accurate records collected by Samuel Johnson in this book. The book has a vivid picture of a generation of Yoruba Nationhood within Nigerian Nationality, prior to the British invation and colonalization of Nigeria, Yoruba had been a Nation with an institutionalized government and there is no better place to understand and assess this form of government except in this book, the book is a bag of history, politics and culture of a nation called The Yorubas, it is one of the best book to describe the politics of government in which history defines the terms and culture of power dictates the order.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
7 reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
A classic work
Dec 16 2007
Format:Paperback
The author of this classic work is not to be confused with Samuel Johnson (1709-84), the English essayist, poet, and lexicographer usually known as "Dr Johnson". This Samuel Johnson (1846-1901) was an Anglican vicar of African descent. He was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, but spent his adult life in Nigeria. His peace-efforts in the 1870s contributed to the eventual end of the Yoruba wars in 1886.
In 1880 Samuel Johnson became a deacon and was ordained a vicar in 1888. Claiming Yoruba ancestry, he was concerned that his people were losing their own history and completed the original manuscript of his history of the Yoruba people from his notes in 1897. Whether by accident or design, this completed manuscript was sadly lost. However, after his death, his brother, Dr Obadiah Johnson, produced this work from his notes. It was at last published in 1921. Unfortunately, Obadiah died in 1920 so neither he nor Samuel saw the finished product.
It remains a key resource for the understanding of Yoruba history.
In 1880 Samuel Johnson became a deacon and was ordained a vicar in 1888. Claiming Yoruba ancestry, he was concerned that his people were losing their own history and completed the original manuscript of his history of the Yoruba people from his notes in 1897. Whether by accident or design, this completed manuscript was sadly lost. However, after his death, his brother, Dr Obadiah Johnson, produced this work from his notes. It was at last published in 1921. Unfortunately, Obadiah died in 1920 so neither he nor Samuel saw the finished product.
It remains a key resource for the understanding of Yoruba history.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Ayo Sotunbo's Review
Oct 29 2003
Format:Paperback
Any student of political history will be forced to acknowlege the explicit and almost accurate records collected by Samuel Johnson in this book. The book has a vivid picture of a generation of Yoruba Nationhood within Nigerian Nationality, prior to the British invation and colonalization of Nigeria, Yoruba had been a Nation with an institutionalized government and there is no better place to understand and assess this form of government except in this book, the book is a bag of history, politics and culture of a nation called The Yorubas, it is one of the best book to describe the politics of government in which history defines the terms and culture of power dictates the order.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Yoruba History
Dec 10 2004
Format:Paperback
I remember reading this book when I was in secondary school over 25 years ago and I can still recall how amazed I was to discover that we Yorubas had organized govermental inititutions. I found out why we as a people are so defragmented, the origin of the Yoruba people and different tribes, the power and might of various tribal empires. I don't think there is another book that has this amount of detail regarding the Yoruba people. Now I need a copy for my library and is now difficult to get hold of.
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