• Indoda Ebisithanda ("The Man Who Loved Us") - The Reverend James Laing among the amaXhosa, 1831-1836
    Edited by Sandra Rowoldt Shell
    Volume:
    III-1 (2019)
    Print Status:
    In Print (eBook available)
    This study is a critical edition of a section of the journals of the Reverend James Laing of the Glasgow Missionary Society. The first scholarly study of the Laing journals, this thesis seeks to contribute towards a new understanding of the early days of transcultural interchange on the Eastern Cape frontier. The only previous published work on Laing is William Govan's hagiographical Memorials...
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  • Isaac Williams Wauchope: Selected Writings 1874-1916
    Edited and translated by Jeff Opland and Abner Nyamende with an introduction and notes by Jeff Opland
    Volume:
    II-39 (2008)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    Isaac Williams Wauchope (1852-1917) was a prominent member of the Eastern Cape African elite in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a Congregational minister, political activist, historian, poet and, ultimately, legendary hero in the Mendi disaster. A Lovedale student, he was instrumental in founding one of the first political organisations for Africans, an enthusiastic campaigner for the establishment of...
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  • Words of Batswana: Letters to Mahoko a Becwana, 1883-1896
    Translated and edited by Part T. Mgadla and Stephen C. Volz
    Volume:
    II-37 (2006)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    Words of Batswanapresents a selection of letters that were written by Batswana to Mahoko a Becwana (News/Words of Batswana), a Setswana-language newspaper published by missionaries of the London Missionary Society at Kuruman between 1883 and 1896. The majority of the writers were members of congregations in what are today South Africa’s Northern Cape Province and North West Province, but many...
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  • The Journal of Gustav de Vylder, naturalist in South-Western Africa 1873-1875
    Translated from the original Swedish and edited by Ione & Jalmar Rudner
    Volume:
    II-28 (1997)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    Gustav de Vylder, a Swedish naturalist, journeyed through Namibia from 1873 to 1875, collecting insects and other natural-history specimens for institutions in his home country. His travels were undertaken some years before the German colonial occupation when the European presence was slight. De Vylder's journal is a record of an adventurous journey, personal encounters and conditions in what was then...
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  • Norwegian missionaries in Natal and Zululand: selected correspondence (1844-1900)
    Edited by Frederick Hale
    Volume:
    II-27 (1996)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    The Norwegian Missionary Society established its first permanent stations north of the Tugela in the 1840s. The Zulu Lutheran Church which developed from conversions in the 1860s only really developed after the conquest of Zululand in 1879. The Norwegian missionaries were strategically located to view changes in Zulu culture and civilisation and their letters and reports comprise a rich and...
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  • Griqua Records, the Philippolis Captaincy, 1825-1861
    Original Dutch text with English Translation - Compiled translated and edited by Karel Schoeman
    Volume:
    II-25 (1994)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    In the Transorange in the early part of the 19th century, there were four small, semi-independent Griqua polities, each ruled by its own Chief or Kaptyn. They of were of considerable importance to the British authorities at the Cape, and to the London Missionary Society. This volume comprises of a collection of official and semi-official documents relating he Captaincy...
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  • Johan August Wahlberg: Travel Journals and from letters, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, 1838-1856
    Edited and introduced by Chris Hummel and Adrian Craig
    Volume:
    II-23 (1992)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    Johan August Wahlberg (1810-1856), a Swedish naturalist, travelled through much of southern Africa, including Natal and Namibia, before the mid-19th century. He had been chosen by the Swedish Academy of Sciences to collect plants and animals in southern Africa for the Natural History Museum in Stockholm. His account of his travels is often terse and businesslike but his accounts of...
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  • Guillaume Chenu de Chalezac, the 'French Boy'
    Edited and introduced by Randolph Vigne
    Volume:
    II-22 (1991)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    The 15-year-old 'French boy' was wrecked on he Ciskei coast in 1687, and spent a year living in the household of a Xhosa chief. The worlds of the Huguenot diaspora, the great days of Indian Ocean trading, the Cape's pivotal position in the struggle for mastery, and the awakening interest of the Dutch in the 'Terra de Natal' form a...
