Bain's Kloof Pass by Sandra Steytler & Hans Nieuwmeyer

Bain's Kloof Pass (Illustrated 2003 Local History of a Heritage Pass)

A Illustrated Local History of Andrew Geddes Bain's Historic Mountain Road North from Cape Town

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Bain's Kloof Pass: Gateway To The North
• Authors: Sandra Steytler & Hans Nieuwmeyer
• Publisher: Sandra Steytler and Hans Nieuwmeyer in association with Martin Wells of Summit Publishing, Cape Town
• Publication Date: 2003
• Edition Details: First Edition, softcover issue, published in Cape Town in 2003.
• Binding: Publisher's illustrated card wrappers, perfect bound, with a black and white photograph on the front cover and a collage of photographs on the back. Dark spine with gold-coloured lettering.
• Physical Format: Large Softcover, approximately 210 x 150 mm (roughly A5), 71 pages. Illustrated with colour and black and white photographs and a painting reproduction on the imprint page.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
• Exterior / Wraps: The rust-orange card wrappers have a glossy, laminated-looking finish and are clean, with sharp corners and edges. The dark spine carries gold-coloured lettering and is straight, with no visible creasing. The fore-edge and bottom edge are clean. A slight yellowing is visible at the top edge of the spine. No tears are present.
• Interior: The text block is tight and square. The page examined is clean and bright, with no foxing, marks or stains.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)

Synopsis & Historical Value

Published in Cape Town in 2003, Bain's Kloof Pass: Gateway to the North is a local history of one of the Western Cape's best-known mountain roads. The pass was designed and built by Andrew Geddes Bain between 1849 and 1853 and served as the main road north from Cape Town for almost a century.

The book follows the people behind the pass and the convict labour that built it, with teams of up to 450 men at work at a time, and it also touches on the plants and scenery of the surrounding mountains. It is illustrated throughout with colour and black and white photographs.

The pass is a national monument and a provincial heritage site, and this edition appeared in connection with its 150th anniversary. Bain himself is widely remembered as the father of South African geology, having produced the first comprehensive geological map of the country in 1852. A useful and attractive volume for collectors of Western Cape local history and Africana.

Bain's Kloof Pass history · Andrew Geddes Bain pass builder · Western Cape mountain passes · Sandra Steytler Hans Nieuwmeyer · Bain's Kloof 2003 first edition · Cape Town local history Africana · convict-built Cape roads