The century-long study of Ethio-Eritrean tradition has never been crowned with such an objective, scientific definition as in Guardians of the Tradition. James De Lorenzi, a scholar teaching at CUNY, a prominent US university, conducted several years of intensive research in libraries and archives in various countries in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States to produce this important study. With his obviously extensive reading of historiography in Egypt, India, and Nigeria, as well as several other countries, he has placed his theme within a global context. He compares Ethio-Eritrean instances to those of other African and Asian cultures. It was this method of historical research that led him to limit his research project to the Ethio-Eritrean tradition whose richness and time-depth obviously attracted his attention.

After surveying the Ethio-Eritrean tradition from the Aksumite period to the nineteenth century, the author concentrates on the years 1884–1935. Actually this is a political period in history beginning with the scramble for Africa and ending with the Fascist Italian invasion of Ethiopia. But according to the author's findings, it was also a period of historiography or even literature. The introduction of printing in northeast Africa, the production of numerous books in different vernaculars, the establishment of modern institutions of learning, and the frequent visits of foreign researchers to the region all led to a change and modification in the Ethio-Eritrean society.

An important aspect of the book is the analysis of the collaborations of Western and local scholars that formed the basis of Western Ethio-Eritrean studies. De Lorenzi suggests that optimal academic results are achieved in collaboration on the basis of mutual respect (as in the case of Littmann and Näffáe, 130–2). However, with few exceptions, Western scholars did not appreciate their African colleagues as equals and, in fact, did not mention them in their publications, except as ‘informants’.

Likewise, Ethio-Eritrean writers showed mixed reactions to the influx of Western historiography. In the early stage, they began to adopt some Western research methods and ideas. Their catalogue style was, for example, adopted in a compilation of the 1920s which, unusually, included titles of books written by foreigners. But when the political situation deteriorated and some of the well-known writers were seen in military uniform, the Ethio-Eritreans began to regard Western colleagues with suspicion. Since then, mutual contact waned and Ethio-Eritrean writings were separated into two different camps.

The book is arranged in six chapters, three of which bear the names of the Ethio-Eritrean pioneers: Blatengeta Heruy Wäldä Sellasé, a prolific writer; Gäbrä Krestos Täklä Haymanot, a missionary-educated journalist and writer; and, Gäbrä Mika’él Germu, a newspaper editor and author. Several others are described either in connection with these and/or in the introductory chapter and the last chapter entitled ‘The Triumph of Historicism?’. A table of contents and a preface as well as an extensive conclusion, bibliography, and index facilitate access to the excellent text.

If one looks for an error, one may possibly find it in the preface. Right at the beginning, the author declares that he adopted the transliteration system of the Encyclopaedia Aethiopica. Therefore, it is difficult to understand why he switches away from Encyclopaedia Aethiopica when finding a name or rather an abbreviation for the Ethiopian calendar. He chooses E.C. for ‘Ethiopian Calendar’, which is rather confusing as Encyclopaedia Aethiopica uses an Ethiopian term (‘Amete-Mihret’, the equivalent of ‘Year of Mercy’, abbreviated A.M.).

However, this by no means diminishes the value of this innovative publication. The book is evidence of Dr De Lorenzi's impressive accuracy and reliability and shows remarkable insight into a complicated and sensitive problem at the very basis of Ethio-Eritrean studies, for which contribution scholars will be grateful.