THE TRANSVAAL FROM WITHIN (With Fitzpatrick’s own book plate)

516 pages – printed without a title page or other preliminary pages, the text starts at page 1, original green cloth (insect scarred) with no titling other than For Private Circulation in gilt on the upper cover, a few sections towards the end unopened, contents bright. Fitzpatrick’s book plate is laid onto the front free endpaper.

In his South African Memories, London 1932, pages 109 & 111, Fitzpatrick writes, ‘The Transvaal from Within ‘was written from day to day in rough form and almost as a diary, while we were in Pretoria gaol or in the Arcadia Cottage under guard. It was roughly completed up to date by about August, 1896 and I had it printed privately some time after that and intended to circulate it privately among the Reformers and a few of our friends as a memorandum of the facts of the case.’

‘The commuted sentence of banishment (there being no appeal from Presidents Kruger’s own interpretations) decided me not to publish The Transvaal from Within until the three years had expired. In any case I thought no more of it than a diary or Apologia for private circulation among the reformers and intimates. A few of the first print were bound in covers, but without title, for my use and revision – the set type was kept in London for over three years. I have described elsewhere how a copy fell into Milner’s hands, and he advised me to publish the book as soon as possible.’

On page 181 Fitzpatrick writes, ‘Some in 1898, I believe, the proofs having been corrected, a dozen bound copies which bore not title were sent to me…’

This copy comes by descent from his family and is one of the few sent to Fitzpatrick.

The first public edition appeared in September 1899 and eight more impressions were required before the end of that year, the total number of copies sold being over 100,000.

Mendelssohn (Sidney) South African Bibliography ,volume 1, page 549/550, ‘The author was a well-known man in Johannesburg, and had been deeply implicated in the Reform Movement, and was subsequently sentenced to imprisonment, accompanied by fine and banishment; the sentence, however, was commuted on the prisoner agreeing not to mix in the politics of the Republic for three years. Mr. Fitzpatrick employed some of this period of compulsory political silence in writing this volume, which is a comprehensive account of the politics of the Transvaal.’

‘Ample evidence is produced with regard to the bad faith shown by President Kruger as to the terms under which the Reformers laid down their arms; and the publication of the negotiations between Coster, the State Attorney, and Wessels (who undertook the case of the prisoners), in order to procure the plea of guilty on their part, hardly serve to show the former in the light of an honest or truthful advocate. The work is so. full of important matter that it is impossible to give a resume which would not assume too great proportions, but it appears to have met with the approbation of all classes and sections outside the ranks of the extremists, and for all practical purposes it has encountered no detailed and effective answer.’