Johannesburg - Then and Now - Marc Latilla

Johannesburg - Then and Now (Premium First Edition Copy)
A Masterful Visual Odyssey of the Place of Gold Contrasting Rare Frontier Archival Photos with Striking Contemporary Metropolises

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Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in October 2018 by the elite Struik Travel & Heritage imprint, Johannesburg - Then and Now stands as an extraordinary architectural masterwork and a definitive visual biography of the Witwatersrand basin. In less than a century, the chaotic jumble of shabby tents, mud brick lean-tos, and corrugated iron shacks that constituted Johannesburg’s initial mining camp settlement has transformed at a staggering pace into a modern metropolis of towering corporate office blocks, high-rise urban apartments, and sprawling leafy suburbs. This rapid urban evolution was fueled entirely by the fabulous wealth locked deep within the gold-rich conglomerate reefs of the famous Witwatersrand basin.

Because the story of gold is structurally inseparable from the story of the city itself, author Marc Latilla uses a fascinating series of photographic juxtapositions to chronicle Johannesburg's expansion from a dusty mining camp into an international economic powerhouse. Rare archival monochrome photographs dating from the 1880s to the 1940s are directly contrasted with vivid, full-colour scenes of the modern landscape, providing a hitherto untold and deeply moving portrait of the Egoli (the Place of Gold). Where possible, the contemporary modern-day photographs have been shot from the exact same physical coordinates and camera levels as the original pioneer viewpoints. Accompanied by detailed, meticulously researched captions that explain the sharp differences between the old and the new streetscapes—while illuminating hidden architectural elements that have survived the march of time—this out-of-print reference serves as an invaluable reference work for urban geographers, history buffs, and serious Africana collectors.

Author Profile: Marc Latilla
Marc Latilla is an acclaimed South African historian, author, researcher, and heritage specialist whose deep, systematic investigations into early Witwatersrand architecture have earned him massive domestic praise. In 2010, after discovering the original 1912 architectural blue-prints and vintage photographs of his own historic house, Latilla initiated the highly celebrated historical archive blog Johannesburg1912, mapping out the city's built heritage suburb by suburb. His tireless fieldwork and archival efforts to trace early tramways, historic theatres, forgotten churches, and grand Victorian mansions culminated in this landmark publishing project with Penguin Random House. Working alongside talented documentary photographer Yeshiel Panchia, Latilla's unique ability to blend rigorous scientific documentation with an engaging, narrative storytelling pace has secured his reputation as one of the definitive modern visual historians of South Africa's built heritage.