Book of the Month Dec 2007

Mpumalanga History and heritage 2007 edited by Peter Delius

Mpumalanga is known for its spectacular landscapes and its teeming game reserves. But is also has an extraordinarily rich and vivid history that has not been adequately recognised or represented, and whose potential contribution to tourism, education, and economic development therefore remains largely unrealised.
This ground-breaking study is aimed at ensuring that the province's compelling past lives on in the present. Written by some of South Africa's foremost researchers, and richly illustrated with historical and contemporary photographs, it tells a story beginning with the geological records of the first emergence of life on Earth more than three billion years ago, and concluding with the dawn of an inclusive democracy in South Africa.
Areas covered include geology, archaeology, rock art, traditions of early settlement, frontier conflicts, the South African War, conservation, economic development, political struggles in the 20th century, and the significance of all of this in the light of contemporary debates over heritage.
This book is aimed at raising awareness of and stimulating debate about issues of history, heritage, and identity in Mpumalanga. Ultimately, it seeks to invite and contribute to new initiatives to preserve the province's heritage and present it in ways that will enrich the lives of current and future generations.

Peter Delius is professor of history at the University of the Witwatersrand. His previous publications include The Land belongs to Us and a Lion Amongst the Cattle

Book of the Month November 2007

Fritz Eloff 'n Man tussen die leeus 'n leeu tussen die manne - n Biografie deur Jan Roderigues.

Fritz Eloff - Die legende leef voort.

Lede van die Internasionale Rugbyraad, selfs 'n uitgesproke en wêreldbekende All Black-slot soos Andy Haden, asook die Suid-Afrikaanse pers het professor Fritz Eloff die hoogste lof toegeswaai vir sy vermoë om die administrasie van rugby na hulle penne laat gryp en kort voor lank het die wêreld geweet: As rugby ooit 'n heer van die hoogste orde opgelewer het dan was dit Fritz Eloff; die man wat hulle as dié sport se grootste jintelman beskryf het.

Maar rugby het glad nie die prof se lewe oorheers nie; daarvoor was sy liefde vir die natuur heeltemal te groot. Sy veeertig jaar lange navorsing op die Kalaharileeu was 'n openbaring; sy belangstelling in die wel en wee van die Boesmans laat 'n mens met nuwe oë na hierdie nomadiese en dodelike jagtertjies van die rooiduine kyk, terwyl sy studie van die Namib-olifante 'n nuwe wêreld vir die dierkundiges laat oopgaan het.

Vir toekomstige geslagte gaan die prof se lewensverhaal nie bloot net 'n naslaanwerk wees nie, maar ook dien as inspirasie vir diegene, wat soos hy, arbeidsaamheid, toegewydheid en lojaliteit baie hoog aanslaan.

Bron: Fritz Eloff 'n Man tussen die leeus - 'n leeu tussen die manne. 'n Biografie deur Jan Roderigues 2006

Book of the Month October 2007

Kruger's Pretoria : Buildings and personalities of the city in the nineteenth century with drawings by Hannes Meiring / Vivien Allen.

Available form abebooks.com

Pretoria's history is comparatively recent. It was once the capital of Kruger's Republic, a time of turbulence and insecurity; and it was the Western outpost of what in those times were the wilds of Africa.

The houses and public buildings that have remained from that period are interesting from an architectural point of view because there was no local tradition or style. The visitors and settlers who were there were unusual men with strong and often eccentric personalities; the homes that they built are used by Vivien Allen as the basis for a lively and very personal history of early Pretoria.

Over 200 photographs support the text, often rescued from family albums, and from archival sources. In addition, there are many specially-drawn illustrations of old buildings by Hannes Meiring.

The book is introduced and welcomed by Judge J.F. Marais

Something about the author:

Vivien Allen was born in England in 1925 and came to South Africa in 1966, where she lived in the family's ancestral home, Melrose House. Since coming to this country she has worked as a free-lance journalist and broadcast.

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Book avalaible at abebooks.com

Book of the Month September 2007

The Richtersveld is one of the most remote and least explored regions of South Africa; it is also one of the richest in terms of both biological and mineral wealth. Tucked away on the Atlantic coast in the far northwest corner of South Africa, the Richtersveld's northern and eastern borders are defined by the "big bend" of the Orange River, with the desolate Atlantic shores defining its western edge, flanked by the freezing waters of the Benguela Current. The region forms part of Namaqualand, which was home to the Nama people long before Europeans first landed at the Cape.

At first sight it is perhaps a forbidding part of the country: its vast sandy plains, rugged mountains and few permanent water sources appear to offer little respite from the extreme temperatures and aridity. But it comprises an extraordinary often cryptic plant and animal life; here, in a land almost without liquid sustenance, the richest diversity of succulent flora in the world is found. As part of the surrounding Succulent Karoo, this region was identified as the first entirely arid biodiversity hotspot on Earth.

Furthermore, it is home to an assembly of remarkable people. Initially disparate communities have found themselves united here through dispossession - of their land and of many basic human rights - and have worked together in exemplary fashion in a bid to survive in this harsh refuge.

The isolation of the Richtersveld and its enigmatic beauty make it an ecnreasingly attractive destination for adventurous travellers an for those seeking out Earth's final frontiers. This book explores all aspects of the region - its scenic wonders, diverse plant and animal life and the history of its peoples. And it takes a look at the struggles and triumphs of the emerging community in their ongoing quest for justice.

