Book of the Month Nov/Dec 2009

A complete guide to the frogs of Southern Africa / Louis du Preez & Vincent Carruthers
"These foul and loathsome animals are abhorrent because of their cold body, pale colour, cartilaginous skeleton, filthy skin, fierce aspect, calculating eye, offensive smell, harsh voice, sqaulid habitation, and terrible venom; and so their Creator has not exerted his powers to make many of them" Carolus Linnaeus (father of modern taxonomy and one of the great naturalists of his time), referring to amphibians, 1758
Harmless, colourful, melodious and ecologically vital, frogs are the antithesis of Linnaeus's disdain. Some 6 000 species of amphibians are known worldwide and more are discovered every year. At the same time, the decline and extinction of species is occurring at a disturbingly high rate, indicating widespread environmental malaise.
This beautiful and authoritative book is the most comprehensive treatment of frogs of the region ever produced. A Complete Guide to the Frogs of Southern Africa covers frog and tadpole biology and behaviour. All 160 frog species (with their tadpole stages) are fully described, giving conservation status, calls, habitat and habits. To aid identification, there are large, full-colour images of each species, detailed keys and clear summary panels showing 'Distinctive characters' and 'Key ID points'. Calls for most species are recorded on the accompanying CD, and spectrograms are provided, offering the surest method of identifying these secretive and often cryptic creatures.
For all nature lovers, amateur 'froggers', students, as well as professional scientists, this is an inspiring and significant guide.
Source : A Complete guide to the frogs of Southern Africa / Louis du Preez & Vincent Carruthers 2009

Book of the Month October 2009

Vrypas / Dot Serfontein

Op tagtig, verklaar Dot Serfontein, neem mens kennis van die ouderdom se bedryfsrisiko's - en neem dan vir lief daarmee dat selfs die Bybel stilbly oor wat na tagtig met mens gaan gebeur. Jy vertel van dinge waaroor jy vroeër geswyg het en jy swyg oor dinge waarvan jy vroeër vertel het - want as jy dié mylpaal oorgesteek het, het jy die vrypas om te maak soos jy wil, sonder dat dit teen jou aangeteken staan.
Teen die agtergrond van agt dekades se sosiale, politieke en ekonomiese gebeure ( van die letsels van die Anglo-Boereoorlog, die 1914 Rebellie en die Groot Depressie, tot die verkiesing van 1948, apartheidsidealisme en die "politieke kapitulasie" van die negentigerjare) projekteer Dot Serfontein hier die gesins- en familiebande wat haar lewe as Vrystaatse Afrikaner gevorm het. Die leser leer ken 'n individu wat elke lewensfase met geesdrif en vurigheid aanpak en nie terugdeins om die tradisie van tyd tot tyd met 'n bietjie waagmoed en 'n porsie oorgeërfde stroomopgeit uit te daag nie.

"As ons spense vol is van wat vir ons van waarde is, kan ons harte oor brakplekke spring ; as ons niks anders kan doen nie, lag ons net saam"

Bron: Vrypas deur Dot Serfontein uitgegee deur Protea Boekhuis 2009

Book of the Month September 2009

Flora Herscheliana ; Sir John and Lady Herchel at the Cape 1834 to 1838 :
Sir John Herschel (1792-1871) has long been recognized as one of Britain's great nineteenth century scientists. His accomplishments in astronomy, mathematics and physics are well known, but this publications focuses on his private interest in botanical matters.
A visit to the Cape of Good Hope from 1834 to 1838 to survey the southern skies exposed Herschel to another great natural wonder - the beauty and diversity of the Cape Flora. The profound impact this encounter had on both John and his wife Margaret resulted in a magnificent portfolio of botanical drawings, outlined by John using a camera lucida for scientific accuracy and painted in watercolours by Margaret. Herschel's restless, analytical mind also led him to consider deeper issues, among them the morphology of bulbs, the diversity of species, and botanical scents and perfumes.
Something about the authors:

Professor Brian Warner

, Head of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Cape Town, trained as an astrophysicist at University College London, and has D.Sc degrees both from the University of London and Oxford University. Although principally an observational astronomer, his interest in the history of astronomy at the Cape has resulted in the publication of seven books and about twenty articles.

