The St George Gallery Book Nook – New, Used, and Unusual Books about Ethiopia
St George Gallery is proud to include a Book Nook – a unique collection of new, used, and old books on or about Ethiopia.
Over the centuries, there have been a surprising number of books written about Ethiopia. The first books were by European travelers and of these probably the very first was Father Alvarez’s Authentic Report on the Land of Prester John published in 1540 on his return to Europe after 6 years in Ethiopia. Although an original of this book are almost impossible to find and cost thousands of dollars, reprints of this book and many other old books about Ethiopia are now available from such publishers as the Hakluyt Society, Kessinger Publishing, and Bibliolife.
In addition to anthropology, autobiographies as well as biographies of Haile Selassie, Orde Wingate, and Evelyn Waugh, the St George Ethiopia book collection feature a large selection of books on Ethiopian art, architecture and culture. Included in this section are three books on Ethiopian crosses (two new books and one from 1973) and several books on Ethiopian churches. Many of these books are lavishly illustrated with numerous photos and drawings of ancient churches, manuscripts and icons and all show a deep appreciation of Ethiopia’s rich and varied culture.
There are also children’s books, including books for pre-schoolers and young adults. All these books are set in Ethiopia or have Ethiopian themes. For adults there is a wide range of novels, including Evelyn Waugh’s classic novel, Scoop and the new novel in the Flashman series, Flashman on the March, covering the battle of Magdala. There are also several novels by Wilbur Smith. For travelers to Ethiopia, the Book Nook has several guidebooks on Ethiopia in general as well as specific guidebooks on Addis Ababa, Lalibella, and Harar.
Books covering Ethiopia’s long, varied and often turbulent history include Paul Heinze’s Layers of Time, Alan Morrehead’s The Blue Nile and The White Nile, and Anthony Mockler’s Haile Selassie’s War and many more.
There are also cookbooks, books on Ethiopia’s flora and fauna, several first editions and a few rare books including a “one-of-a-kind” compilation of photocopies of all articles in the London Times from 1938 to 1945. This book includes approximately 1000 articles from this very important period in Ethiopia’s modern history.
The Book Nook also includes a selection of three different sets of Greeting Cards. These Card Sets are available at the St George internet shop and include cards featuring 12 different headrests and 12 cards of antique Ethiopia Silver Neck Crosses (see Headrest page and the Cross page to view many of the headrests and crosses featured in these cards). We also have a unique set of 12 cards of Ethiopian birds and mammals taken from the 1930 publication by the Field Museum of Natural History of Louis Agassiz Fuertes’ Abyssinian Birds and Mammals. The original lithographs from this publication are also available for sale at both the Alexandria and the Addis Ababa Gallery.
Please visit our unique collection books and see all we have to offer.
“[Saba Alene]… popularized Ethiopian culture in different part of the world”. - World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Special Gold Medal Award Certificate