Die Afrikaanse Almanak

Contents clean. Lacking the original wraps so the book starts on page iii. 104pp. Some light paper loss at the top corner of the initial pages. xx (adverts) + 104pp.

A highly important early Afrikaans language publication. In the last quarter of the 19th century there was growing concern among the descendants of the original Dutch settlers that the English government at the Cape was succeeding in implementing its policy of anglicization. One group felt that the Dutch language should be reinstated as an official language. The Society of True Afrikaners, on the other hand, knew that restoring Dutch to the Cape was impossible and that propaganda should rather be made to elevate Afrikaans or, "Cape Dutch", as it was called, to official status. On the 14th of August, 1875, the society made the historic decision that a newspaper in the Afrikaans language should be launched. This newspaper was called "Die Patriot", the most important publication of the First Afrikaans Language Movement. The second most important publication was "Die Afrikaanse Almanak", a yearly publication containing important meteorological information, historic events of the past year, news, advertisements etc., all in Afrikaans. This copy is from the year 1896.