The Historical Monuments of South Africa by Oberholster, J. J
The Historical Monuments of South Africa by Oberholster, J. J
Hardcover, ISBN 9780620001922
Publisher: Rembrandt Van Rijn Foundation for Culture at the request of the National Monuments Council, 1972
Condition - Very Good. Book in excellent condition. Please note that the jacket has some wear and tear(see attached pics) but now protected with a Cellophane cover. Tightly bound. Very good copy.
-Translated from the Afrikaans publication. A comprehensive and richly illustrated picture of the more than 370 historical monuments throughout the Republic. An important contribution to our Africana literature. Twenty route maps precede the descriptions.
- THE HISTORICAL MONUMENTS OF SOUTH AFRICA presents a comprehensive and richly illustrated picture of the more than 370 historical monuments throughout the Republic – from the serene and imperturbable Table Mountain itself to the bronze plaque at Punda Milia, which commemorates one of the longest horse-back rides ever undertaken in South Africa.
It covers the recent Tulbagh restoration work in Onderstraat, as well as President Kruger’s house on the farm, Boekenhoutfontein, in the foothills of the Magaliesberg. It encompasses the Fingo Milkwood Tree at Peddie and the graves of the Zulu Kings in the Emakhosini Valley. It ranges from the glaciated pavements of Nooitgedacht to the Doornlaagte Earlier Stone Age sites. In doing so, the author and his collaborators have produced an invaluable account of the contribution that the Historical Monuments Commission (now the National Monuments Council) has made during the past 45 years to the conservation of our culture and our nature – a colourful kaleidoscope of the history of South Africa integrated with the visible and tangible heritage of all the peoples of our land.
With an introduction by the State President, Mr. J. J. Fouche, and prefaced by a short review of the preservation movement in South Africa — initiated by the foundation of the S.A National Society in 1905 — the book has been compiled from the files of the National Monuments Council, Government Archives and many historical works and travellers’ descriptions. It contains as many as 260 monochrome and 12 full-colour reproductions of historical paintings, sketches and drawings. Many of these come from old travellers’ descriptions, but the majority are from the most important Africana collections in the country. (The late Dr. William Fehr personally made a selection from his collection shortly before his death.)
The Historical Monuments of South Africa is, therefore, an important contribution to our Africana literature. The monuments described are arranged according to provinces and regions and the locality of each one is indicated. Twenty route maps precede the descriptions so that, in effect, the book not only becomes a source of information regarding these monuments, but acts as a travelling companion and guide to our history.
