CLAIM TO THE COUNTRY: the archive of Lucy Lloyd and Wilhelm Bleek:

388 pages: illustrations (some colour), portraits. Accompanied by a compact disc entitled THE DIGITAL BLEEK AND LLOYD. Quarto. Pictorial paper covered boards, dust wrapper. CD in plastic pocket laid down on rear endpaper. A pristine copy.

Dr Wilhelm Bleek and his sister-in-law Lucy Lloyd were given permission to have Bushmen from the Breakwater Prison live with them at their home in Mowbray. The teenager /A!kunta taught them their first Bushman words and sentences. The master storyteller, //Kabbo, was a wise old man who let them into the Bushman world of myth and legend, whose stories were added to by the middle-aged Dia!kwain, #Kasin and /Han=kass'o. Bleek and Lloyd's unique cross-cultural collaboration led to a substantial collection of notes which includes explanations of traditional beliefs, medicines, poisons, dances, songs and the meanings of rock art images as well as a linguistic study of a difficult early African language. Skotnes has collated many of the notebooks and drawings compiled at the time. This work is part of a Llarec project which aims to digitise, research and publish the Bleek and Lloyd Archive.