OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF STAMP DUTIES OF THE TRANSVAAL & THE GOLD LAW OF THE TRANSVAAL (1907)

"Official Handbook of Stamp Duties of the Transvaal, with Patents, Trade Marks and Company Registration Fees. Revised Second Edition. Along with The Gold Law of the Transvaal. Re-printed by permission from the Report of the Transvaal Chamber of Mines for 1898, with Amendments, Additions and Legal decisions thereon to 31st December, 1906."

Publisher's brown cloth binding with gilt titles to spine.

This book consists of two parts, the first being the Official Handbook of Stamp Duties of the Transvaal, 51pp, followed by The Gold Law of the Transvaal, pages 55-149 + ix (Index to Gold Law). Continuous pagination.

Former copy of Rand Pioneer George Kent with his neat signature, dated 23/5/'07, on the front paste down. Kent was a Johannesburg lawyer who owned claims on the Witwatersrand Gold Fields. He was responsible for the naming of the Johannesburg township Fairview and was President of the Rand Pioneers Association in 1908.

Later signature of F. J. Bashall, also on front paste down, who was an author of articles relating to mining law as well as the editor of Surface Use in Mining Law.

The advertisement leaf before the title page contains a short catalogue of books by the publisher. The titles relate almost exclusively to the mining industry i.e. register books, mining regulations, mining laws etc. but there is also a book on how to speak Chinese. This was essential in the early days on the gold fields as a good deal of labour was imported from China. Another curious title is Jiu-Jitsu Simplified - a most essential skill to have on the Johannesburg gold fields when claim jumping was commonplace.

Book is in very fine condition with tight, solid binding and clean pages.

SABIB records a single copy in South African libraries (See: Vol. IV, page 531). Scarce!