See also ZAR coin and bank notes
See also ZAR coin and bank notes
*(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.
In the Steps of Piet Retief-This fascinating hrd covered, 240 page, book looks into the remarkable life of Piet Retief.
Our particular interest in this book is the original title deed owned by the Balson Holdings Family Trust who's authenticity is reflected in the scans from the book below.
Namely:
Scans of the relevant pages - including an early map of Grahamstown can be seen below.
Piet Retief was one of the leaders of the Great Trek from the Cape into Natal - where Retief and his men were massacred by Dingaan (their hearts and livers extracted from their bodies by the Zulus). Retief had to watch while his men were slaughtered in this manner before his turn came. This gruesome and brutal savagery is discussed in detail from first hand witnesses in this book.
The Natal city of Pietermaritzburg is named after Pieter Retief.. and the title deed linked above is an extremely valuable original artefact once issued to and held by this extraordinary man.
More on Piet Retief at this link
The Balson Holdings Family Trust has a copy of this book in excellent condition (front cover torn).
Critical comment on this work:Excellent work - well researched with countless strong references. |
Commemorative Medals of the ZAR - Africana Museum (1986)
This comprehensive work by the African Library in Johannesburg gives the background to all the boer's commemorative medals in their museum.
Like the "Tokens of Southern Africa" by E J Maynard it is a classic work covering the entire boer war period - as well as before and after.
This book is very rarely seen and is extremely rare in any condition.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust has a copy of this book in very good condition (front cover torn).
Critical comment on this work:Another classic work from the highly respected Africana Library |
South African War Books - R G Hackett 1994
For any collector of boer war books this is a must.
It is a comprehensive illustrated bibliography of boer war books collected by R G Hackett over many years. The book is beautifully presented and holds information on several hundred books.
It was a meeting with actor Kenneth Griffith in 1967 while he was making the film on the Siege of Ladysmith for the BBC that inspired Hackett to collect boer war books. The author talks of going into Griffith's library and seeing row upon row of first edition boer war books numbering five or six hundred volumes.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy of this book in perfect condition.
Critical comment on this work:A classic work sought after by book collectors. |
This classic work by Theal covers the entire history of South Africa up to 1894.
The book goes into the background of the tribes who roamed the region before white man came - covering the Hottentots, Bushmen and various black tribes. It looks at the first settlement of the white man and the numerous "Kaffir wars" that followed in the eastern Cape in the 1800s.
The book has several historic maps and illustrations.
A copy of this book in excellent condition is held by the Balson Holdings Family Trust.
Critical comment on this work:Excellent contemporary history of early South Africa. |
Oom Paul's People - Howard Hillegas - 1899
A wonderful old book that once graced the shelves of the James V Brown library in Williamport in Pennsylvania before being withdrawn.
Contents include South Africa, the Boer race, Johannesburg gold fields, President Kruger, Cecil John Rhodes, Boer Government civil and military, Causes of present dissensions, Preparations for defense, American interests in south Africa, and Johannesburg of to-day
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy of this book in very good condition
Critical comment on this work:Easy to read book on the pre-1900 Boers in South Africa |
War in South Africa and the Dark Continent -
William Harding - 1900
It's title and brief introduction reflects the authors perception of South Africa and its inhabitants:
War in South Africa and the Dark Continent, from savagery to civilisation... The strange story of a weird world from the earliest ages to the present including the war with the boers.. and the causes and events of the British-Boer War.
The book was sold by subscription only making it very hard to come by (even on the Internet).
The lengthy 534 page book has coloured maps, illustrations and photographs. Although copyrighted in 1899 it carries the fall of Pretoria in 1900.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy of this book in very good condition
Critical comment on this work:A very comprehensive work covering the first and second boer wars and the battle of Majuba Hill. |
This fabulous diary gives a very insightful look into the siege of Ladysmith, the impact of the big boer guns and their 96lb shells on the small town and the battles and skirmishes that took place during the siege.
The book was printed by Methuen's Colonial Library from letters sent to the Daily Chronicle.
It includes very detailed maps of Ladysmith and its environs - marking exactly where the various battles took place and the fronts.
The book can be easily purchased through the Internet.
The copy held by the Balson Holdings Family Trust is in excellent condition.
Critical comment on this work:A fascinating book which looks into the life and times of the besieged people of Ladysmith. |
The Boer War - 1899 - 1900 - R E King Limited
- 1900
One of the harder boer war books to acquire.
This illustrated 344 page work has several illustrations and is "compiled from authentic sources".
The book looks at the causes of the 1899 boer war, the invasion of Natal and the Cape Colony by the boers, the various sieges (such as Ladysmith and Kimberley), the relief of Ladysmith and the main war - including the role of the Canadians.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy of this first edition book in very good condition although the spine is becoming frayed.
Critical comment on this work:A classic work sought after by book collectors. |
South Africa and the Transvaal war - Louis Creswicke
- 1900
This set of six books is readily available on the Internet.
