A history of Ethiopia

The object of this book is to present to the general public an accurate and comprehensive account of the history of Abyssinia within a moderate compass. Part one deals with the origins of Abyssinia, mythical and historical, its evangelization, and its contacts within the Roman Empire. Part two covers the dark age when Abyssinia was cut off from the rest of Christendom by the rise of Islam. Part three describes the discovery of "the kingdom of Prester John" by the Portuguese early in the 16th century, and the attempt of the Jesuits to convert the country to the Catholic faith. Part four covers the second period of isolation which followed the expulsion of the Jesuits down to the collapse of the monarchy at the end of the 18th century. These four parts are contributed by Mr. A. H. M. Jones. In part five Miss Elizabeth Monroe describes the resurrection of the kingdom in the 19th century and its relations with the European powers which occupied the neighboring lands and endeavored to establish themselves in Abyssinia itself. The dispute with Italy, which, whatever its outcome, clearly marks the opening of a new chapter in Abyssinian history, is separately treated by Miss Monroe in part six. - Preface.