The Little Karoo By Jose Burman
The Little Karoo (First Edition, 1981)
The Definitive, Dramatic Chronicle of the Ostrich Booms, the Cango Caves, and the Isolated Mysteries of Gamkaskloof
The Definitive, Dramatic Chronicle of the Ostrich Booms, the Cango Caves, and the Isolated Mysteries of Gamkaskloof
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: The Little Karoo
- Author: Jose Burman
- Publisher: Human & Rousseau Publishers (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town / Pretoria, South Africa
- Publication Date: 1981
- ISBN-10: 079811214X / ISBN-13: 9780798112148
- Edition Details: First Edition
- Binding: Original publisher's premium textured hardcover boards, featuring sharp metallic titles stamped to the spine.
- Physical Format: Quarto (4to), 143 pages. Abundantly illustrated with vintage monochrome photographs, modern colour plates, regional topographical overviews, and historical transit maps.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Exterior / Covers: Safely preserved beneath its jacket, the original hardcover boards remain flat, structurally square, and rigid. The binding exhibits crisp corner points and excellent, firm spine tips.
- Interior: Complete and immaculately preserved throughout. The internal pages, high-gloss photographic portfolios, and map overlays are clean, crisp, and bright—entirely free from previous owner signatures, dealer pencil marks, library stamps, or user highlighting.
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The Dust Jacket: Poor (P)
- Condition Details: The original pictorial dust jacket is present but in poor condition, exhibiting significant shelf wear, edge tearing, and notable paper loss along the margins and spine extremities (as detailed in the product images).
- Preservation Note: To arrest further deterioration and maximize its shelf presentation, the jacket has been flattened and professionally encased within a brand-new, fresh archival Cellophane sleeve. This protective layer beautifully binds the remaining fragments together, allowing it to display securely on a collector's shelf.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1981 by Human & Rousseau, Jose Burman’s The Little Karoo is a masterful cultural and historical geographical study of one of South Africa's most enigmatic interior valleys. Nestled securely between the imposing peaks of the Swartberg and the Langeberg, the Little Karoo has borne witness to a historical saga that brought both immense wealth and devastating tragedy to the region. Burman brings this unique landscape to life, tracing its development from an isolated frontier into a globally recognized agricultural powerhouse.
Published in 1981 by Human & Rousseau, Jose Burman’s The Little Karoo is a masterful cultural and historical geographical study of one of South Africa's most enigmatic interior valleys. Nestled securely between the imposing peaks of the Swartberg and the Langeberg, the Little Karoo has borne witness to a historical saga that brought both immense wealth and devastating tragedy to the region. Burman brings this unique landscape to life, tracing its development from an isolated frontier into a globally recognized agricultural powerhouse.
The comprehensive narrative covers the region's most iconic historical features, including:
- The Ostrich Feather Booms: A detailed, fascinating chronicle detailing the rise and fall of the ostrich-towns like Oudtshoorn. Burman tracks the luxury fashion booms that resulted in 95 percent of the world's domesticated ostriches living in this valley, creating the legendary "Ostrich Palaces" before the market catastrophically collapsed at the onset of World War I.
- The Cango Caves: Written from a position of deep personal expertise, Burman includes specialized chapters detailing the history, discovery, and subsequent deep extensions of the Cango Caves system—a subject the author was intimately connected with for over 25 years.
- The Enigma of Die Hel: An atmospheric historical journey into Gamkaskloof (popularly known as "Die Hel"), a mysterious, nearly inaccessible valley where a small community of pioneer farmers lived in complete isolation from the outside world for over a century.
Richly supported by archival photography that documents old trading networks and historic mountain passes, this scarce out-of-print first edition is a cornerstone addition for collectors of Cape Africana, regional agricultural histories, and classic travel literature.
Author Profile: Jose Burman
Jose Burman (1916–2005) was one of South Africa’s most distinguished, incredibly prolific travel historians, legal scholars, and frontier archivists. Originally trained in law, Burman abandoned his legal practice to dedicate his life to uncovering and preserving the vanishing history, mountain passes, shipwrecks, and hidden valleys of the Cape. Over a legendary career spanning four decades, he authored more than fifty authoritative volumes—including benchmark works on Cape trails, early rail networks, and regional biographies. Renowned for his tireless fieldwork, Burman personally hiked, mapped, and explored the terrains he wrote about, making him a legendary figure among regional historical societies. Today, his meticulously researched books are highly prized by international antiquarian dealers and collectors for their absolute historical precision and engaging narrative pacing.
Jose Burman (1916–2005) was one of South Africa’s most distinguished, incredibly prolific travel historians, legal scholars, and frontier archivists. Originally trained in law, Burman abandoned his legal practice to dedicate his life to uncovering and preserving the vanishing history, mountain passes, shipwrecks, and hidden valleys of the Cape. Over a legendary career spanning four decades, he authored more than fifty authoritative volumes—including benchmark works on Cape trails, early rail networks, and regional biographies. Renowned for his tireless fieldwork, Burman personally hiked, mapped, and explored the terrains he wrote about, making him a legendary figure among regional historical societies. Today, his meticulously researched books are highly prized by international antiquarian dealers and collectors for their absolute historical precision and engaging narrative pacing.
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