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  • The Commissions of W.C. Palgrave Special Emissary to South West Africa, 1876-1885
    Edited and introduced by E.L.P. Stals.
    Volume:
    II-21 (1990)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    William Coates Palgrave (1833-1897) was active in South West Africa (Namibia) for 25 years. As Special Commissioner to Hereroland and Namaland, he undertook 5 consecutive commissions to that country on behalf of the Cape government. This volume, containing the official journals, or minutes and reports produced during the commissions, records the life of a country on the brink of colonisation.
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  • The Frontier War Journal of Major John Crealock 1878
    Edited and introduced by Chris Hummel
    Volume:
    II-19 (1988)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    Major John North Crealock (1837-1895) fought in a number of colonial wars, including the Indian Mutiny and the Anglo-Zulu War. This volume is a detailed account of the warfare conducted against the Xhosa in the last phases of the frontier war of 1877-1878. Opinionated and inefficient, Crealock nevertheless gives a sober account of the military situation.
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  • Carl Peter Thunberg. Travels at the Cape of Good Hope 1772-1775
    Edited by Emeritus Prof. V.S. Forbes and translated from the Swedish by J and I Rudner
    Volume:
    II-17 (1986)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    Carl Peter Thunberg (1743), a Swede and disciple of the renowned botanist, Linnaeus the elder, was the first university graduate to travel extensively in the Cape interior, preceding the expedition of his compatriot, Anders Sparrman. Apart from recounting his three journeys - two to the Eastern Cape as far as the Sundays River, and one to the Roggeveld - he...
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  • The Letters of Jane Elizabeth Waterston 1866-1905
    Edited by Lucy Bean and Elizabeth B. van Heyningen with an introduction by Elizabeth B. van Heyningen
    Volume:
    II-14 (1983)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    Jane Waterston (1843-1932) accompanied the missionary, Dr James Stewart, to the Eastern Cape when he became principal of the Lovedale Institution. There she started the Girls' Institution but her real desire was to work as a doctor amongst women in the interior of Africa. In 1874 she returned to England where she was amongst the first women to train in...
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  • William Somerville's narrative of his journeys to the Eastern Cape frontier and to Lattakoe 1799-1802
    Introduction and notes by Edna and Frank Bradlow
    Volume:
    II-10 (1979)
    Print Status:
    Out of print
    William Somerville, an Edinburgh doctor, accompanied the invading forces of Major-General Craig when the British took the Cape in 1795. He remained at the Cape for some years, accompanying Major-General Dundas to the eastern districts during the height of conflict on the frontier. Subsequently he accompanied an expedition to the Orange River. On both occasions he recorded the cultures...
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  • Selected Articles from the Cape Monthly Magazine (New Series 1870-76)
    Introduction and notes by A.M. Lewin Robinson
    Volume:
    II-9 (1978)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    The "Cape Monthly Magazine" was the best-known of the 19th century Cape journals. Edited by Professor Roderick Noble of the South African College, and Alfred Whaley Cole, it attracted contributions from leading Cape intellectuals. This selection deals with travels and historical reminiscences and includes articles by Dr W.G. Atherstone, Charles Brownlee and Robert Godlonton
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  • Anders Sparrman. Travels in the Cape 1772-1776: Vol. II
    With introduction and editing by Prof. Vernon S. Forbes. Translated from the Swedish by J. and I. Rudner.
    Volume:
    II-7 (1976)
    Print Status:
    Out of print (Softbound reprint and eBook available)
    This second volume of Sparrman's travels concerns his account of his journey to the Eastern Cape including a stay at Agter Bruintjies Hoogte. It includes comments on the practices of the Khoi of the eastern districts and of local flora and fauna.
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  • Anders Sparrman. Travels in the Cape 1772-1776; Vol. I
    With introduction and editing by Prof. Vernon S. Forbes. Translated from the Swedish by J. and I. Rudner.
