A Reliable Account of the Coast of Guinea (1760) - Paperback

This is the first complete English translation of Ludewig Ferdinand R mer's sensitive account of the Gold Coast (present-day Ghana) in the mid-eighteenth century. A vital resource on the history of West Africa, R mer's work offers rich descriptions of African societies, trading practices with Europe, and religion. Ludewig Ferdinand R mer was employed in West Africa from 1739 to 1749 by the Danish West India and Guinea Company. He published two books about the Gold Coast, a short one in 1756, and then his more substantial A Reliable Account of the Coast of Guinea in 1760. R mer deals with the operation of the various European trading companies, and discusses the African-European relations that he had witnessed. But the real value of his work lies in his descriptions of the local context-the African traders and customers, their societies, practices and religion. And he was much interested in African history, particularly from oral traditions. This edition (principally of R mer's 1760 text, but drawing on his 1756 volume too) makes available an uncommon source for the history of West Africa. This edition of R mer's volume was runner-up for the African Studies Association's Texts Prize, 2001.