Date of Publication	Title of resource	Author/s	S rating*
1820	Quarterly Review Vol XXII	John Murray	9
c1850	Harpers Family Library - Discovery in Africa	Prof Jameson	5
1858	Hunting Scenes in the Wilds of Africa	John Potter	9
1875	Harpers New Monthly Magazine (Article on David Livingstone)	Various	9
1878	The Graves of Heiti-Eibib. The Pre-Historic Hottentot Race.	Dr. Theoph Hahn	9
1882	Cradle Songs of Many Nations	Walter Satterlee	5
1885	The Immortal History of South Africa	M J Boon	10
1885	The History of the Orange Free State	M J Boon	10
1894	The Story of South Africa	George M Theale	5
1895	A Question of Color	F C Philips	8
1903	In the Kraals of South Africa	John Ritchie	10
1907	Das Trappisten-Missionskloster Mariannhill	siehe Beschreibung	10
1910	Early days - pioneer life on the South African diamond fields	John Angove	9
c 1920	Zululand its traditions, legends, customs and folklore	H L Samuelson	10
c 1940	The Griquas of Griqualand	S J Halford	5
1942	Die Grikwas en hul bure (The Griquas and their neighbours)	J F Jacobs	10
1947	The Founder of Mariannhill	Berchmans Hofmann	10
1947	Against These Three	Stuart Cloete	4
1947	'n Griekwa "ietsigeit" (Things about the Griqua)	D H Van Zyl	10
1950	King of the Bastards	Sarah Gertrude Millin	1
1970	The Story of Hottentots Holland	Peggy Heap	4
1973	Gentlemen of Brave Mettle	R Harber	6
1974	The Kafirs Illustrated (Limited edition 950 facsimilie of extremely rare 1849 edition)	George French Angas	6
1974	They came our way	Basil Holt	3
1976	In the shadows of the Drakensberg	John Shephard	6
1978	Cry the beloved country (signed limited edition)	Alan Paton	9
1980	Forgotten Frontiersmen	Alf Wannenburgh	4
1987	Kuruman Moffat Mission	Alan Butler	5
2001	Post Carts in Southern Natal and East Griqualand (Natalia)	Milner Snell & Ken Strachan	5
2002	Early History of Adam Kok and East Griqualand 1863-1875	C G de Bruin	9
2003	Hottentot Venus (Signed)	Barbara Chase-Riboud	5
2004	The Griquas of South Africa and their Money	S Balson	8
August 2006	Children Of The Mist - The lost tribe of South Africa (Presentation Copies)	S Balson	10
2007	Looking back - a photographic history of Kokstad (only 100 copies)	Kokstad Museum	8
October 2007	Children Of The Mist - The lost tribe of South Africa (First edition 5,000 copies)	S Balson	1
October 2009	Transkei Heritage	Joan A Broster	1

*(S Rating) Scarcity Rating (includes scarcity, relevance and content) - with 10 being the most desirable and 1 easiest to acquire. Those highlighted in the deeper shades of red are highly sought after works.

Quarterly Review Vol XXII -
John Murray(1820)

The Quarterly Review. Volume XXII [22]. November [1819] & March [1820]. London: John Murray, 1820. Hardcover 8vo, half calf over marbled boards, gilt-stamped rules and spine titles; [6] + 576 pp. Light wear to the corners; a bit of darkening to the edges of the text block, one leaf with small chip from fore-edge not affecting any text, a few tiny spots; otherwise exceptionally clean and fresh, firmly bound.

With important or otherwise interesting, essay-length articles on Africa:

A 32-page review of Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal covering Witchcraft and Magic.

Reviewing works including The Importance of the Cape of Good Hope, as a Colony to Great Britain, independently of the Advantages it possesses as a Military and Naval Station, and the Key to our Territorial Possessions in India and Considerations on the Means of affording Profitable Employment to the redundant Population of Great Britain and Ireland, through the Medium of an improved and correct System of Colonization in the British Territories of South Africa; and, separately, Bowdich's Mission from Cape Coast Castle to Ashantee, with a Statistical Account of that Kingdom, and Geographical Notices of other Parts of the Interior of Africa.

Some of the excellent coverage of the early Cape can be seen in the scanned pages below. Of particular interest is the last scan (bottom row, right) covering the "depreciated paper currency of the Cape" and how uncertainty over this "English money" impacted on the value of property.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy of this very rare book in excellent condition.

Harpers Discovery and Adventure in Africa -
Prof Jameson (c1850)

Hard covered, A5 sized with about 360 pages including a folding map of Africa and a few very basic drawings.

This book was once in the Appleton Library and McCollom Institute, Mt Vernon, New Hampshire.