It is a very interesting look at South Africa and the conflicts faced by the British. It covers several incidents in some detail such as the death of the Prince Imperial of France at the hands of a Zulu impi in 1879 and the subsequent court-marshalling of Lieutenant Carey. It refers to and provides complete extracts from documents an press cuttings of the time.
In other instances the volume of books glosses over major incidents and events, but above all, is written in a very biased manner presenting the British as morally correct in everything they do but the enemy, boers, Zulus etc as nothing better than savages.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy of this first edition volume of six books in fair condition the spines are becoming loose and frayed as is the binding in a couple of the books.
Critical comment on this work:An easy to read set of books covering early South African history from a decidedly pro-British standpoint. Not completely accurate in some of the facts presented. |
The Ladysmith bombshell; a souvenir of the Siege of Ladysmith
- Robert Earl - 1900
Very few copies of the "Ladysmith Bombshell" were circulated at the time of the siege. This "Souvenir" edition contains all 8 issues and was printed in Durban after the siege. Original stiff card wraps with pictorial upper wrap and brown cloth spine. The title page (See image below) followed by hand written text and drawings. Inner front wrap has the "Bunny" Hosken book plate - see image.
Condition Details: The covers are light lightly soiled with several repaired closed tears and the lower cover has the top corner broken off. There is foxing throughout.
Coment by Earl: 'Complying with numerous requests made by those who were unable to obtain copies of "The Bombshell" at the time of its publication, owing to the exigencies of the situation precluding the issue of more than a very few copies of each Edition, this volume is now published, and it should form an agreeable memento of a very disagreeable experience; of 118 days fraught with trouble and anxiety, but relieved by innumerable instances of valour and fortitude.'.
An original extremely rare Ladysmith Bombshell paper held by the Balson Holdings Family Trust can be seen at this link.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy of this rare book in good condition.
Critical comment on this work:A fascinating early reprint of the famous series of newspapers called the "Ladysmith Bombshell". |
With the Guards' Brigade - Rev E P Lowry 1902
A delightful little book by a priest who travelled with the Scots Guards from the Cape through Kimberley, Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, Pretoria and chasing President Paul Kruger to the border of Portuguese East Africa (Mozambique) in September 1899 - before Kruger fled (see the proclamation by Lord Roberts below).
The good Reverend's disdain for the boer fighters is shown throughout the book - with several reference to the boers shooting and killing the British soldiers while holding up a white flag in surrender.
This is an extremely rare book and is unavailable on the Internet at this time.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy of this 277 page book in excellent condition.
Critical comment on this work:An easy to read book which gives an interesting insight into the times. |
The Boer Fight for Freedom - Michael Davitt 1902
An excellent 607 page hard covered work with dozens of photographs including the haunting images of the British dead following the battle of Spion Kop. (These images can be seen in the second row scanned below).
The book also contains accounts of the Boer War and looks at the one-sided battle from the Boer perspective.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy of this book in excellent condition.
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Critical comment on this work:An easy to read book which gives an interesting insight from a Boer perspective. |
A classic map of Southern Africa which details all the important battles in the war.
It also has a detailed map of the Witwatersrand - showing individual land ownership of large "Uitlander" owned blocks from which the rich gold mines were established. The image from the large linen fold out map can be seen at this link.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy of this map book in very good condition.
Critical comment on this work:A valuable addition to any collector of contemporary boer war exonumia and maps. |
An extremely rare 60 page booklet printed with beige wraps.
Devitt became the first criminal magistrate in Johannesburg at about this time. Earlier he wrote the book "Galloping Jack" (also extremely rare) after Brigadier General John R Royston. Royston had a trading store in southern Natal and issued his own trade tokens.
Devitt's book on the concentration camps was a blatant part of the second world war propaganda effort. The book, which includes tables and statistics, claims that the tragedies of massive Boer deaths in the Anglo-Boer War camps in remote locations like Mafeking were unavoidable and that the deaths were caused by "the military strategy of the Boer leaders" and the measles epidemic.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy of this extremely rare book in perfect, unused condition.
Critical comment on this work:A valuable addition to any collector of Boer War propaganda material. |
First edition. 8vo. Soft cover. Brief text with many photos (some colour), mostly to show various uniforms. Published as "Uniforms Illustrated", no. 19. Pp. 68, photos, portraits, illustrations.
This is a rare document authored by a prolific military writer.
Useful reference book on uniforms used during the Boer War. The uniforms displayed include British, Boer, Canadian, Australian and services such as nursing
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy of this book in very good condition.
Critical comment on this work:A valuable addition to any collector of contemporary boer war exonumia. |
An excellent reproduction of this two volume work with several detailed battle maps.
The books were written by the German General Staff and give an incisive look at the good and bad decisions made by the various British Generals as they took on the boers.
Each battle is dissected, the movements and field pieces and their placement discussed and the interaction of the two sides in the combat discussed.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy of these books in pristine condition.
Critical comment on this work:These books give an excellent new perspective on the boer war. |
Land title deed - signed by Paul Kruger (1898)
This title deed
1746 of 1898 was personally signed and approved by President Paul Kruger
on the 19th March 1898 shortly before he was re-elected president of the
Transvaal.
