South African Despatches. Two Centuries of the Best in South African Journalism. Crwys-Williams, J

Johannesburg: Ashanti Publishing, 0620099542, 1989. 8vo; original maroon boards; laminated dustwrapper; pp. xvi + 495; monochrome illustrations. Dustwrapper very slightly rubbed; small closed tear at edge of spine and front cover. Dind in bottom back cover. Very good condition.

"South African Despatches is not just a book about journalism or journalists. The despatches, all written from South Africa, have been published both in this country and abroad, between the years 1825 and 1988. The book does not purport to be a history, although it deals with significant events in the history of South Africa. It is rather a collection of well-written despatches, or despatches typical of a particular genre of writing, with a story woven round the despatch. From the quintessential journalist Archibald Forbes, who rode alone through the Zululand night after the Battle of Ulundi to deliver his despatch, to the taut day-by-day reports by Sapa and The Star on the Coalbrook mine disaster in 1960, South African Despatches gives insights not only into the events covered but also into the background of the stories.".