Harpers Review is light reading and should only be seen as such.

A pointer of the lack of detail can be seen in the map scanned below - Griquatown - the first settlement north of the Orange River does not rate a mention some forty years after its establishment.

This lack of integirty is supported by the innacurate image of a hippopatamus and giraffe - not copied below.

The book is interesting as light reading but nothing more and is not really collectable.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy of this very rare book in good condition.

Hunting Scenes in the Wilds of Africa -
John Potter (1858)

Very good ++. Pictorialy black embossed decorative rust coloured buckram covers with gilt lay and rolling to spine. Spine a touch darkened, otherwise an assiduously cared for and well preserved copy, tight, clean and sound. If this copy wasn`t the only available to the public, it would certainly be the finest of condition. 331 numbered pages. With hundreds of illustrations - full plate and within text (examples below).

Published: 1858. John E. Potter and Company; Philadelphia

Edition: 1st Edition. First impression.

Provenance: The book is stamped with name of the previous owner to the title page `H. Von Wackerbarth - Royal Insurance Building, Chicago, Illinois` and bears his bookplate to the front pastedown reading -`Library of Henry Von Wackerbarth, 9737 Longwood Ave., Chicago` with the psalm `The wicked boroweth and payeth not again`; perhaps a warning to book borrowers to return the loan! Wackerbarth was a bibliophile, thought to have had a staggering 9000 books in his collection, ours being numbered 1349.

At least one other book from his library still exists: a history of Kansas and the Santa Fe trade by Max Greene, published in 1856). The address is in an old suburb called Beverly. An archive of photos from the Chicago Daily News includes a photo of 9533 Longwood, a large detached house surrounded by trees, the residence of John E. W. Wayman, state’s attorney. Henry von Wackerbarth probably lived in something similar. In 1928 there was a park across the street (according to a land-value map at the Ridge Historical Society). A comfortable existence, one would guess.

Henry von Wackerbarth not only read books, he wrote them. A search turned up the following: The history of Adams County, Illinois. Containing: a history of the county—its cities, towns, etc. A biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers of the late rebellion; general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men. History of the northwest, history of illinois, map of Adams County, constitution of the United States, miscellaneous matters, etc., etc. Henry Von Wackerbarth 315 Royal Insurance Building, Chicago, Ill. Illustrated. Chicago Murray, Williamson and Phelps, 85 Washington St. 1879

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy of this very rare book in excellent condition.

Harpers New Monthly Magazine - (March 1875)

Illustrated soft covered magazine from New York with lengthy article "The Last Journals of David Livingstone".

Dozens of illustrations throughout the magazine

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in excellent condition with original paper covers.

The Graves of Heiti-Eibib. A Chapter on the Pre-Historic Hottentot Race.- 1878
(article in The Cape Monthly Magazine) May 1878
Dr. Theoph Hahn

This issue of the May 1878 Cape Monthly Magazine contains a fascinating seven page description of a traditional African religion, featuring Heiti-eibib, a Hottentot (Khoi) hero-god who on several occasions died and resurrected. The author speculates on the origin of the animistic faith, examines aspects such as promises of immortality, customs of reverence to their deity, and even polygamy.

The article in the book goes into the traditions of the Hottentot people when it comes to burial, the afterlife and treatment of graves.

The back of the book can be seen at this link

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in excellent condition with original paper covers.

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Cradle Songs of Many Nations - Walter Satterlee (1882)

Illustrated hard covered book by Walter Satterlee (music by) Reinhold L. Herman,. Dodd,Mead & Co., New York USA, 1882.

Folder type silk covers, chipped at spine tips and corners, overall soiling. Gilt design and lettering to front cover with broken silk ribbons. 64 pages. 24 illustrations, many Chromolithographs, a few being full page, many others smaller in text with some being in B/W by Walter Satterlee. The "book" was made to be laid into the folder and tied in place with the silk ribbons. The book being paper wraps with a simple flat cloth spine. Cover is in red matching the folder cover design. Overall scuffing and soiling to covers from being in contact with the inner surfaces of the binder. Pages clean internally, No writing or smudging. There are 31 lullaby's mostly with the original language in text also given. Including English, Arabic, Irish, Hottentot, Zulu, Cuban, Chinese, Japanese, American Indian. 8 1/2" x 11". Scarce with folder which is normally missing. Suitable for framing

Walter Satterlee January 18, 1844 - May 28, 1908) was an American figure and genre painter.He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Columbia University in 1863, studied in the National Academy of Design, and with Edwin White, in New York, and in 1878-1879 under Leon Bonnat in Paris. He first exhibited at the National Academy in 1868, was elected an associate of the Academy in 1879, and received its Thomas B. Clarke prize in 1886. He was a member of the American Water Color Society and of the New York Etching Club, and was an excellent teacher. Satterlee died in Brooklyn in 1908. Among his favorite subjects were Arab life and figures in the costume of the colonial period.

