Rhodesia Past & Present

London, William Heinemann, 1897. 1st Edition. Very good original brown cloth gilt covers with gilt ox waggon to the front board and gilt titles to spine. Reference Nos to bottom of the spine. Internally very good with a frontis picture and numerous other black and white ills. Ex- War Office stamp to title page. No other markings. The scarce first edition.

"Du Toit's journey to Rhodesia began in July 1894 when he travelled from Paarl by rail to Vryburg, spending the next 3 months journeying by ox-cart across Rhodesia. On reaching Umtali he went down to Chimoio and thence by rail and tug to Beira where he caught a boat to Port Elizabeth, completing his journey home by rail".

The purpose of Du Toit's series of firsthand observer 'sketches' was to report progress on Rhodesia - then only four years old - to the South African public. Little escaped his notice and his comments on travel, agricultural opportunities, flora and fauna, the early settlers (with particular reference to Afrikaners), mining prospects, the first urban settlements, African tribal life, and Rhodes's new telegraph and railway, make fascinating reading.