Kultuurgeskiedenis van die Afrikaner (3 vols)

Published over a five-year period, the 3 vols achieve a well-matched appearance.

The dustjackets are printed in black on both the faces and spines of matt cream stock. That of Vol I (Deel I) is foxed on both sides with a sunned spine and small chips and tears at the spine-ends. The Deel II and Deel III jackets are unfoxed but their spines are equally sunned, but with less chipping at the spine-ends.

All full-bound in ultramarine cloth-boards, gilt to the spines and black to the upper panels. Small white stain to the top of the lower panel of Deel I, one corner of Deel II lightly rubbed, light white staining over 10% of the centre of the upper panel of Deel III. Otherwise all in clean and bright condition.

The printed brown endpapers to all volumes are unmarked and uncracked, while the versos are sunned. Louis Kotze's ink signatures, dates and different Cape Town addresses are near the front of all three vols, which are otherwise unmarked. All top edges are tinted in gold. Other edges of Vols II/III are lightly foxed.

Vol I. [vii] + 453 pp of text, profusely illustrated in b/w and printed on a smooth white coated stock. No foxing. Upper corners of leaves of last third of book were lightly adhering to one another from damp but have been separated with a paper-knife and are now dry and unstained.

Vol II. [v] + 466 pp of text, profusely illustrated in b/w + 2-fold insert with distribution maps printed on both faces. The stock is less white than that of Vol 1 and many leaves are lightly foxed.

Vol III. [vii] + 534 pp of text, profusely illlustrated in b/w and printed on stock similar to that of Vol I, with no foxing of the leaves.

This thoroughly researched and well-illustrated set remains authoritative up to the end of the first half of the 20th century. The presentation and production are equally good. Sets in such good condition are rarely seen.

[For a different version of similar events over the same half-century, see Lot 297.]