The words of the Hottentot cradle song on page 30 read:
Why dost thou weep my child?
Wherefore dost thou weep?
Hush darling, calm thee
And sleep my child, sleep

The sky is bright, the sun is shining,
All the silver rivers sing;
Amid the trees the flowers are twining,
Gay green birds are on the wing

Hush sleep and rest on mother's breast
Sleep and rest, sleep and rest.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in excellent condition.

The introduction	The Hottentot song

The Immortal History of South Africa- 1885
Martin James Boon

Extremely hard to come across a first edition copy - while modern reprints are quite common.

This is a first edition (1885). Two very good copies of the volumes in original contemporary 1/2 calf binding, raised bands, leather title label, gilt ornaments, marbled boards. (See image right)

Boon starts his book by saying:
DEDICATED to all who want to know the Truth, whether in South Africa or elsewhere ; and who are not afraid to read, mark, and digest, when facts and truths are made known to them. No historian hitherto has dared to speak the Truth. I offer no apology for doing so ; neither do I ask for mercy if I offend. Other writers have given their views. I, as a South African resident for ten years, dare to give mine, in the hope that if not appreciated, they will at least be respected. I profess no great literary talent, being simply a hard worker for the food that perisheth ; and it is with all humility that I record my experiences, suggestions and hopes, in the belief that the thoughts contained therein, and in my other works, will prove beneficial to the country of my adoption (South Africa) and the World generally.

Interestingly, seeing this is the 1880s in both volumes, he takes up a commonly considered theme of Jewish deception when it comes to all matters relating to money (see scans below).

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in excellent condition with original paper covers.

More images from the book:

Images from Volume One:

Images from Volume Two:

Critical comment on this work: A very interesting and refreshing look at early South African history.

The History of the Orange Free State- 1885
Martin James Boon

Extremely hard to come across a first edition copy - while modern reprints are quite common.

This is a first edition (1885). A very good copy in original contemporary 1/2 calf binding, raised bands, leather title label, gilt ornaments, marbled boards. Total circa 300 pages.

Boon opens his book by saying:
THESE "Jottings" on the Orange Free State are but the utterings, voicings, and articulatings of one who has honestly attempted to pourtray that State as he found it.

Many doubtless have experienced similar thoughts but lacked the energy and the heart to give them utterance.

I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude to others for their noble efforts in the past for the amelioration of man's condition, whilst contributing my humble quota on behalf of human-kind. If I have succeeded in opening up any new train of thought that may have afforded pleasure or information to the readers, I shall be gratified ; and if the pecuniary results of this little venture in the cause of human progress merely suffice to pay the printer, I shall be satisfied ; but as one does not live by paying printers only, my satisfaction will of course be enhanced should the harvest be more bountiful than would be required to cover typographical disbursements.

I offer no apology for anything I have written. The questions herein mooted affect not only the Orange Free State but the whole of South Africa.

The book briefly discusses the role of the Griqua in the OFS but then goes on to concentrate on the settlers.

More images from the book:

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in excellent condition with original paper covers.

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The Story of South Africa - George M Theal (1894)

This book looks, in story form, at the Cape before 1848, Natal before 1841, Zululand and Basutoland before 1872 and the Orange Free State.

This book looks at the history of white occupation of South Africa and is written in a form that is easy to read.

Although hard to find it can still be purchased over the Internet if you know where to look.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in excellent condition.

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A Question of Color - F C Philips (1895)

A solid and very attractive copy First Edition of this scarce work entitled A Question of Color written by F. C. Philips and published by Frederick Stokes, New York in 1895. This book is one of the earliest works of literature in which the subject was, what would have been at the time (and arguably would still be today), the controversial issue of racial intermarriage. The story is set in London and South Africa. This book features 147 pages of text, one illustrated frontispiece illustration and 1 page of publisher's advertisements. This book looks at the history of white occupation of South Africa and is written in a form that is easy to read.

Octavo-sized hardcover book; 147 pages of text, one illustrated frontispiece illustration and 1 page of publisher's advertisements. A Very Good condition book; no torn or missing pages; no writing or marks in the text; small area of upper tip of top page corner of pages 105-147 appears to have been cut by scissors; a handful of 'dog eared' creases to top corners of a few other pages; edge tear to page 59 (no loss to paper) has been neatly repaired with archival tape; light cracking to front hinges has been repaired with archival glue- binding tight and solid; very light darkening/foxing to front endpapers. Original green cloth binding with stamped black lettering on front, silver lettering on spine and silver illustration depicting a scale with an angel on one end and a bag of money on the other on front board; light wear to edges; corners lightly bumped; very faint area of discoloration to cloth on rear board. A solid and very attractive copy of this scarce work.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in very good condition.

