The Happy Ship: A History Of Durban Girls' College By Joyce Wrinch-Schulz
The Happy Ship: A History Of Durban Girls' College By Joyce Wrinch-Schulz (Signed Association Copy)
A Centenary Chronicle of One of South Africa's Most Prestigious Educational Institutions
A Centenary Chronicle of One of South Africa's Most Prestigious Educational Institutions
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: The Happy Ship: A History Of Durban Girls' College
- Author: Joyce Wrinch-Schulz
- Publisher: Published privately by the author / Durban Girls' College Old Girls' Guild, Durban
- Publication Date: 1977 (Centenary Release)
- ISBN-10: None Issued (Privately/Locally Printed Africana)
- Edition Details: First Edition, Standard Hardcover Release. Signed and inscribed association copy.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium hardcover cloth boards, complete with the original illustrated dust jacket, now beautifully housed and stabilized inside a protective Cellophane archival sleeve.
- Physical Format: Large Octavo (8vo), featuring commissioned color plates and a historical photographic retrospective. The dust jacket showcases two distinct water-colors specially commissioned from the ten centenary paintings by the Durban Girls' College Old Girls' Guild.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Very Good (VG)
- Exterior / Boards: The publisher's cloth boards remain exceptionally square, flat, and structurally sound. The spine is completely unbroken, robust, and uncreased.
- Interior: The text block and binding are tight and excellent. The internal pages are clean, crisp, and intact, showing standard, uniform age-related tanning across the leaf margins, completely typical for South African paper stocks from this era. Free from user highlighting or dealer pencil annotations.
- Provenance / Association Interest: Features a highly collectible, crisp ink presentation inscription on the first page by Pat Huddleston, a prominent figure closely connected to the foundational history and heritage of Durban Girls' College.
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The Dust Jacket: Very Good Minus (VG-)
- Condition: Present and intact, displaying mild signs of age-related wear, light rubbing, and small nicks along the spine tips and outer edges. Now safely stabilized, consolidated, and presented beautifully beneath the protective Cellophane archival wrap.
Synopsis & Institutional Value
Published to commemorate the 1977 centenary of Durban Girls' College, The Happy Ship by Joyce Wrinch-Schulz stands as a meticulously researched institutional history of one of South Africa’s leading girls' schools. The narrative captures the spirit, evolving traditions, and cultural impact of the college from its late Victorian origins through the mid-20th century. Richly enhanced by historic text and visual arts, the dust jacket reproduces two celebrated water-color paintings commissioned by the Durban Girls' College Old Girls' Guild, the originals of which hang in the College senior resources centre. This specialized volume serves as an invaluable reference tool for institutional historians, Durban local heritage collectors, and alumni tracking the socio-educational evolution of KwaZulu-Natal.
Author Profile: Joyce Wrinch-Schulz
Joyce Wrinch-Schulz was a respected South African writer, local historian, and dedicated community archivist who specialized in chronicling the social, historical, and institutional foundations of the KwaZulu-Natal region. Known for her engaging narrative style and deep immersion into private colonial and civic archives, her biographical and commemorative works were frequently supported by prominent local guilds. Her collaboration with the Durban Girls' College Old Girls' Guild ensured that The Happy Ship was grounded in rich primary sources, oral histories, and authentic institutional ephemera.
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