Conspiracy of giants: The South African liquor industry By Michael Fridjhon & Andy Murray
Conspiracy of giants: The South African liquor industry By Michael Fridjhon & Andy Murray (Collectible First Edition Copy)
A Masterful, Controversial Exposé of Corporate Cartels, Political Monopolies, and the Legislative Control of South Africa's Liquor Empire
A Masterful, Controversial Exposé of Corporate Cartels, Political Monopolies, and the Legislative Control of South Africa's Liquor Empire
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Conspiracy of giants: The South African liquor industry
- Authors: Michael Fridjhon, Andy Murray
- Publisher: Divaris Stein Publishers, Johannesburg
- Publication Date: 1986
- ISBN-10: 0947012346
- ISBN-13: 9780947012344
- Edition Details: First Edition, First Printing (Collectible Investigative Africana Release)
- Binding: Original publisher's premium hardcover cloth boards, complete with the original illustrated dust jacket, now beautifully preserved and stabilized inside a clear Cellophane archival sleeve.
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 288 pages. Heavily supported by investigative corporate family trees, archival financial statements, legislative review records, and board-level documentation.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Very Good Plus to Near Mint (VG+/NM)
- Exterior / Boards: The original publisher's dark cloth casing remains in spectacular condition, showing perfectly sharp corners and completely flat edges. The spine text is crisp, bright, and completely undamaged at the head and tail bands, leaving the binding perfectly straight and unbent.
- Interior: The inner hinges and binding are pristine, tight, and robust. Internal pages are completely clean, crisp, stark white, and intact. Free from standard consumer ink inscriptions, store stamps, page foxing, or dealer pencil annotations.
- Preservation: This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. It is now protected with a clear Cellophane cover to shield the cloth and keep it in a top-tier collectible state.
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The Dust Jacket: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Condition: Present, complete, and unclipped. Displays only some very slight, microscopic signs of storage shelf friction along the corners and upper margins. Beautifully consolidated, bright, and seamlessly displayed beneath the archival Cellophane cover.
Synopsis & Political-Economic Value
Published in 1986 by Divaris Stein, Conspiracy of giants stands as a monumental and fiercely brave piece of South African investigative journalism. Co-authored by premier wine authority Michael Fridjhon and veteran business journalist Andy Murray, this book delivers a fascinating, uncompromised account of the intense politics and hidden practices that defined the South African liquor industry.
The narrative masterfully traces the complete history of wine, spirits, and beer across the subcontinent, from the early bartering days at the Cape of Good Hope to the multi-million-rand development of national liquor conglomerates. Writing at the absolute height of the apartheid state's corporate consolidation, the authors pull back the curtain on the emergence of the powerful KWV (Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging), the quiet agreements that carved up market shares between beer and spirits giants, and the aggressive monopolies that crushed independent competition. A scarce and highly sought-after work of political economy, this volume is an essential addition for corporate historians, anti-monopoly researchers, and serious collectors of specialized 20th-century Africana.
Author Profile: Michael Fridjhon & Andy Murray
This landmark text combines the expertise of two of South Africa's most prominent media and business figures:
- Michael Fridjhon is widely regarded as South Africa's most distinguished, influential, and respected wine writer, critic, judge, and industry advisor. Educated at the University of the Witwatersrand, he has authored numerous definitive books, launched the Trophy Wine Show, and judged at competitions worldwide. His deep, inside knowledge of corporate mechanics and corporate finance made him uniquely qualified to map the complex commercial networks of the Cape wine trade.
- Andy Murray was a formidable, highly accomplished South African business journalist and financial analyst who spent decades documenting corporate mergers, monopolies, and regulatory frameworks. Renowned for his sharp investigative reporting and ability to decipher complex boardroom maneuvers, his collaboration with Fridjhon ensured that this exposé was backed by unassailable archival data and investigative financial rigor.
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