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In the Kraals of South Africa - John Ritchie (1903)

This 104 page hard covered, extremely rare, work penned at the turn of the 20th Century tells some fabulous religiously based stories and gives great insight into early South Africa. You will not find this book for sale on the Internet. Much of the book is dedicated to the works of the great missionary Rev Robert Moffat. Despite carrying ridiculous drawings of a typical Bushman and Hottentot (see images below) the book has some marvelous information. For example the history of the farm "Gnadenthaal" (the vale of grace) owned by a young missionary, George Schmidt, in the 1730s. Schmidt preached to the Hottentots displaced from Cape Town and caused a near riot amongst the Boers and their ministers who called him a "madman".

These Boers in response to Schmidt, posted on the door of their church a notice reading "Dogs and Hottentots forbidden to enter". In 1744 Schmidt returned home to Holland leaving the Hottentots, the new landlords, in the sights of the Dutch East India Company and Gnadenthal which was quickly overrun by the Boers leaving the indigenous people landless.

Interestingly the book carries the following inscription handwritten on the back page and inside back cover:

C Capling, 20 Draper St, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Presented to him by the Central Gospel Hall of college and Brunswich.

January 1903 is when Charles received this book. Madelyne Capeling (sic), 571 Palmerston Drive, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Charles is my uncle. He is my father's brother. Charles now lives ar 421 Manning Ave, Toronto. 

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in very good condition.

The images are ridiculous!

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Das Trappisten-Missionskloster Mariannhill -
siehe Beschreibung 1907

This 190 page soft covered, extremely rare, work is written in German. This copy is in excellent condition with little foxing and sound binding.

While recent reprints of the book can be found original prints at the Mariannhill Mission Pinetown are like hen's teeth. You cannot find this first edition on the Internet.

The true value of this book for someone who does not read German is the multitude of photographs throughout (examples below).

The Mariannhill Mission was an amazing and underrated success in the early annals of South African history.

Abbott Franz Pfanner, seen below, negotiated the purchase of a large tract of land owned by Donald Strachan in East Griqualand. The purchase, undertaken in the 1880s, resulted in the establishment of the Lourdes Mission - which can be seen on the map in the image below. (Lourdes can be seen above right of the large text "KAP KOLONIE" near the bottom of the map).

The beautiful Mariazell Mission west of Matatiele is also shown on the map. Scott Balson visited this Eden in 2007 just months before the resident (white) Priest was murdered. Photos and story at this link.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in very good condition.

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In the early days - pioneer life on the South African diamond fields -
John Angove

This 220 page hard covered, rare, work looks at the early history of the big hole of Kimberley. This copy is in excellent condition with little foxing and sound binding.

The book covers the discovery of diamonds and the development of the big hold.

As can be seen below, from a selection of images in the book, it carries a large number of historic photos dating back to 1871.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in very good condition.

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Zululand its traditions, legends, customs, and folk-lore
H L Samuelson (c 1920)

This very rare original 1920s Mariannhill Mission hard copy print has since been reprinted in limited edition and, more recently, print on demand. This original book is not for sale on the Internet.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust carries this book because it covers the history and fables of the Zulu and has an intriguing overlap.

No African tribe could be more culturally different than the Khoi (Hottentot) yet they share a common fable that the humble and awkward chameleon is directly responsible for death coming to man. The Zulu version of death is scanned below.

The Khoi fable on death can be seen at this link

The 190 page book has several plates and is written by the sister of the well-know Zulu historian, R.C.Samuelson.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy of this extremely rare book in very good condition.

Images below: include a scan of the "death story" in the second row

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The Griquas of Griqualand - S J Halford (c 1940)

Mr. S.J. Halford was the the Mayor of Kokstad in 1923 - he built the Dutch Reformed Church in Kokstad

This book deals with the origins, progress and decline of the Griquas - covering the arrival of the Portuguese in South Africa (before the first settlement in 1652) up to 1927.

The book relates the history factually but in a manner which is easy to read and digest.

A book which is hard to come by today.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in excellent condition.

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Die Grikwas en hul bure -
J F Jacobs 1942

This soft covered, 120 page, book written in Afrikaans carries some fascinating insights into the regions once dominated by the Griqua.

The images below are of Griqua families - and include several families which would probably have passed as been accepted as white when segregation was later adopted by the National Party in the Apartheid days.

