ROBERT BROOM COMMEMORATIVE VOLUME (1948) FINDING THE MISSING LINK (1950) OUR PREHISTORIC ANCESTORS (1926)

1.) SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA. ROBERT BROOM COMMEMORATIVE VOLUME - edited by Alex L. du Toit

First edition published by the Society, Cape Town, 1948.

v + 257pp. Illustrated. Contents clean. Binding solid. A very good copy.

Robert Broom made a series of spectacular finds in and around the Sterkfontein caves. This region north-west of Johannesburg is known today as The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site because of its importance as a site for the study of early homonin fossils. His finds in the cave included fragments from six homonins which he called Pleisianthropus Transvaalensis, popularly known as Mrs. Ples.

At Swartkrans in 1948 Broom made his most famous discovery, that of a fossilized homonin skull with a robust appearance. It had a bulging and continuous brow, a broad flat face and deep jaw with large chewing teeth. This early homonin was estimated to be about 1.8 million years old. He named the genus Paranthopus robustus.

Before his discoveries that made him world-famous he worked as a professor of geology and paleontology at the University of Stellenbosch, but was later forced out of this position for promoting the belief in evolution.

2.) FINDING THE MISSING LINK - an account of recent discoveries throwing new light on the origin of man by Robert Broom

First edition published by Watts & Co., London, 1950.

Publisher's red cloth binding with gilt titles on spine. Former owner's signature "Leonard Myers, 1954" on front paste down. Presumably Leonard Myers was Robert Broom's son. There is also a small pencil annotation on page 53 in Myers' hand.

Book and jacket still in very good condition.

'In this work Dr. Robert Broom surveys the earlier progress made by other scientists, and deals specifically with the more recent discovery of the Taungs, Kromdraai, and Sterkfontein ape-men. Dr. Broom himself was personally concerned with the actual discovery of the Kromdraai and Sterkfontein fragments. He also describes cognate discoveries he has made since 1947, the importance of which he develops at some length.'

3.) OUR PREHISTORIC ANCESTORS The Story of Man's Evolution to the End of the Old Stone Age by Dorothy Davison

First edition published by Methuen and Co., London, 1926.

A very good copy still its original dust jacket which has remained in very good condition.

Publisher's brown cloth binding with titles blind stamped on front panel and gilt titles on spine.

xiv + 208pp. Illustrated.

Includes a chapter on Rhodesian Man and also mentions the Taung skull which at the time was only recently discovered.