The author of this volume died before it was ready for the press. The illustrations had, most fortunately, been carefully prepared, and they are reproduced by chromolithography, so that they are indistinguishable from the originals, except that most of them have been reduced in size. The manuscript was purchased by Miss Lucy C. Lloyd from Mr. Stow's widow, with the intention of having it published, but other work has prevented that lady from bestowing upon it the time and care needed for its arrangement. In 1904 Miss Lloyd, feeling that a work of such importance ought to be placed before the public without further delay, did the author the honour of submitting the manuscript for the inspection and advice as to what should be done in the matter. Miss Lloyd, who is the greatest living authority upon the Bushmen, attested the accuracy of much in Mr. Stow's description of the customs and mode of life of those people, though she doubted whether his division of that race into the two branches of painters and sculptors could be maintained, thinking it probable that this matter was determined by locality and convenience.

This book can be downloaded as a PDF file from here. This file contains the full book ‘THE NATIVE RACES OF SOUTH AFRICA’. Along with that there is a commentary also. The commentary may have its own significance. The commentary does stand on this platform of being a commentary to the book. However, the commentary does not actually confine itself within this boundary. Instead, there is a wider attempt to understand non-English social systems. Attempts can be seen made to mention things that are there in these social systems, about which the native-English world has no information on. In this connection, the native-English mindset as well as social ambience is being compared with the corresponding items in Continental Europe, Asia, South-Asia, Africa, and Arabia as well as in South America &c. The pathway to this has been routed through the internal codes inside the native-languages of these areas. After that, a very quaint mention is being made about how the various social systems all around the world can be brought to a level very serene refinement. This is actually a location of intelligent and purposeful social engineering.

A detailed survey of native music in South Africa by Emeritus Professor P. R. Kirby, who studied the instruments under the guidance of native experts while living among the tribesmen. Firstly, a study of primitive music and secondly, a book of anthropological interest as it adds greatly to the knowledge of the customs of native tribes. It is profusely illustrated by photographs of living subjects, as well as of instruments from his own collection.