As a result of its content it is a book that I have never seen for sale on the Internet before and is a very rare find. Like other books suggesting the "white blood" of the Afrikaner had been "contaminated" with the Griqua it was burnt and discredited for many, many years.

Another book which faced a similar fate can be seen at this link. The book reveals the true "rainbow nation" status of the descendants of the Voortrekkers who interbred with the Griqua in the Orange Free State in the first half of the 1800s.

Scott Balson visited the small village of Philippolis in 2007 - his photographs (including the Griqua cannons still located there - see image below) can be seen at this link.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in very good condition.

	Note the Grikwas names	and colour of the skin

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The Founder of Mariannhill -
Berchmans Hofmann (1947)

This extremely rare soft bound sixty page booklet cannot be found for sale on the Internet. The book, covering the extraordinary life of Abbott Francis Pfanner has several hand drawn images.

The book was printed by the Mariannhill Mission Press.

The book covers in detail the suspension of Pfanner from his beloved mission near Pinetown (outskirts of Durban, Natal).

Here is a quote from page 47: With disastrous suddenness, the community was one day informed that their beloved Father, Abbott Francis, had been summarily suspended from his office! He was given strict orders to sever himself completely with monastery affairs, and forbidden to communicate with any of the Fathers, Brothers, or Sisters.

His suspension involved unproven allegations of misusing church funds.

When exiled Pfanner went to a spot two hours from Lourdes - the mission he bought from Donald Strachan. You can see more in the scans below.

An email from a Marriannhill Monk singing Pfanner's praises can be seen at this link.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in excellent condition.

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Against These Three- Stuart Cloete (1947)

This 400 page book covering South Africa's early history focuses on the lives of Cecil Rhodes, Paul Kruger and the Matabele Chief, Lobengula.

The book, written in a time of growing racism, is included here because of what it does not accurately portray in the early history of South Africa. The author completely dismisses the important role of the Griquas in the country's history.

On page 90 it makes its only reference to the Griquas when it says, The Bastaards - and proud of it - were a mixed race of Hottentot, Bushmen and eastern blood leavened with that of some of the less admirable whites. The land which they had taken from the Bushmen was called Griqualand, as they themselves were called Griquas, the term "Bastaard" flattering as it was to them, not looking well on official documents and dispatches.

and, From here the Bastaards wandered nomadically along the Orange River - a pariah race, part farmer, art brigand, part hunter.

The book completely overlooks the manner in which the Boers stole the lands making up the Orange Free State from the Griquas.

The book also relates an interesting story about the problems faced by Marshall Hole in buying provisions for his soldiers because of the lack of currency. See more on the "Marshall Hole currency" and this story at this link.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in excellent condition.

'n Griekwa "ietsigeit" (1947)
D H van Zyl

The Balson Holdings Family Trust has acquired this extremely rare 175 page hard copy book written in Afrikaans. The book cannot be found for sale on the Internet.

The book carries numerous photos - several are displayed below and reflect the special relationship the author had with the Griqua and the leadership in Griquatown in the early 1900s. The book carries a fascinating mud map displaying the movement of the people from Cape Town to Griquatown

The foreword of this book by E G Jansen tells us that van Zyl studied the Griqua and the Bushmen in the first half of the 1900s. The Internet and the foreword tells us that van Zyl was a Senator who accompanied an expedition in 1950 to "study and document how the bushmen lived".

What is know is that Senator van Zyl had a special interest in the Griqua - as reflected by the photos he took in Griquatown of the Waterboer family and other Griqua communities in the region. In his book he looked at their language, their humour, their lives and, interestingly, the "Griquatown coins".

On page 18 of his book van Zyl discusses the Griquatown coin controversy after speaking to the Griquas of Griquatown in the early 1900s - none knew of the pattern pieces. van Zyl says: "Byna gelyktydig met die verskyning van die Griekwa-muntstukke (1874) het ook die eerste Transvaal geld op die toneel verskyn, nl. die bekende Burgersponde." (translation: At about this time the Griqua coins (1874) and the first Transvaal coin appeared - the famous Burgerspond"). The comment is accompanied by a photo of the Griquatown half piece.

The book carries numerous unique reflections on the Griqua including the Griqua language, humour and poems. It covers their history from their eviction from the Cape to their lives at Griquatown.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds three copies in excellent condition.

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King of the Bastards (1950)
Sarah Gertrude Millin

The story of the De Bruin family told in easy reading format. 338 page hard copied book.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in very good condition.

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The Story of Hottentots Holland by Peggy Heap (1970)

This fairly rare hardcovered book looks at the history of the Hottentots Hollands region - near Cape Town.

