[Twi songbook] Kristofo asafo a wowo Akuapem Tyi-dyom-nhoma. Hymnbook for the Christian Church in the Akuapem Country, in the Otji Language. Compiled

8°. 328 p. Original cloth, gilt spine title and ornaments. In almost fine condition; old private library stamp on title, ink number on first flyleaf. *** One of the first texts published in the Twi language. Christaller was a missionary of the Basel Missionary Society specially tasked with linguistic work. While he spend some time in Switzerland for health reasons, he oversaw the publication of the first books entirely written in Twi. (Anton Riis had in 1854 published his grammar and vocabulary of the Twi language, which of course contains much material.) Christaller was the first to realise the tonal nature of Twi and to adequately transform the language into written form. In 1859, he published (in two separate volumes) his translations of the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles and this hymnbook, many of whose songs continue to be used in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. While most of the hymns are Christaller's translations of German or English songs (not always hymns), some have also been written as Twi songs by local parishioners. *** Exceedingly rare. I was only able to trace two copies in libraries worldwide (Stuttgart and Munich), none on the market.