In Search of Salt

An American diplomat, who was posted in Cameroon for several years, Frederick Quinn (1935-2022) held higher academic degrees in history and African Studies and published widely on Africa. His Democracy at Dawn: Notes from Poland and Points East was named a TLS International Book of the Year.

• IntroductionChapter 1. Traditional Beti SocietyChapter 2. Social Organization and the Sso RiteChapter 3. “In the Time of Major Dominik”: The Beti and the Germans, 1887–1916Chapter 4. The German Presence: Traders and MissionariesChapter 5. The Beti and the FrenchChapter 6. Times of Expansion: The Inland Railroad, Cocoa Production, the Catholic ChurchChapter 7. The Beti from World War II to IndependenceConclusionAppendix I: Traditional Beti LiteratureAppendix II: Aspects of Traditional Beti Society, by Abbé Theodore TsalaAppendix III: English Translation of Appendix IIAnnexAbbia Stones, by Frederick QuinnEight Beti Stones, by Frederick QuinnBibliographyIndex

“The first quality that captivates the reader of this unusual book on a segmentary society in confrontation with colonial modernity is the particularly meticulous identification of the sources…it…opens access to the life and words of prominent and brilliant Beti men who struggled, in their own day, with their own questions and answers.”  ·  Journal of African History