Something about the author:

Francois Odendaal has been involved in the Richtersveld for almost two decades as a researcher, filmmaker and development facilitator. He obtained his BSc at Natal University, his honours degree at the University of the Witwatersrand and did his doctoral research in the semi-desert environment of South Australia. Subsequently he became a Research Associate at Stanford University in California and later a research and teaching associate at Duke University. He spent 10 years as a visiting professor at Southern Connecticut State University in the United States. Now based in South Africa, he manages EcoAfrica Environment Consultants and holds a position as Adjunct Professor at the Cape Peninsula Univeristy of Technology in Cape Town. His first love is to collaborate with local communities on natural resource management

Source: Richtersveld the land and its people /Francois Odendaal & Helen Suich, photography by Claudio Velasquez Rojas

Book of the Month August 2007

In celebration of women's day 9 August 2007 Special Collections book of the month:

Life and soul portraits of women who move South Africa ©2006/ Karina Turok

This exquisite book presents 75 portraits by award-winning photographer Karina Turok, of inspirational South African women from diverse backgrounds - writers, musicians, artists, actresses, spiritual leaders, activists, journalists, politicians, sportswoman, businesswomen and academics. Accompanying each portrait is a distilled narrative from the personal and revealing conversations Karina Turok had with the women in which they relate their stories, experiences and insight.

Something about the author:

Born 29 October 1963 in Cape Town, Karina Turok calls the production of Life and Soul a career highlight, along with having worked as stills photographer on the 1993 Island Pictures documentary on Nelson Mandela called Son of Africa, Father of a Nation, when she had the privilege of travelling the country photographing the former President. She first studied fine art as a Rotary exchange student at the Newcastle College of Advanced Education in Australia. On completing her Bachelor's Degreein Fine Art at the University of Cape Town's Michaelis School of Fine Art, she received the Michaelis Prize. She later obtained a Master's Degree from Michaelis. She has also studied and worked at the International Centre of Photography in New York. She has received Tel Aviv's Beit Hatfutsoth Prize and the Cape Times Award for Photojournalistic Excellence. Her work features in Long Walk to Freedom and Portrait of a President; in newspapers, amongst others The Sunday Times(London), The Village Voice(New York); in magazines including Leadership and Marie Claire. She was photographer for three educational photocomics: Roxy - Life, Love and Sex in the Nineties (1993, on HIV/Aids); Tomorrow People - Countdown to Democracy (1994, voter education), Nokhwezi's Story (1999, on cervical cancer). Turok has exhihbited in South Africa, Mali, Zimbabwe, Germany, Israel and the USA. She is married to editorial cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro. They have two children, Tevya and Nina.

Source: From Life and Soul portraits of women who move South Africa by Karina Turok/2006

Book of the Month July 2007

"People's Plants" is a photographic guide to the useful plants of southern Africa. It is the first fully illustrated ethnobotanical handbook for southern Africa. Traditional and contemporary uses of more than 650 plants are described and illustrated in 20 chapters, each dealing with a specific category of plant use:
Foods and Drinks - (1)cereals, (2)seeds & nuts, (3)fruits & berries, (4)vegetables, (5)roots, bulbs & tubers, and (6)beverages.
Health & Beauty - (7)general medicines, (8)tonic plants, (9)mind & mood plants, (10)women's health,(11)wounds, burns & skin conditions,(12)dental care, (13)perfumes & repellents, and (14)soap plants & cosmetics
Skills & Crafts - (15)hunting & fishing, (16)dyes & tans, (17)utility timbers, (18)fire-making and firewoord, (19)basketry, weaving & ropes, (20)thatching, mats & brooms.
Plants and plant-derived products of special cultural and/or commercial significance are highlighted. Key references for further reading are provided for each of the 20 categories of plant use. More than 530 excellent photographs are included, showing the plants, plant products and the way in which they are used.
This fascinating book is a must for anyone interested in useful plants, new crop plants, medicinal plants, new product development, ecotourism, rural development, traditional crafts, African culture, ethnobotany, and botany in gerenal.
Something about the others:
Ben-Erik van Wyk is a professor of Botany at the Rand Afrikaans University in Johaneesburg. He is an authority on systematic botany and indigenous plant use.
Nigel Gericke is a medical doctor and and authority on medical ethnobotany. He has a natural products consultancy in Cape Town.
Both authors passionatley believe that there has to be a concerted effort to develop novel products of exceptional quality from selected "people's plants" for regional and global markets. They want to encourage a new breed of eco-entrepreneurs to harness the synergies between indigenous knowledge systems, scientific research, and modern technologies to drive sustainable development in the southern Arican region for the benefit of all its peoples.

Source: People's plants a guide to useful plants of Southern Africa © 2000 / Ben-Erik van Wyk & Nigel Gericke

Book of the Month June 2007

Voëlvry was the Boere-Woodstock" writes Max du Preez. "It was a significant movement in every social, political, cultural and musical sense of the word ..."Rock revolution" just got a delicious new double meaning"
At a time when Souh Africa was embroiled in the Border wars, PW Botha was die Groot Krokodil and Potchefstroom University was debating whether dancing was a sin, an eccentric mix of young Afrikaans artists took to the road and became the voice of their generation. Their goal was the emancipation of Afrikaner youth from the strictures of their authoritarian, patriarchal culture, and they would make it cool to be an Afrikaner.
Organised by Vrye WeekblJohannes Kerkorrel en die Gereformeerde Blues Band, and Bernoldus Niemand (James Phillips) en die Swart Gevaar. Based on interviews with participants and observers, this is the definitive account of those heady days.
At times nostalgic, funny, sad and outrageous, this is a rollicking read that will appeal to those who were there, those who say they were there and those who wish they were there.

Something about the author:

Pat Hopkins is a history and political science graduate from the University of Natal. He is an award-winning writer, travel journalist and author of more than a dozen books, including the Boy, Eccentric South Africa and Cringe, the Beloved Country. He lives in Johannesbur with his wife and two daughters.

Source: Voëlvry: the movement that rocked South Africa / Pat Hopkins 2006