CONTRAST - SOUTH AFRICAN QUARTERLY - THE FIRST 20 ISSUES WITH A FINE PROVENANCE

The first 20 issues of this important South African Literary Journal and by far the longest running periodical of its kind (and ? the first bilingual one), replaced more recently by The New Contrast. The issues on offer run from Contrast 1,Vol. 1, No. 1, Summer 1960 to Contrast 20, Vol. 5, No. 4, March 1969. Although called a Quarterly, the number of issues published per year seem to have varied from 1 to 4. Issue 20 has a 12pp. Index to Vols. 1-5 tipped in at the front.

Contrast provided a wealth of South African literature and was illustrated by prominent South African artists, both on the covers and internally. The numbers contain a veritable feast of South African writing. Importantly, there are several contributions by Ingrid Jonker and then an Obituary to her following her untimely death. We also have contributions by Nadine Gordimer, Athol Fugard, Alan Paton, Stephen Gray, Guy Butler, Mary Renault, Richard Rive, Jan Rabie, Breyten Breytenbach and many others. Fugard's contributions include a 16pp. exerpt from The Blood Knot, his first published play and antedating the book publication hereby a year, and also the 37pp. play The Occupation, in the 1964 issue (possibly unpublished elsewhere). The artists represented by cover art, internal illustrations or features include Irma Stern, Jean Welz, Erik Laubscher, Peter Clarke, Stanley Pinker and many others.

This set is in fine condition and has a fine provenance, coming from the distinguished library of James Hamilton Russell as evidenced by either his neat signature (on a couple of covers or internally on a few copies) or his small well known stamped motif (which appears on most of the books eminating from his library) at the base of a few title pages.

Whilst individual volumes of Contrast are obtainable, a full run of the early volumes in fine condition is unusual.