The introduction  sums up the theme.. Very gradually, over the years, as the dutch settlers pushed further and further into the interior the Hottentot tribes vanished, the game became extinct and great change was wrought in the face and character of the land..

The book has over 40 historic plates and maps and gives a very interesting angle on the early days in the Cape of Good Hope.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust  holds a copy in excellent condition.

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Gentlemen of Brave Mettle - R Harber (1973)

The title is borrowed from Shakespeare's "The Tempest" "You are gentlemen of brave mettle".

This unusual 130 page book, with the author's own efforts at hand drawn cartoons, covers snippets of the Griquas history at East Griqualand - with all the major characters, Kok, Strachan and Brisley getting a mention. The research comes from a variety of nominated sources including The Natal Mercury, Dower's and Halford's book.

Very few of these books exist today. The copy seen right, held by the Balson Holdings Family Trust, is signed by the author.

The Kafirs Illustrated - George French Angas (1974)
Full title: A Facsimile Edition of The Kafirs Illustrated in a Series of Drawings taken among The Amazulu, Amapunda and Amakos Tribes also Portraits of the Hottentot, Malay, Fingo and other Races Inhabiting Southern Africa together with Sketches of Landscape Scenery in the Zulu Country, Natal and the Cape Colony
Facsimile reprint of 1847 edition

This very large coffee table book contains 133 pages including 30 full colour lithographs. This very expensive book (sells for US$1,000) is number 779 of just 950 facsimile reprints. The original 1847 book sells for about US$30,000. Publisher A. A. Balkema, Cape Town and Rotterdam, 1974. Original Cloth. Book Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Reprint. Elephant Folio - over 15" - 23" tall. Just under 22 inches high and bound in darke green cloth to imitate morocco. Gilt spine and front cover titles. Very tidy but with a scratch to the bottom of the front board. Otherwise light shelfwear only. Few spots to the endpapers.

The author: George French Angas (25 April 1822 - 1886) was the eldest son of George Fife Angas, prominent in the establishment of the new colony of South Australia. The young Angas was born in Newcastle-on-Tyne. Turning his back on his father's world of commerce directed his life towards art and nature, studying natural history, art and lithography before embarking on his travels which enabled him to apply all areas of his studies. As a youth he studied drawing and lithography and in 1842 published A Ramble in Malta and Sicily illustrated with his own sketches. Angas painted some of the earliest views of South Australia. Arriving in Adelaide in January 1844, and travelling with Sir George Grey he soon began an extensive series of journeys to the Murray Lakes, Barossa Valley, Fleurieu Peninsula and the South East, presenting his impressions of the newly established colony and its inhabitants, landscape, and its flora and fauna. Following a trip to New Zealand he returned to South Australia in 1845 and travelled to Port Lincoln. In the following year he visited South Africa, working on a series of drawings and watercolours which were published in 1849 as Kafirs Illustrated.

The album of lithographs, known as The Kafirs Illustrated, has long been out of print. It is rightly considered one of the most desirable items of our Africana a fact reflected in the price it fetches at auction on the rare occasions it appears in sale catalogues. Its attraction for collectors lies not in the fact that it has a scarcity value, but is derived from the exquisite beauty of the scenes portrayed in these thirty lithographs.

Publisher's note: This facsimile edition of Angas' Kafir's Illustrated was based upon three copies of the original edition in the South African Library, Cape Town. Variations in the hand colouring resulted in some differences between the three versions of a given subject : in each case the best of the three was chosen for reproduction.

The size of the reproduction is the same as that of the original.

The text and line engravings of the original have been reproduced entirely, in the original size. One liberty has been taken by the combining of (original) folio's 48, 49 and 50 to make two pages of this edition.

The captions and plate numbers in the original were often illegible: they have been reset, complete, for this edition.

The copy (some of lithographs seen below), held by the Balson Holdings Family Trust, is in excellent condition .

The Balson Holdings Family Trust also owns the original handpainted prints acquired from auctions - sadly taken out of the original 1847 book (directly below).

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They came our way - Basil Holt (1974)

They came our way is an interesting 180 page hard covered book retelling stories of the yesteryear.

The book discusses the Hottentots and has a ten page chapter (xii) dedicated to Donald Strachan  the man behind Strachan and Co.

The chapter on Donald Strachan is compiled from an interview with Ken Strachan - many of the facts are way off the mark such as the comment that Thomas Strachan died in 1874 - he died many years later.

The copy seen right, held by the Balson Holdings Family Trust, is in excellent condition.

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In the shadows of the Drakensberg - John Shephard (1976)

This 180 page book on the story of East Griqualand and its people is rarely seen today.