Dr John Rourke, Curator of the Compton Herbarium, National Botanical Institute, Kirstenbosch, studied botany at the University of Cape Ton where he was awarded the degrees of M.S.c and Ph.D. His special research interest is in the systematics and phylogeny of the family Proteaceae. He has published extensively on all fourteen genera of this family in southern Africa, including two popular works, Proteas of Southern Africa (Cape Tons, 1980, 1982) and the elephant folio volume, Mimetes (Cape Town, 1982. Botanical history is another of his fields of interest in which he has co-authored several works, notably those on the famous eighteenth-century botanical explorers, Carl peter Thunberg and William Paterson, the latter published by the Brenthurst Press in 1981. Dr Rourke was elected one of the select group of only fifty Foreign Members of the Linnean Society of London in 1996.

Source: Flora Herscheliana: Sir John and Lady Herschel at the Cape 1834 to 1838

Book of the Month August 2009

Naudé's van Naudésnek ; bouers van die Naudésnekpas oos van Rhodes, en hul voor- en nageslag / saamgestel deur Stephanus David Naudé in samewerking met verskeie lede van die familie.

Uit die Voorwoord:
Hierdie boek het ontstaan nadat oom Giep Goosen van Tzaneen en sy familie my op 5 Januarie 2008 besoek het. Sowat twee weke na hul besoek het oom Giep my gevra of ek bereid sou wees om 'n boek met baie foto's oor sy ma se mense saam te stel. Hy het die reëlings getref vir my besoek aan die Oos-Kaap gedurende April 2008 en dosyne telefoonoproepe gedoen om inligting en foto's by familielede aan te vra. Tant Lena Naudé van Lady Grey het my bederf en al die ou Naudé-foto's wat sy besit, aan my beskikbaar gestel. Tydens my besoek aan die Rhodes-omgewing is ek behoorlik op die hande gedra. Stephanus en Melani Naudé van die plaas "Dunley" het uit hul pad gegaan om my te versorg. ............. baie dankie vir jul hulp en gasvryheid
Faan Naudé.

26 Maart 2009

Iets oor die samesteller:

Die samesteller, Faan Naudé, is 'n agter-agterkleinseun van Charel Naudé, nommer 3 in hierdie boek.
Faan het kort nadat hy gegradueer het, in 1973 by die Staandemag aangesluit waar hy gevorder het van luitenant tot kommandant. In 1982 het hy by die Raad vir Geesteswentenskaplike Navorsing (RGN) aangesluit as hoofnavorser. Gedurende die tyd wat hy by die RGN werksaam was, is hy bevorder tot assistent-direkteur en later adjunk-direkteur. Hy is tans verbonde aan die Universiteit van Pretoria, Departement Biblioteekdienste.
Sy belangstelling in sy afstamming het begin na die geboorte van sy seun, Jacob Petrus, genoem Peet, gebore 18 Mei 1984. Aanvanklik het hy net sy eie lyn terug tot by die stamvader nagevors. In die proses het hy al die Naudé inligting wat hy teëgekom het, aangeteken. Later het hy begin om die hele familie na te vors en aan die begin van 2008 het hy oor 'n databasis van meer as 42 000 persone beskik. Hierdie persone is of was gebore Naudé's of hul huweliksmaats of die kinders van Naudé-dogters. Op daardie tydstip het hy reeds meer as 33 000 van hulle in een stamboom gekoppel.

Bron: Naudé's van Naudésnek ; bouers van die Naudésnekpas oos van Rhodes, en hul voor-en nageslag / saamgestel deur Stephanus David Naudé in samewerking met verskeie lede van die familie. 2009

Book of the Month July 2009

The Mudjadji dynasty : the principles of female leadership in African cosmology / Mathole Kherofo Motshekga ; edited by Mari -Lais Emond

The primary aim of the study was to investigate the principles of female leadership in southern Africa, with special reference to the Mudjadji cosmology. The process involved tracing the origins of these principles back to Ancient Ethiopia - more specifically to the provinces of Napata and Meroe in the Sudan - and even further, to show that these principles are directly linked to the African cosmology and the goddess Mwari
Something about the author:

Dr. Mathole Kherofo Motshekga is the founder and executive director of the Kara Heritage Institute, which promotes the study of African history and culture, and an advocate of the Supreme Court of South Africa.
He is legal adviser to the Mudjadji Royal Council, the National Coalition of Traditional Leaders, and the National House of Traditional Leaders of South Africa.
He is a former premier of Gauteng, and chair and deputy chair of the African National Congress (ANC) in that province. He serves on numerous national task teams and committees.
Dr Motshekga holds a B Juris (Unisa); LLB (Unisa); and LLM (Harvard), and is an honorary professor of political sciences of the University of Pretoria.
He has also been a visiting scholar in the African Studies Centre at Harvard University in the United States; a visiting lecturer in law at the University of Freiburg; and a research fellow of the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law, also in Freiburg, Germany.
He regularly speaks on radio and TV about issues relating to African heritage. Dr. Motshekga was born in 1949 in Balobedu, home of South Africa's fabled Rain Queens.

