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Signed & inscribed by the author, Arne Schaefer.
Softcover.
First edition, 2008.
Yoshi Publishing.
260 pages.
Life & Travels in the Northwest, 1850-1899: Namaqualand, West Coast & Bushmanland
A new era started in 1850 in Namaqualand. The red gold, copper, started to flow from the underground veins in increasing streams, nourishing industry and economic growth. People flocked to this new Eldorado in the desert. These are the stories told by travellers, miners, a cleric, engineers, a transport rider, geologists, surveyors and a quirky magistrate - describing some incredibly harsh conditions of life and labour, the hazards of travel, the locals and their foibles, the conflicts, as well as some lighter moments of the half-century that followed. Many of the excerpts in the book have been taken almost verbatim from obscure sources not readily found by the interested casual visitor or reader, while others have been translated from German, Dutch and Afrikaans to make them more easily accessible.
This is a compendium of reports, accounts and travelogues, first published in hard-to-come-by sources, about the second half of the nineteenth century in the North-Western parts of the Cape. Contributions are by missionaries (like Robert Moffat the younger), geologists like Wyley, engineers like Bain, and travellers like Scully, amongst many more. Each piece is introduced and put in context by compiler/editor Arne Schaefer as well as provided with footnotes by him. A useful and extended Glossary, aimed at non-South Africans, will help the reader cope with terminology. Schaefer has also translated some of the contributions from German and Dutch, as well as giving an overview of the Korana wars which bedevilled the region during some of that time. Two excellent maps by Anne Westoby and delightful illustrations by cartoonist Tony Grogan enrich this entertaining little volume.
Mild shelfwear to covers, but internally clean, tightly bound and in very good condition overall.
Additional photos on request. Please ask any questions before placing your order.
Africana / Travel / History / Afrikaner / Bushmen / Cape Town / Port Nolloth / Richtersveld / trekboer
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