In this book Shephard looks at the background to the arrival of the White Man in East Griqualand and the lives of the early settlers - including their contact with Adam Kok and the Griquas at Kokstad. Many of the incidents covered in this book are quite humorous - making the book easy to read.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust hold a copy of the book in excellent condition.

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Cry the beloved country - Alan Paton (1978)

This 297 page limited edition book was published by the Franklin Library in limited form. The book is hard cover, leather bound, gilt stamped with a hubbed spine and is signed by the famous Alan Paton.

One of the most famous and important novels in South Africa's history, and an immediate worldwide bestseller when it was published in 1948, Alan Paton's deeply moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son, Absalom, set against the background of a land and a people driven by racial injustice.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust hold a copy of the book in excellent condition.

The cover of the book	Paton's signature

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Forgotten Frontiersmen - Alf Wannenburgh (1980)

This fascinating book can be found on the Internet

The 194 page book gives an easy to read history of the Griquas starting from the Hottentot to the fall of the Griqua nation in East Griqualand following its annexure by the British.

Highly recommended to any person wanting to find out more about the Griquas without having to labor through academic conclusions and lengthy extracts from documents of the day.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy in excellent condition.

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Kuruman Moffat Mission - a historical survey
1987 - Alan Butler

Very hard to get book - in fact the only place you can get it is from the Moffat Mission Station at Kuruman.

The survey, funded by the Kuruman Moffat Mission Trust, carries useful information about the life and times of that extraordinary missionary Robert Moffat and his work at the Kuruman mission station where David Livingstone proposed to Moffat's eldest daughter.

Highly recommended to any person wanting to find out more about Moffat and the Griquas without having to labor through academic conclusions and lengthy extracts from documents of the day.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy in excellent condition.

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Post Carts in Southern Natal and East Griqualand (Natalia)
Ken Strachan and Milner Snell

Very hard to get book -  given to Scott Balson at the time of his visit to S Africa in September 2006 by Milner Snell, Chair of the Kokstad Museum. More at this link.

See also Rupert Larkan's unpublished work at this link - his mother minted the F C Larkan trade token coins.

Highly recommended to any person wanting to find out more about the issues facing the early settlers in Natal.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy in excellent condition.

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Early History of Adam Kok and East Griqualand 1863-1875
by Headman C G de Bruin (republished 2002)

This small and exceedingly rare 24 page A5 booklet (150 copies only) was written by Cornelius George de Bruin and re-published by the Kokstad Museum in 2002. In October 1898 shortly after Le Fleur's rebellion, De Bruin was appointed the Headman of the Griquas by the Governor of the Cape at the request of his people. Milner Snell provides an insightful look at the man in a five page foreword.

This fascinating book on the history of the Griqua people, although short, is perhaps the only account of their history put in writing by a Griqua - giving the reader a unique perspective into the Griqua's mindset. The book is a reprint of a sixteen page manuscript that de Bruin authored and distributed in the late 1920s - only a couple of these original documents remain.

The book gives the history of Adam Kok, his government in Nomansland, wars with the natives, Rev W Dower of whom he speaks very highly - despite his controversial book "The Early Annals of Kokstad and East Griqualand", Riet Vlei, Annexation, the death of Adam Kok and the Matatiele District. de Bruin was one of many Griquas who wrote letters to the Kokstad Advertiser strongly disputing some of the derogatory comments made by Dower about the Griquas and their slothfulness following the publication of Dower's book in 1902.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds number 25 of just 150 copies in excellent condition as as well as an unnumbered copy signed by de Bruin's two grandsons - with John de Bruin being the headman at Kokstad in 2006.

Hottentot Venus -
Barbara Chase-Riboud (November 2003)

This hardcover book runs to over 300 pages.

It is a dramatised novel based around the shocking manner in which a Hottentot woman, known as Sarah Baartman, was presented naked as a freak at exhibitions in Europe drawing large crowds. Acts or racism and cruelty against Baartman are well documented as she became the subject of ridicule with her final ignomy being the dissection of her brain after her death.

The Balson Holdings Family trust owns a copy signed by the author (see image below).

The Griquas of South Africa and their money - S Balson (February 2004)

An extraordinary work based on 25 years of collection and research into these little understood people. The book factually exposes the romantic theories about the Griqua Town coins minted in 1815. The 50 page book carries much of the information displayed on this web site but provides more detail on other coins used by the Griqua people. There are ten pages of colour plates which include historic photographs and coins. An overview and order form can be seen at this link.

The first 20 copies are numbered, signed and have 3d Strachan and Co "In Goods" token strung on a leather bookmark.

The Balson Holdings Family trust owns #1 as well as several other of the first 20 copies.