Source: The Mudjadji Dynasty: the principles of female leadership in African cosmology by Mathole Kherofo Motshekga ; edited by Marie-Lais Emond

Book of the Month June 2009

The Art of Illumination : an anthology of manuscripts from the sixth to the sixteenth century
145 Illustrations, 24 in colour

The illumination of manuscripts is an art-form which has only recently taken its rightful place beside panel and wall painting in the history of art. Quite apart from its purely aesthetic appeal - rich in invention, excitement, skill and often dramatic impact - manuscript illumination throws light on whole periods of art history for which there is little other pictorial evidence, or where frescoes and panel paintings have suffered from retouching and restoration. Miniature paintings nearly always come down to us fresh and unspoiled, and since their scale permits them frequently to be reproduced in original size, we have the unique opportunity of enjoying and studying an art-form in the manner in which it was intended - in the book
The present publication offers a rich and fascinating anthology of illuminated manuscripts from the sixth to the sixteenth century. The selection includes not only pages from many great and familiar Bibles, Psalters, Gospel Books and Books of Hours, but also less well-known illustrations which are often profoundly imaginative and pictorially exciting. The choice of plates, 24 of which are in full colour, extends from the graceful early Byzantine illustrations and the more monumental Carolingian folios, to the late and ornate pages painted by 16 th century Italian artists. There are examples of English, Irish, German, Austrian, Flemish, French, Italian and Spanish illumination, some shown in enlarged details.
To introduce these impressive corpus of plates, Professor Aeschlimann and the late Professor d'Ancoma - both renowned authorities - have written a concise and informative survey of the history of miniature painting, tracing the development of the different schools and analysing briefly their stylistic features. There are also full and detailed notes on each plate, as well as a Bibliography.

Source : The art of illumination : an anthology of manuscripts from the sixth to the sixteenth century by P. D"Ancona & E. Aeschlimann

Book of the Month May 2009

The Madiba years : cartoons from Sowetan and the Mail & Guardian / Zapiro

Zapiro, a.k.a. Jonathan Shapiro, has drawn editorial cartoons for some of South Africa's most important newspapers during the unique drama of the last days of Apartheid and the birth of a democratic nation. He has lampooned parties and personalities without favour. This collection is a quirky chronicle of the years 1994 to 1996.
Zapiro's cartoons are a national treasure. Frequently discussed on radio and TV, they have provoked public comment from politicians and are the source of such private delight that many are to be found mounted in the offices of power.
Zapiro brings to cartooning a background of political activism (which got him into trouble in the bad old days.) Now he keeps a vigilant pen on the new dispensations, which sometimes entails knocking comrades he met in the trenches.
Awarded a Fullbright Scholarship, Zapiro studied Media Arts at the School of Visual Arts in New York. His work appears regularly in the Mail & Guardian, Sowetan and the Cape Argus, and has appeared widely in other publications, both local and international. He has had solo exhibitions in Cape Town and New York.
He is married to photographer Karina Turok and they have a son, Tevya.

Book of the Month April 2009

African Basketry : grassroots art from southern Africa / Anthony B. Cunningham & M. Elizabeth Terry

African Basketry is a unique contribution to African art and culture. More than any other African craft, basketry represents the finest blend of indigenous culture, environment and technology. Different types of basketry from southern Africa are featured in this book, with both historical and contemporary examples from Botswana, Lesotho, southern Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, western Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In the past, various basketry items reflected the lifestyles of the hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, fishing communities and agriculturalists who made them. Later, with rapid urbanisation and cultural change, some basketry styles and century-old skills disappeared, almost without a trace. More recently, there has been a dramatic increase in the international appreciation of African basketry as an art form, which has brought both its functionality and aesthetics into the limelight. The export of African basketry to collectors, interior designers and museums in the USA, Europe and Australia has flourished.
To date, no comprehensive book has been published on basketry in southern Africa. This has meant that many basketry enthusiasts have acquired "traditional" African basketry items with little background knowledge of their origins, historical context, use, or the raw materials used in their crafting
African Basketry provides detailed information on historical perspectives, weaving techniques, construction methods, designs, styles and raw materials used in basketry. The impact of commercialisation is also described, which has brought with itvarious benefits and challenges for basket makers.
Photographs of baskets from major museum collections in southern Africa, the USA and Britain, feature alongside unique images of basket construction and use. Previously unpublished black-and-white photographs taken by Alfred Duggan-Cronin in the early 1900's enhance the historical record.
African Basketry describes past, present and future trends, enabling the proper recognition of this art form in both time and place.

