Jan Christiaan Smuts by his Son J.C. Smuts
Jan Christiaan Smuts by his Son J.C. Smuts
Hardcover
Publisher: Cassell & Co., 1952 First Edition.
Condition - Good: The DJ has some wear and tear and paper loss (See attached pics)but is now covered with a fresh Cellophane sleeve. The Book has some extensive tanning and spotting on the front and back pages. The book pages are clear and without markings and the binding is sturdy.
-"Jan Smuts was one of the preeminent South African statesmen living between 1870 and 1950. He participated in the Boer War against the British, as well as both World Wars where he was a member of the British War Cabinets. This biography, written by his son, was published in 1952, two years after Smuts' death, and provides insight into the thinking of white South Africans during the formation of the Union up to the introduction of apartheid. JC Smuts was clearly very proud of his father and the writing style can be a little wordy at times. Also, there are opinions and attitudes that are dated and may cause offence. However, the biography provides a very helpful overview of South African history through the eyes of a remarkable man."
-"This biography of one of the greatest and most respected men of our time has a very special intimacy and authenticity. No other man could have brought to it such a full knowledge and understanding, for this is a record of Smuts’s life by his own son.
The official biography, freely documented and substantiated in the smallest detail, is in course of preparation by a group of scholars accredited by Smuts’s own family and the South Afri-can Government, but that work cannot be ready for some years. Meanwhile, this life of the greatest man South Africa has Produced is of special interest, both for the portrait it paints and for the inside history of South Africa which it relates.
For the story of Smuts is the story of South Africa and his whole life was spent in a constant struggle against the political creed which is the root cause of the troubles in the Union today."