    Volume:
    II-6 (1975)
    Print Status:
    Out of print (Softbound reprint and eBook available)
    Anders Sparrman (1748-1820), a young Swedish doctor, is noteworthy for his visit to parts of the Cape which were little known at that time. This first volume describes his journey past Mossel Bay and through the Langkloof.
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  • David Livingstone South African Papers (1849-1853)
    Edited by I. Schapera
    Volume:
    II-5 (1974)
    Print Status:
    Out of print
    This volume of Livingstone's writings, which predates his travels, is concerned primarily with South African racial and missionary affairs as well as comments on traders. His bitter prejudice against the Boers emerges clearly, as do his conflicts with other missionaries., but his insights into local societies are nonetheless revealing.
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  • Beschryvinge van Kaap der Goede Hoope, met de zaaken daar toe behoorende, door François Valentyn, 1726. Dl. II.
    Edited by Dr. E. H. Raidt with English Translation by Maj. R. Raven-Hart
    Volume:
    II-4 (1973)
    Print Status:
    Out of print
    This second part of Valentyn's travels continues with the account of his visit in 1702 and a later visit of 1714. It includes a lengthy account of the customs of the Khoi and their language, the fauna to be encountered and the early history of the settlement.
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  • Travels and Adventures in Southern Africa by George Thompson, 1823-24; Vol. II
    Edited by Vernon S. Forbes
    Volume:
    I-49 (1968)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    This second volume of Thompson's travels covers a journey to the 'country of the bushmen, Korannas, and Namaquas', in the Roggeveld and Namaqualand. The volume concludes with 'observations on the present condition of the Dutch and English inhabitants' and a discussion on the commercial potential of the Cape Colony.
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  • Travels and Adventures in South Africa by George Thompson, 1823-24; Vol. I
    Edited by Vernon S. Forbes
    Volume:
    I-48 (1967)
    Print Status:
    Out of Print
    George Thompson, who arrived in the Cape about 1818, was a successful merchant in Cape Town. He married a Dutch woman and travelled widely in southern Africa in the early years of the 19th century. Much of this travelling was to expand the business of his company amongst the 1820 settlers of the Eastern Cape. He also travelled up to...
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  • Reize in de Binnen-Landen van Zuid-Africa. Gedaan in den Jaare 1803 door W.B.E. Paravicini di Capelli, Kapitein Aide de Camp, by den Gouverneur van de Caap de Goede Hoop
    Uitgegee en toegelig met inleiding, voetnote, sketskaarte en verkorte weergawe in Engels deur W.J. de Kock
    Volume:
    I-46 (1965)
    Print Status:
    Out of Print
    Paravicini di Capelli was an artillery-captain at the time of the Batavian Republic and aide-de-camp of the Cape governor, General Jan Willem Janssens. He travelled with the governor into the interior, keeping an official journal as well as his own, and was active in preparations of the Cape against attack by the British, travelling widely during this period. In 1804...
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  • The Reminiscences of Sir Walter Stanford; Vol. II
    Edited by J.W. Macquarrie.
    Volume:
    I-43 (1962)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    Stanford's second volume of reminiscences records his life in Pondoland as chief magistrate, up to its annexation, the impact of the South African War, the creation of Ndabeni, Cape Town's first location and the Native Affairs Commission of 1904.
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  • The Journal of Joseph Tindall, missionary in South-West Africa, 1839-55
    Edited by B.A. Tindall
    Volume:
    I-40 (1959)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    Joseph Tindall, a Wesleyan missionary, worked in South-West Africa, initially with Jonker Afrikaner in Damaraland. His journal includes much information about local customs and conflicts between Damara groups. This work lacks the usual historical introduction.
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  • The Reminiscences of Sir Walter Stanford; Vol. I
    Edited by J.W. Macquarrie.
    Volume:
    I-39 (1958)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    Sir Walter Stanford served for many years in the Native Affairs Department of the Cape Colony, retiring in 1907, when he began to write his memoirs. This first volume describes his youth, education at Lovedale College and his work in the Native Affairs Department during the 1870s, concluding with the Cape Native Laws and Customs Commission in 1881-3.
