Publisher's hardcover binding with pictorial dust jacket.
217pp. Colour frontispiece of Colesberg, painted by Thomas Baines in 1850. Black & white illustrations in text.
Book is in Very good condition. Dust jacket in very good condition with minimal edge wear.
'Based on the Cape side of the Orange River the author unfolds the human drama of South Africa, told through the people who actually lived it, and who began their impact on national affairs in the microcosm of a small community. The result is an extraordinary book which unfolds history that is as unknown to the people who live there as to the world at large. Even the hackneyed story of the discovery of the Diamond Fields is shown to have been only partially and erroneously told. Many hidden human dramas are for the first time revealed. The whole pageant of South Africa's peoples and their onward drive towards nationhood emerges from a narrative that is as imaginative in its approach as it is inspired in its writing. It ranges from the remaining tiny fragments of Bushman artefacts and Van Plettenberg's historic beacon to the construction of the Verwoerd dam.
Written in typically lively and graceful style, the book is copiously illustrated with unique material including several decorative maps by the well-known artist A A. Telford.'
- Jacket Condition: Very Good
- Binding Condition: Very Good
