Reviews

"From the historians' viewpoint, this book is a gold mine whose contents, when sifted and pruned, give serviceable facts pertaining to people, regions and institutions. The private letters, which make the core of the work, are usually more candid and genuine than the selective and carefully phrased official documents. Without these letters, we would hardly have known much about the numerous individuals and exigencies involved in the Anglo-Ethiopian Blue Nile project as well as the secondary events which occurred around the Red Sea." Dr. Bairu Tafla, Professor of History at University of Hamburg "This is a most valuable resource for scholars interested in the study of post-Menelik Ethiopia. Major Pearson's letters and reports as well as the supplementary documents from the Foreign Office included in this book are much needed addition to the sources on this crucial period in Ethiopian history. Major Pearson's visit to Ethiopia in the second decade of the Twentieth century occurred in the midst of the First World War - an event that had significant implications on how Ethiopia was perceived by the major European powers. This was also a period of profound political turmoil and confusion in the country. Pearson's letters are related to his mission to survey the Tana water, but the accompanying reports and documents provide illuminating information on a wide variety of issues relating to Ethiopia. The editors of Letters from Abyssinia should be commended not only for bringing Pearson's letters and reports together, but for the meticulous work they have done to place these sources in context and to provide the supplementary sources obtained from the British Foreign Office." Dr. Shumet Sishagne, Associate Professor and Chair of the History Department, Christopher Newport University"