VAN RIEBEECK SOCIETY – FIRST SERIES – COMPLETE SET. (With the variant volumes)

A complete set of the First Series, 50 volumes in the original light grey cloth as published by the Society, plus 3 extra variants of volume 2 and one of volume 14. The volumes are mostly historical, biographical or deal with colonial issues, travel, exploration, big game hunting, administration, frontier wars, native tribes, etc. The set is in good condition, with spotting on the edges of several volumes.

This set belonged to Frank Bradlow.

Included with the set: Bradlow (Frank) THE VAN RIEBEECK SOCIETY 1918 - 1978

Hosken (F.W.) A catalogue of books on Africa mainly south of the equator, pages 207/208, lists the complete set, with all titles in numerical order (including some variants of volume 2).

Varley (D.H.) An account of the Van Riebeeck Society in the Quarterly Bulletin of the South African Library vol 3 no 4 January 1949 page 119.‘The second volume, a translation of Mentzel's life at the Cape in the mid-eighteenth century was also printed in 500 copies.’

Bradlow ( Frank R.) The Van Riebeeck Society 1918 -1978. The first volume, containing the Reports of de Chavonnes and his Council has long been a collector's piece. 500 copies of this first volume were printed, although at the time there were only 54 members.’

Volumes 3,4, and 5 were published in editions of 750 each. By 1926 the Society felt bold enough to publish 1,000 copies of the Diary of Rev. Francis Owen. From then on, the number of copies printed varied according to the Council's view of the volume's popularity. It was not until 1945 that the Council decided that 'in view of the considerable growth of the Society and the increasing sales of publications to the public, 1,200 volumes instead of 1000 should be printed.' The Council hovered uncertainly between and edition of 1,750 and 2,000 after that.’

Dr Bradlow, in the same booklet, page 10 mentions 5 variants of volume 2 of the Van Riebeeck Society. The Darter's variant volume number 2. 'In the case of Volume 2, the Council experimented and allowed two commercial publishers, Darters and Maskew Miller of Cape Town, to each take 100 copies of the standing type. Their books were printed on better paper than the Society's edition and in the case of Darters' edition had additional plates. The Society's edition was sold out very rapidly, but both Darters and Maskew Miller found their copies difficult to sell. As late as 1930, some eleven years later, the Society bought 80 copies of Darters' edition from them at 5/- per volume. These they rebound in the Society's binding and sold to their members. Four years later Maskew Miller were refused permission to rebind 18 remaining copies in the Society's binding. (There was therefore a total edition of 700 copies of this volume.)

Subsequently 8 variants of this volume have been traced - A South African Bibliography volume 5 supplement pages 214 – 215.

The 4 variants of volume 2 included with this set are as follows:

VRS imprint: original issue with the frontispiece Wreck of De Vis
VRS imprint: ex Darter issue with the frontispiece View of Table Mountain and Bay by Kolbin.
Darter issue in blue cloth with the frontispiece of Table Mountain and Bay by Kolbin.
Maskew Miller imprint dated 1920 in brown cloth with a gold embossed armorial bearing with Rudolph Siegfried Allemann 1692 -1762 on the front cover. The title page reads: The Cape in mid-Eighteenth Century with frontispiece the Wreck of De Vis

The original volume has a presentation inscription on the front free end paper which reads: Lt Col E Graham from John X Merriman with best wishes for Xmas and New Year. Schoongezicht 23 Dec 1919.

Another variant of volume 14 is also included with this set – first published by the VRS in 1933.
Dapper (Olfert) Ten Rhyne (Willem) and De Grevenbroek (Johannes) THE EARLY CAPE HOTTENTOTS.

The original texts with a translation into English by I Schapera and E Farrrington edited with an introduction and notes by I.Schapera. Westport, Connecticut, Negro University Press, 1970