Critical comment on this work: A very focused work, well researched, which reveals the important role of the Strachan and Co tokens as part of South Africa's evolving currency.

Children of the Mist - The lost tribe of South Africa (Presentation Copy)
S Balson (release date August 2006)

The story of the lost tribe of South Africa told in an easy to read 350 page novel (factional book - fiction based on fact). This is the presentation hard copy edition restricted to just twenty (20) copies.

Ten of the first hard copy limited edition pre-release copies for museum curators and historians will be personally delivered by Scott Balson when he visits South Africa in September 2006. Each will be personally inscribed with the recipients name. These books will, uniquely, contain an original engraved 2/- Strachan and Co coin attached to a leather bookmark and will be individually numbered and signed by the author. These books will be used for final editing and feedback on historical fact by experts in this specialised field - feedback which will impact on the book to be released to the public. 

Here is the overview carried on the back cover:

When Marie goes to stay on the family farm in the remote district of Matatiele in East Griqualand shocking memories of her childhood flood back to her; she confesses an awful secret that has dogged her all of her life to her fifteen year old granddaughter Aime.

This tragic outcome, arising from the act of a Good Samaritan, left a dark shadow over her life and resulted in a passionate search for the true history of the Griqua people; the direct descendants of South Africa's first inhabitants, the Hottentots.

Her research reveals an ugly side to early South African history that has been covered up and sanitised by past historians. Marie shares the exciting history of the Griquas with Aime adding a new and refreshing insight into the lives of South Africa's first voortrekkers.

The book closes dramatically with an unexpected twist whose secret is wrapped in a coin.

The recipients of the book:

Further images and background on this book can be seen at this link.

The Balson Holdings Family trust owns seven copies of this strictly limited hard cover edition.

Critical comment on this work: Over thirty years of research backed by the collaboration of historians and the family trust's unique library have been instrumental in the development of this novel.

Looking back - a photographic history of Kokstad
Kokstad Museum (2007)

Fascinating soft covered 46 page pictorial with a large number of historic photographs from Kokstad covering:

• The founding of Kokstad
• Main Street
• The Cape Mounted Rifles
• The Usher Memorial Hospital
• Places of Worship
• The Agricultural Show
• Post Carts, Trains and Planes

Some of the photographs from the book can be seen below.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust has a copy in mint condition

Children of the Mist - The lost tribe of South Africa
S Balson (First Edition, October 2007 5,000 copies)

The story of the lost tribe of South Africa told in an easy to read 350 page novel (factional book - fiction based on fact).

The well-publicised and successful launch of the book was undertaken during October 2007 by Scott Balson. Over 500 copies of the book were sold during his short time in S Africa.

The book was revised slightly following feedback received from the recipients of the presentation copy (above) and a further eight pages added - largely to cover the move of some Griquas to Mnceba in the 1880s - a small region just outside the annexed territory of East Griqualand.

The book received rave reviews and was featured on South African Broadcasting Corporation's 50/50 program on 29th October 2007.

Nearly 200 copies of the book were donated by the author to Griqua communities in Kranshoek, Kokstad, Campbell, Griquatown, Philippolis and Bloemfontein during his trip.

An extensive coverage of his 2007 book launch with photos and videos can be seen at this link.

There was a special edition of just 50 copies sold at the Kranshoek launch. Each one had the author's and the signature of a Griqua elder.

The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds 1/50 of the Kranshoek launch which also carries the signatures of the Griqua National Conference - including Paramount Chief Alan le Fleur. Most valuable is the copy of the book which carries the signatures of nearly one hundred key people that Scott Balson met during his book launch trip.   

Critical comment on this work: Over thirty years of research backed by the collaboration of historians and the family trust's unique library have been instrumental in the development of this novel. The SABC and key members of the Griqua National Conference confirm that the Griqua have adopted this book as their official history.

Transkei Heritage
Joan A Broster (real name Joan Cremer) 2009

This fascinating 450 page soft covered book on the history of the Transkei was written by Joan Cremer.

Cremer, writing under the name "Broster", grew up in Qebe and worked on a trading station. It was this upbringing that fostered her interest in writing this book.

The book covers parts of the Strachan and Cole history with over 26 pages covering Nomansland. Interestingly while refering to Cole's token coins she overlooks those of Strachan and Co. Cremer makes the point that even the Cole tokens were recognised as currency by the indigenous population right up until 1935 - when they were finally outlawed!

The book carries dozens of black and white photos in rather poor quality.

Joan Cremer (seen below) died shortly before the book was published so no signed copies exist. The Daily Dispatch in East London has a short commentary on her history at this link

The Balson Holdings Family Trust hold a copy of the book in excellent condition