THE SPHERE, Illustrated Newspaper.

A bound volume containing  issues, Volume I, Number 7,8,10, 11, 12 & 16 – March 10, 1900 to May 12, 1900.  Each issue of about 30 pages & several pages of commercial advertisement. Bound in brown cloth titled gilt on the spine.

Each issue is devoted largely to news of the War and is profusely illustrated with photographs and painting and sketches by war artists. There are several double-page plates of battle scenes and a very large fold-out panorama, 1045 x 410 mm, of THE DISASTER TO BROADWOOD’S FORCE AT KROON SPRUIT ON MARCH 31: HOW Q BATTERY, ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY, WHEELED INTO ACTION UNDER A TERRIFIC BOER FIRE TO SAVE THE CONVOY. Sketch by Special Artist, Mr. W.B. Wollen, R.I., who is attached to the Commander-in-Chief’s Army. Drawn by Sidney Paget.

Part of an article on leaf 499/500 has been excised leaving a hole in the page, otherwise the contents which are printed on good quality coated paper are bright.

‘The Sphere made a late entry onto the scene in January 1900, the last of the ‘Big Four’ British illustrated periodicals that were to depict the War in all its detail. By the last quarter of 1899 were predicting that the ‘Transvaal Crisis’ would not be resolved peacefully an were busily engaging and despatching ‘special’ artists to South Africa.’ (Greenwall, 'Artists & Illustrators of the Anglo-Boer War', page 19).