CAPE OF GOOD HOPE 1652-1702 as Seen by Callers. South Africa, Dutch Settlers

Description: CAPE OF GOOD HOPE 1652-1702 THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS OF DUTCH COLONISATION as seen by callers In Two Volumes. Translated with notes by R. RAVEN-HART A. A. BALKEMA: CAPE TOWN 1971 First Edition. During the first 50 years of Dutch colonisation at the Cape of Good Hope many travellers arrived in Table Bay, on their way to the East: some came voluntarily, others by force of circumstances. They came ashore, looked around, observed strange, indigenous people, interesting plants and animals; they visited the little settlement, met the local personalities, wondered at the way-of-life. They also consulted and negotiated with the Dutch officials, and sought help in their difficulties. And, most frequently, they recorded their impressions so as to inform and astonish their friends in Europe with the wonders they had seen. These impressions were sometimes published; but more often they appeared in ships' log books and other mss, unpublished, and available to the researchers of today in archives and special libraries only. Such recorded impressions are the subject matter of this book: Major Raven-Hart has selected, transcribed and meticulously translated a total of 104 accounts by visitors to the Cape between 1652 and 1702. They are taken from the original Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, Danish and German; with one exception, the list is exhaustive for this period. The language styles are varied; quaint and vivid, penetrating, and sometimes quite coarse. To accompany the translated texts, and to help the reader enjoy and understand, Major Raven-Hart has provided background and context notes to describe contemporary happenings in Europe, official records by the Cape commanders and governors, and biographical notes on the writers. There is also a unique index with over 2,200 entries: in this the reader will find references to animals, plants, persons, names, etc; a glossary of foreign words; definitions of various seafaring and navigational terms and expressions; identifications of flora and fauna; bibliographies; and explanatory notes. This index is not just a valuable and practical working tool — it is virtually a concentrated companion-book or vade mecum for late 17th C history of the Cape. A feature of this book are the illustrations: the author has been able to find 65 engravings, maps, title pages, portraits - most of which have been reproduced as full- or double-pages. Their subject matter is documentary — local inhabitants, plants and animals, ships, maps and sketch plans, the settlement at Table Bay. They are sometimes accurate, often not; and some are frankly fictional. All are fully captioned and analysed by the author. Their 'unearthing' and assemblage into a complete collection for this book has been a unique achievement. The result is a unique contemporary portrait of the early settlement,subjective and varied, with a richness of detail that is inherent in the subject matter: for this was the moment of initial contact between European and (Southern) African, a moment in history during which were established the race relationships that have developed into the pattern we know today. Major Raven-Hart is a distinguished writer and an experienced researcher, one of whose special interests has been the literature of travel in South Africa during the 16th and 17th centuries. He has immersed- himself in the study of the environment and personalities of this period, and has produced a book of considerable value, significance and entertainment. 28 x 20 cm. Vol. 1, xv + 222 pp. Vol. 2, xi + 223-527 pp. 2.5 kg. Fine condition, dust jackets very slightly faded on the spine but otherwise like new. Images sell! Get Supersized Images & Free Image Hosting Attention Sellers - Get Templates Image Hosting, Scheduling at Auctiva.com.

Price: 124.99 GBP

Location: Carlisle

End Time: 2025-01-08T12:01:37.000Z

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