Product Description
Published in 1964 by William Morrow, Nigerian Pioneer is Ronald Syme's engaging biographical study of Mary Slessor (1848-1915), the Scottish missionary and humanitarian whose work in Calabar and the Cross River region left a lasting imprint on West African history. Written for an informed juvenile and general readership, the book balances narrative clarity with historical seriousness, situating Slessor's life within the cultural and colonial complexities of late-19th-century Nigeria. This first edition is illustrated throughout by Jacqueline Tomes, whose expressive black-and-white drawings and maps - including a striking endpaper map of the Niger Delta and Calabar region - add strong visual context and period character. The title page confirms publication in 1964, with copyright and Library of Congress data consistent with first-issue copies. The present copy is in Near Fine condition, with clean, bright pages, no markings or inscriptions, and a tight, square spine that suggests little to no reading. The original dust jacket is also Near Fine, showing only minimal edge wear and remaining crisp and unfaded - an uncommon survival for this Morrow Junior Books title. Ronald Syme was a respected mid-20th-century biographer known for accessible, well-researched historical narratives for younger readers, while Jacqueline Tomes contributed illustrations to several notable children's history titles of the period. Together, they produced a work that remains appealing to collectors of African history, missionary biography, and illustrated mid-century children's nonfiction.
![[First Edition] Nigerian Pioneer (1964) Ronald Syme NF/NF Mary Slessor Biography Ronald Syme [Used - Near fine] [Hardcover]](https://r.kelkoo.com/resize.php?country=ca&merchantId=100567270&categoryId=5101&trackingId=96985762&width=auto&height=auto&image=https%3A%2F%2Fpictures.abebooks.com%2Finventory%2F32379653203.jpg&sign=CpRNV1RuNAS_NotvcXhEI854nLWDiGFSPipu96XJtSk-)
