Better than they knew

Better than they knew (Two-Volume Set with Signed Contributor Letter)

Biographical Portraits of English-Speaking South Africans Who Shaped the Country, Edited by R. M. de Villiers

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Better than they knew
• Editor: R. M. de Villiers
• Publisher: Purnell, Cape Town
• Publication Date: 1974
• ISBN-10: 360001629
• Edition Details: Two-volume set: Volume I (1972) and Volume II (1974). Includes a typed letter signed by contributor Whitmore Richards.
• Binding: Publisher's red cloth boards in illustrated dust jackets, each protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover.
• Physical Format: Octavo (8vo) hardcover, two volumes. Volume II: 214 pages.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good (VG)
• Exterior / Boards: Both volumes are bound in publisher's red cloth. Volume II shows no obvious damage beneath the jacket, apart from a few tiny pale specks. Volume I is likewise sound, though the jacket spine has small chips at the foot.
• Interior: The text pages are clean and bright, with no foxing or marks on the pages examined. The binding is tight. A typed letter on letterhead is loosely inserted.
• Provenance: Typed letter on letterhead dated 11 September 1972 from M. W. Richards, Johannesburg, to Mr and Mrs Huddle, signed Whitmore Richards, concerning his contribution on the mining industry.
• The Dust Jacket: Present on both volumes, illustrated with a colour cityscape and mining headgear, and protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover. The Volume I jacket shows small flaking and loss at the foot of the spine. The Volume II jacket is clean, with minor rubbing at the spine edges.

Synopsis & Historical Value

Better Than They Knew is a two-volume collection of biographical essays on English-speaking men and women who made their mark on South African life. The subjects range across government, science, literature, mining, education, theatre, commerce and conservation, each told as a personal story.

Volume II, published in Cape Town by Purnell in 1974, offers sketches of eight individuals and includes Leo Marquard's chapter on T. B. Davie, which has since been cited in academic work. The set has been edited by R. M. de Villiers.

The contributors write about their subjects from first-hand knowledge. The accompanying letter from Whitmore Richards, who contributed an account of the mining industry, adds a direct link to the making of the work. A useful set for readers of South African social, political and literary history.