Source: African basketry : grassroots from southern Africa / Anthony B. Cunningham & M. Elizabeth Terry

Book of the Month March 2009

Onderstepoort 1908-2008 portrays an intriguing history and makes fascinating reading. Although not intended to be one, it is a textbook on animal diseases in South Africa; it is also a textbook on perseverance, innovation, human relations and the art of negotiation and problem solving, while providing glimpses of the future and where we are going. The book is essentially a resumé of the challenges that faced researchers, scientists and diagnosticians over the past 100 years, who came forth with solutions to the problems posed by animal diseases that were in many instances unknown - not only in South Africa but also in much of the rest of the world. Many of the solutions found by its dedicated and devoted gallery of scientists, researchers, technologists and teachers were often a world's first, and many remain valid and in use today. The golden thread of the book is the wonderful insight it gives into the people who made history, the interplay of human relations, the leaders who effected changes in direction; the human successes and failures, veterinary politics, and personality clashes, all recounted with a good deal of underlying and essential veterinary humour. It is a book that asks to be read again and again - not only by veterinarians, scientists and researchers, but also by students, farmers, agriculturalists, historians, animal lovers and those who have heard the name of Onderstepoort and wish to know more about this historic cradle of veterinary science in southern Africa.

Source : Onderstepoort 1908-2008 ; editors D.W. Verwoerd & R.D. Bigalke

Book of the Month Jan/Feb 2009

The Karoo Cookbook /compiled by Rose Willis photography by Ryno (first published 2008)


From the earliest days of South Africa's history, food has set the social scene in the Karoo. It was a treat, a reward, and a way to welcome guests and bid farewell to friends. Karoo food is as limitless as the land - vast, diverse, all consuming. And like the land, the cuisine captivates visitors, enticing them back time and time again to experience the culinary delights.
Karoo lamb is famous the world over for its delicious flavour and tenderness, and visitors to the region, even from the earliest days, make a point of trying out this speciality. Today farms supply every need as far as fresh or dried fruit are concerned and the small stock farmed throughout the Karoo provides a tasty range of mutton, lamb and goat. Pork, poultry and beef help ring the changes and venison and ostrich cater for those who are watching their waistlines.
Karoo kitchens are redolent of roasting lamb, venison, pies, hearty casseroles, or coffee, rusks and fragrant home-made bread, and their doors are always open to welcome friends, family and visitors to share in this bounty. The rich tradition of Karoo cuisine and hospitality dates back to a time when there were no hotels in the area and travellers were welcomed into homes to bring news to these isolated areas.
The collection of recipes in The Karoo Cookbook portrays this region's diverse social fabric and, while some dishes such as Mutton Bredie and Venison Stew are rooted in tradition, others like Beef Fillet with Anchovy Stuffing or Karoo "oysters" with Wild Mushrooms and Red Wine Sauce are as modern and adventurous as tomorrow.
The recipes in The Karoo Cookbook have been gathered from those who live (or have lived) in and love the Karoo. These warm, hospitable people all enjoy entertaining and have generously contributed their recipes so that others may bring some of the magic of this place into their own homes.
Something about the author:
Rose Willis's great love for the Karoo began in the 1980's, when she and her husband, Wally Kriek, bought a house allegedly designed by Sir Herbert Baker for Beaufort West's first magistrate. It was in great need of TLC, but it had a mountain almost in its backyard and a huge, farm-style kitchen. Rose, a city girl, had never lived in a dorpie before, but the Karoo allowed her to indulge her dual love of historic research and cooking. She discovered that this was a world where townspeople and farm folk easily shared recipes - and the stories behind them - so she began collecting these taste treats, which led to the publication of this book.
After the death of her husband in 2003, Rose moved to Bloemfontein to be closer to her family. She has not lost touch with her beloved Karoo and still publishes Rose's Round-up, a monthly newsletter she created in 1990 to promote the area. Rose now serves on The Free State Archives Council, is president of The Town and Country Ladies Group and also teaches English to pre-school children.
Source : The Karoo Cookbook /compiled by Rose Willis (2008)