Early Nineteenth Century Architecture in South Africa. A Study of the Interaction of Two Cultures 1795-1837

4to; pale blue rexine, lettered in gilt on spine, and with gilt device to upper cover; pictorial dustwrapper; pp. x + (ii) + 451, incl. index; liberally illustrated with photographs, line drawings, plans, and reproductions of contemporary artwork, incl. colour plates; errata leaf loosely inserted. Dustwrapper rubbed, edgeworn and water-damaged; boards a little bowed and backstrip splayed at head, suggestive of past exposure to damp; endpapers, outer leaves and edges rather foxed, some spotting elsewhere. Fair externally; good internally. "The book is designed for the general reader, yet, with its authoritative notes and thorough documentation, it will appeal equally to the serious scholar. It is likely to remain the standard work on the subject for many years. Prefaced by a brief account of eighteenth century architecture at the Cape, the main body of the work is a detailed study of the buildings over the whole period from 1795 to 1837, fully illustrated in colour, half-tone and line. The book includes, in addition, a discussion of the major trends which have characterized architectural development in South Africa, a description of the interaction of the architectures of the English and the Dutch, analyses of the sources of various foreign stylistic influences, and accounts of the impact of the European Industrial Revolution and of the transition to Victorian. ... Not the least important aspect of this work is that it brings to the attention of the public for the first time the full wealth of the architecture of the 1820 Settlers. In countryside and village this exposed community built for themselves, in the face of flood, famine and brutal attack, an architecture of amazing quality and permanence, ranging from tiny half-timbered cottages to fortified manor houses and elegant Regency mansions."