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  • Maleo en Sekoekoeni
    Translated from the original German into Afrikaans by J.F.W. Grosskopf and edited by G.P.J. Trümpelmann; with an English summary by A. Ravenscroft
    Volume:
    I-38 (1957)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    Dr Theodor Wangemann was a director of the Berlin Missionary Society who came out to South Africa in 1866 to visit the mission stations throughout the country. This work, one of several which Wangemann wrote and a typical example of nineteenth-century German missionary literature, describes mission work in the Lydenburg district of the northern Transvaal.
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  • The Cape Journals of Archdeacon N.J. Merriman, 1848-55
    Edited by D.H. Varley and H.M. Matthew
    Volume:
    I-37 (1957 for 1956)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    Archdeacon Merriman was appointed Archdeacon of Grahamstown by Bishop Robert Gray in 1848. his instructions were to expand the church in the Eastern Cape by establishing new congregations and building churches in the small townships. He was to 'awaken 'religious instincts long dormant through lack of opportunity' and to 'preach to barbarous people the saving grace of Christianity.' In accomplishing...
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  • Andrew Smith and Natal: documents relating to the early history of the Province
    Selected, edited and annotated by Percival R. Kirby
    Volume:
    I-36 (1955)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    Andrew Smith, a British doctor, journeyed to Natal in 1832, ostensibly for scientific purposes, but almost certainly operating under instructions. The text includes an account of his visit to Dingane and notes on the different tribal groups which he encountered, the Cape Town Merchants' Memorial of 1835 and some of the records of the South African Land and Emigration Association
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  • The Narrative and Journal of Gerald McKiernan in South-West Africa during the years 1847-70
    Edited by P. Serton
    Volume:
    I-35 (1954)
    Print Status:
    Out of Print
    Gerald McKiernan was an American trader, operating in South West Africa in the last decade before German colonial rule. The manuscript consists of a narrative of 5 years' travel in Africa, from 1875 to 1879, and a diary which he kept from 1877 to 1879. The author travelled widely, probably reaching well into Angola.
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  • A Source Book on the Wreck of the Grosvenor East Indiaman
    Compiled and edited by Percival R. Kirby
    Volume:
    I-34 (1953)
    Print Status:
    In Print
    This volume is a companion to The Wreck of the Grosvenor, published by the VRS in 1927. It includes various accounts of the wreck, the journal of William Hubberly, a survivor of the wreck, as well as some Dutch material on the event. The volume concludes with a full list of the ship's company and passengers.
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  • Letters of the American Missionaries, 1835-1838
    Edited by D.J. Kotzé
    Volume:
    I-31 (1951 for 1950)
    Print Status:
    Out of Print
    The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was one of the last missionary societies to begin work in South Africa. Since the Cape Colony was well-populated with missionaries, the Americans concentrated initially on the Matabele in the Transvaal, and on Natal. Their arrival coincided with the Great Trek and Boer expansion north and east so they were well placed...
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  • The Chronicle of Jeremiah Goldswain, Albany Settler of 1820: Vol. I
    Edited by Una Long
    Volume:
    I-27 (1946)
    Print Status:
    Out of print (Softbound reprint and eBook available)
    Jeremiah Goldswain's journals, written phonetically in his mid-English dialect, have been a source of interest to linguists as well as historians. A sawyer from Buckinghamshire, Goldswain migrated to the Eastern Cape in 1820. The first part of his journal describes the early difficulties of the settlers on the frontier
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  • Mentzel, O.F. - A geographical-topographical description of the Cape of Good Hope. Part III
    Translated from the German by G.V. Marais and J. Hoge; revised and edited by H.J. Mandelbrote
    Volume:
    I-25 (1944)
    Print Status:
    Out of print (Softbound reprint and eBook available)
    In this third volume of Mentzel's account of life at the Cape he travelled into the interior, to Stellenbosch and Swellendam. He comments on agriculture and viticulture, as well as hunting. The final chapters discuss the Khoi inhabitants.