The property was granted to Hendrik Lodewigh Joubert Senior with the title on lot 1826 of Soutter Street in Pretoria. Soutter Street is today in the central business district of Pretoria and this original block can be identified on current street maps by its street number.
Interestingly, the deed refers to the land at Pretoria being surveyed in October 1892 - not long after the first Kruger coins were minted.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds this original title deed.
The Ladysmith Bombshell - 1st January 1900
One of eight issues of The Ladysmith Bombshell produced in Ladysmith during
the Siege.
450 x 290 mm, 6 pages printed on one side only by the cyclostyle process, front page illustrated, others reproduced from manuscript text. Compiled by George W. Lines, with cartoon illustration by Earl Robert. The sheets stapled together with a singe staple, folded down the centre causing an off-set mark of the staple. Includes news, poetry and gossip from the siege. The eight issues were reprinted after the siege and published in volume form.
Examples of the original issues produced in Ladysmith during the siege are very scarce.
In this issue there is a poem "Marking Time", a report on peaches that weigh 17 ounces each and claims that the British flag would soon be flying over Pretoria. There is also a very irreverend, tongue in cheek, song called "There was an old nigger, his name etc..." which has a go at the Piet Joubert, the Boer leader's, slow actions and implied cowardice.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy of this extremely rare paper in excellent condition.
The Bombshell Poems - 1900
Compilation of poems carried in the Ladysmith Bombshell produced in Ladysmith during the Siege.
The booklet is intact with original staples. 190 x 120mm, 12 pages of poems, green printed paper wrappers with vignette of damaged clock tower of the Town hall. The town hall still stands today (see below) - with the clock tower repaired and a living icon of the siege. Some slight foxing otherwise good condition. The sheets stapled together with two staples in spine, folded down the centre causing an off-set mark of the staples.
Examples of the original issues of this booklet produced in Ladysmith during the siege are extremely scarce and cannot be found for sale on the Internet. One of the poems is scanned and shown below with the printer's mark - Greening and Co.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy of this extremely rare and historic blooklet in excellent condition (purchased for nearly US$500 in January 2008 from Clarkes Books in Cape Town). Certificate of authenticity at this link.
The Ladysmith Town Hall today
An extremely rare 12 page newspaper reprint of the extraordinary rare "Ladysmith Lyre" published by the Daily Graphic in 1901.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust holds a copy of this fascinating historical work. Images below:
Critical comment on this work:Historically fascinating |
Proclamation by Lord Roberts - 14th September 1900
This unique document measuring 17 inches by 20 inches was posted in the Pretoria Courthouse on the 14th September 1900. It was supposed to take the wind out of the sails of the boers who continued to use guerilla tactics to fight their unwanted new rulers.
The tactic did not work despite Lord Robert's comments that Kruger had "deserted" the Boer cause and fled South Africa and was waiting at Lourenco Marques for a boat to take him back to Europe.
This is the only poster of its kind with its authenticity confirmed by Australia's leading antiquarian book store, Berkelouw Books. Apparently the poster was removed soon after being posted by an Australian soldier who recognised its historical significance and kept in the family until 2005.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust purchased the unique document as soon as it became available.
South African Despatches - Lord Kitchener (March 1901)
This fascinating and extraordinarily rare document is the original report to the British Parliament still bound by the original piece of string. The document is a sixteen page report presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of His Majesty -on the 8th March 1901
The document right sets out the state of the war with the boers - with Kitchener gleefully reporting on the routing of the boer forces in all areas except for the northern part of Transvaal - around Pietersburg and to the east around Pilgrims Rest - where the veld pond was defiantly struck in 1902.
See also the bank notes printed in Pietersburg (1901) and Te Veld notes in Pilgrims Rest (1902).
The main action between General French (British) and Commandant General
Botha (boers) is summarised in the despatch by the capture thus:
296 Boers killed and wounded
177 Prisoners of war
555 surrendered prisoners
784 rifles
199,300 rounds rifle ammunition
6,289 horses
26,927 cattle
175,514 sheep and
1,747 wagons and carts
Days later Commandant Botha rejected Kitchener's surrender terms and the boers moved north to Pietersburg.
The Balson Holdings Family Trust has a copy in perfect condition.
Telegrams between Commandant Louis Botha (boers) and Lord Kitchener
(March 1901)
This fascinating and extraordinarily rare document is the original report to the British parliament still bound by the original piece of string. The document is a ten page report presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of His Majesty - March 1901
The transcript of eleven key telegrams between Lord Kitchener and the High Commissioner, Sir Alfred Milner.
A telegram from Kitchener goes into great detail about his meeting with Botha on the 28th February 1901 in summary the following was discussed:
When the above were agreed to, Botha responded on 16th March 1901 that "I do not feel disposed to recommend that the terms of the said letter shall have the earnest consideration of my Government. I may add also that my Government and my chief officers here entirely agree to my views".
The Balson Holdings Family Trust has a copy in perfect condition.
