In this account, first published in 1896, the clergyman, linguist and traveller Charles Henry Robinson recalls his pioneering fieldwork among the Hausa people of West Africa. Challenging perceptions of them as a warlike race, he argues that they are primarily a trading community, excelling in a variety of commercial endeavours.

This 1896 publication describes the culture, language and industry of the Hausa people of West Africa, observed at first hand.