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  • The Narrative of Private Buck Adams, 7th (Princess Royal's) Dragoon Guards on the Eastern Frontier of the Cape of Good Hope, 1843-1848
    Edited by A. Gordon-Brown
    Volume:
    I-22 (1941)
    Print Status:
    Out of print
    An unusual account of military life on the Eastern Frontier from the perspective of a common soldier. Adams wrote his account in 1884, forty years after his service in South Africa. The editor observes that 'His improbable tales have proved substantially true on investigation'. He served in the War of the Axe and the action at Zwart Koppies in the...
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  • The Diary of Dr Andrew Smith, director of the 'Expedition for exploring Central Africa', 1834-6; Vol. II
    Edited by Percival R. Kirby
    Volume:
    I-21 (1940)
    Print Status:
    Reprint and eBook available
    The second volume of Smith's diary picks up the expedition with descriptions of Baralong social life. The party travelled through the northern Cape to Mafeking and onto Mosega. Subsequently they trekked east and then returned to Cape Town, via Mzilikazi whom they visited for the second time. The diary includes extended accounts of wild life as well as the customs...
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  • The Diary of Dr Andrew Smith, director of the 'Expedition for exploring Central Africa', 1834-6; Vol. I
    Edited by Percival R. Kirby
    Volume:
    I-20 (1939)
    Print Status:
    Reprint and eBook available
    Andrew Smith, an army doctor, arrived in the Cape in 1820, remaining there until 1837. The expedition to Central South Africa was undertaken to find out more about the people living to the north. Smith travelled up to Kuruman and into Ndabele country, and explored the Oori, Mariqua and Limpopo Rivers. The expedition included a number of missionaries, among them...
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  • Die Joernaal van Dirk Gysbert van Reenen, 1803
    Uitgegee deur wyle prof. dr. W. Blommaert en prof. J.A. Wiid. With an English translation by J.L.M. Franken and Ian M. Murray
    Volume:
    I-18 (1937)
    Print Status:
    Out of print (Softbound reprint available)
    This is an account of a journey in to the Eastern Cape undertaken by the Governor of the Cape, J.W. Janssens and Capt Paravicini de Capelli, recorded by D.G. van Reenen. Van Reenen was a prominent burger at the Cape, a winemaker, reputed to make the best wine in the Cape, and he held the wine and meat contracts...
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  • Travels and Adventures in Eastern Africa by Nathaniel Isaacs; Vol. II
    Edited by Louis Herrman
    Volume:
    I-17 (1936)
    Print Status:
    Out of print (Softbound reprint and eBook available)
    Isaac’s journal is one of the first reports of a European on Natal and the kingdom of the Zulus. The first volume begins in 1825 when Isaacs went to Natal for the first time. The major portion of the text consists of a detailed description of Shaka, his society and culture. In 1830 Isaacs returned to Natal when Dingaan reigned...
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  • Travels and Adventures in Eastern Africa by Nathaniel Isaacs; Vol. I
    Edited by Louis Herrman
    Volume:
    I-16 (1935)
    Print Status:
    Out of print (Softbound reprint and eBook available)
    Isaacs' journal is one of the earliest European accounts of Natal and the Zulu kingdom. The first volume opens in 1825 when Isaacs first went to Natal. Most of the volume is devoted to an extended description of Shaka and his society and culture.
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  • The Journal of Hendrik Jacob Wikar [1779] with an English translation by A.W. van der Horst; and the Journals of Jacobus Coetse Jansz [1760] and Willem van Reenen [1791]
    Translated and edited by Dr E.E. Mossop
    Volume:
    I-15 (1935)
    Print Status:
    Out of print (Softbound reprint and eBook available)
    These journals were published originally in Molsbergen's Reizen in Zuid Afrika. Wikar's report is an account of the daily life and adventures of the first European who is known to have journeyed along the Orange River, while that of Jansz records the first European crossing of the Orange River into South-West Africa . Van Reenen crossed the Orange River into...
