Publisher's wraps cased in later maroon leather binding.
93pp. Illustrated.
DI KONINGIN FAN SKEBA ("The Queen of Sheba") is a pioneering work in South African literature as it is the first full-length novel in the Afrikaans language. The author, the Reverend S. J. du Toit, was the leader of the first Afrikaans language movement and founding member of the Society of True Afrikaners. The Society was founded on the 14th of August, 1875 with the goal of elevating the Afrikaans language to a recognised official language of South Africa.
"The Queen of Sheba" first appeared as a serial in the Society's monthly magazine "Ons Klijntji" and was eventually published in full by the firm D. F. du Toit & Co. in 1898. The curious Afrikaans orthography throughout the novel can be ascribed to the Reverend's personal belief that one must write as one speaks, which led to the spelling being criticised for being too phonetic.
The first Afrikaans novel is a great rarity and few copies survive outside of institutions.
- Binding Condition: Fair to Good
- Overall Condition: Fair to Good
- Size: 4to.
