CAPE ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS SET (2 Books) - THE LIFE AND WORK OF CHARLES BELL AND THE LIFE AND WORK OF CHARLES MICHELL

Standard Edition Cape Architects & Engineers Set (2 Books)

• Items: Two-volume biographical set sold as a single unit.
• Titles Included:
1. The Life and Work of Charles Bell (Phillida Brooke Simons, Fernwood Press, 1998)
2. The Life and Work of Charles Michell (Gordon Richings, Fernwood Press, 2006)
• Edition: Standard Edition (both volumes).
• Overall Condition: Very Good (VG).

Detailed Description

An exceptional opportunity to acquire a complete biographical pairing of the two most influential figures in 19th-century Cape surveyor-generalship, engineering, and art. This lot features the Standard Editions of the definitive biographies of Charles Davidson Bell and Colonel Charles Michell.

Both volumes are meticulously researched, heavily illustrated, and highly sought after by collectors of South African history, Africana, architectural history, and colonial art.

Condition Report

• Books/Binding: Very Good. The boards are clean, the bindings remain tight and square, and the internal pages are crisp without inscriptions or foxing.
• Dust Jackets: Good to Very Good. Both jackets exhibit slight shelf wear and minor edge rubbing consistent with age.
• Preservation: Both dust jackets are now freshly housed in removable, archival-quality protective plastic sleeves to prevent any future wear.

The Polymaths of the Cape

• Charles Davidson Bell was not only a surveyor but a prolific artist, explorer, and designer who drew sketches of 19th-century Cape Town, took part in expeditions to the interior, and even designed the iconic triangular Cape stamps. 
• Colonel Charles Michell, trained in the Napoleonic wars, was arguably the most important architect and civil engineer of his time in South Africa. He oversaw the construction of iconic infrastructure like the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse and mountain passes like Sir Lowry's Pass.  

The books act as companion volumes and are heavily sought after by collectors of Africana, as both authors (Phillida Brooke Simons and Gordon Richings) gained unprecedented access to private sketchbooks, personal diaries, and historical family memorabilia.