Die Silwervaring by I. D. du Plessis

Die Silwervaring (Seventh Revised Edition in Original Dust Jacket)

A Classic Afrikaans Rugby Tale for Boys, Following Four Friends on the Springbok Tour of New Zealand

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Die Silwervaring: 'n Rugbyvoorbeeld
• Author: I. D. du Plessis
• Publisher: Nasionale Boekhandel Beperk, Kaapstad
• Publication Date: 1965
• ISBN: None Issued (Pre-ISBN Era)
• Edition Details: Seventh Revised Edition (Sewende, hersiene druk), 1965; first published in 1933. Carries a dated signature on the front free endpaper.
• Binding: Publisher's green cloth boards, with a printed illustrated dust jacket in green and gold on cream featuring a rugby photograph.
• Physical Format: Small octavo-sized hardcover, roughly 200 x 130 mm. Text only, with no maps or plates.
• Language: Afrikaans

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Good (G)
• Exterior / Boards: The plain green cloth boards beneath the jacket are clean, with a straight spine and no visible damage.
• Interior: The pages are clean and the text is fully readable, with the page edges toned. The front free endpaper is toned and slightly stained, with a pencil mark at the top right reading '1-15'. The binding appears tight.
• Provenance: Signature in black ink on the front free endpaper, dated 1966 in handwriting; the name is not clearly legible. A pencil mark '1-15' at the top right of the same page.
• The Dust Jacket: Present. The printed jacket carries a rugby photograph on the front. It is toned and soiled, with chipping along the edges and a small tear at the top edge of the back panel. The bottom corner and lower spine show staining and wear, and the top edge is slightly worn. Graded Good (G) and protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover.

Synopsis & Historical Value

Die Silwervaring is a rugby story for boys by I. D. du Plessis, first published in 1933 and the second book in his rugby series after Die Springbok. This is the seventh revised printing, issued by Nasionale Boekhandel in Cape Town in 1965.

The story follows four friends: Willie the Springbok centre, Piet the Springbok lock, the red-headed and clever Sigaret, and the cheerful, round Tokkie. When Willie and Piet are chosen for the Springbok side touring New Zealand, the other two manage to tag along. The tale mixes rugby, sightseeing and pranks, and the wider series carries its young readers on to tours of England and Argentina, with travel and cultural detail along the way.

A 1933 review in Die Nuwe Brandwag welcomed it as a valuable addition to Afrikaans boys' reading, and the series is regarded as a notable strand of Afrikaans youth literature on rugby. It is a pleasing piece of Afrikaans sporting and youth-reading history, with a dated signature adding a touch of personal history.

Author Profile: I. D. du Plessis

Izak David du Plessis (1900-1981) was born in Philipstown and became an Afrikaans writer associated with the Dertigers. He worked as a teacher, as a journalist at Die Burger and Die Huisgenoot, and as a lecturer at the Cape Technical College.

He received the Hertzog Prize for poetry in 1937 and the Scheepers Prize for youth literature in 1962, with Die Silwervaring among the books cited for the latter. His other notable works include Die Springbok (1931), Die rugbykroon (1934), Rugby in Rio (1941) and Die skat van Robbeneiland.

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