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  • The early Cape Hottentots described in the writings of Olfert Dapper [1668], Willem Ten Rhyne [1686] and Johannes Gulielmus de Grevenbroek [1695]
    The original texts, with translations into English by I. Schapera and B. Farrington, edited by I Schapera
    Volume:
    I-14 (1933)
    Print Status:
    Out of print (Softbound reprint and eBook available)
    Most early travellers to the Cape included some account of the local Khoisan societies. The three works published here are more comprehensive than most, giving a reasonable idea of the state of knowledge about indigenous peoples in the Western Cape by the end of the 17th century. These are the accounts of travellers rather than scientists but the more readily...
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  • Louis Trigardt's Trek across the Drakensberg, 1837-1838
    By Clause Fuller; edited by prof. Leo Fouché
    Volume:
    I-13 (1932)
    Print Status:
    Out of print
    This volume reconstructs Trigardt's journey into Natal, using his diary as the basis for this journey. It also records his comments about the people he encountered en route.
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  • Journals of the expedition of the Honourable Ensign Olof Bergh [1682 and 1683] and Isaq Schrijver [1689]
    Transcribed and translated into English and edited by Dr E.E. Mossop
    Volume:
    I-12 (1931)
    Print Status:
    Out of print (Softbound reprint and eBook available)
    The Swede, Olof Bergh, was one of the earliest travellers to undertake the journey up to Namaqualand. The purpose of his journeys was to negotiate with the 'Sousequase and Gourisse Hottentots' , to trade and to familiarise himself with the region up the Cape west coast. Isaq Schrijver of Leiden was also sent north by Governor Simon van der...
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  • Lichtenstein, Henry - Travels in Southern Africa in the years 1803 - 1806; by Henry Lichtenstein; Vol II
    Translated from the original German by Anne Plumptre. London, 1812-15
    Volume:
    I-11 (1928-30)
    Print Status:
    Out of print
    In this second volume Lichtenstein returned to Cape Town via Graaff Reinet and the Karroo. Subsequently he returned to the Swellendam district. His last journey took him north to Kuruman where he encountered the Koranna and the Bechuana.
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  • Die Dagboek van Hendrik Witbooi, Kaptein van die Witbooi-Hottentotte, 1884-1905
    Compiled from the original documents in the Government Archives, Windhoek. Introduction by Gustav Voigts and published in collaboration with the SWA Scientific Society.
    Volume:
    I-9 (1929)
    Print Status:
    Out of print (Softbound reprint available)
    Hendrik Witbooi, who had been born at Pella, south of the Orange River, was trained as an evangelist. Subsequently he moved north to Gibeon in Namibia where he established himself as a powerful figure, conducting campaigns against the Herero, many of whom were subordinated to him. The diary, which he kept from 1884 to 1894 , is in Dutch,...
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  • The Wreck of the Grosvenor
    A narrative of the loss of the Grosvernor by John Hynes, one of the survivors, written by George Carter and a translation of the Journal of Jacob van Reenen about the search for the wreck and any survivors by Capt. Edward Riou
    Volume:
    I-8 (1927)
    Print Status:
    Out of print (Softbound reprint and eBook available)
    Containing a narrative of the loss of the Grosvenor, East Indiaman, wrecked on the Coast of Caffraria, 1782; compiled by Mr George Carter, from the examination of John Hynes, one of the survivors, London, 1791; and Journal of a Journey from the Cape of Good Hope in 1790 and 1791, undertaken by J. van Reenen and others in search of...
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  • The Diary of the Rev. F. Owen, Missionary with Dingaan, together with the accounts of Zulu affairs by the interpreters, Messrs. Hully and Kirkman
    Edited by Sir Geo. E. Cory
    Volume:
    I-7 (1926)
    Print Status:
    Out of print (Softbound reprint and eBook available)
    Owen produced one of the best-known descriptions of life in Dingaan's kraal, including an account of the Retief massacre, of which he was the only white witness. This was the first time that the diary had been published in its entirety, apart from the Bechuanaland portion 'which had been re-written to include the history but to exclude the theology'.
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