Die grootste reeks by Rufus
Die grootste reeks (Signed & Inscribed 1970 Springbok Series Picture Book)
An Illustrated Afrikaans Record of the 1970 Springbok and All Blacks Test Series, Inscribed in 1971
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Die grootste reeks: Suid-Afrika teen Nieu-Seeland 1970
- Author: Rufus
- Publisher: John Malherbe Edms Bpk, Kaapstad
- Publication Date: 1970
- Edition Details: Afrikaans text, published Cape Town, 1970. Signed by the author, with a dated presentation inscription.
- Binding: Publisher's cream cloth hardcover, oblong format, with a brown springbok and fern 1970 emblem to the front board, in an illustrated dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Oblong large-format picture book, roughly A4 landscape. With full-colour illustrations and Afrikaans text.
- Language: Afrikaans
Official Condition Report
- The Book: Good (G)
- Exterior / Boards: The cream cloth boards carry a brown springbok and fern 1970 emblem. The back board shows child's orange and green crayon or marker scribbles and a small black ink mark. Edges and corners are lightly toned.
- Interior: The text block is clean and tightly bound, with coloured illustrations throughout. The orange endpapers carry many printed facsimile team signatures. A green scribbled mark appears on the title page, and there is some toning and slight staining at the fore-edge.
- Provenance: Inscribed on the preliminary pages in blue ink: "Louis, Met waardering vir wat jy gedoen het om ons spoot en ons land, Suid-Afrika. Jou vriend, [signature] JOHANNESBURG 24.2.1971". A further signature in black ink appears on the title page. Child's crayon scribbles to the boards and title page.
- The Dust Jacket: Present. The illustrated rugby artwork on the front and back is intact. There is wear to the edges and spine, with chipping and scuffing with colour loss at the foot of the spine, some creasing and toning. The jacket is protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in Cape Town in 1970 by John Malherbe, Die grootste reeks: Suid-Afrika teen Nieu-Seeland 1970 is an illustrated Afrikaans account of the Test series between the Springboks and the All Blacks. Drawings and text bring the key moments of the matches to life in an oblong, full-colour picture-book format.
The series carries real historical weight. The All Blacks had never won a series in South Africa, and the tour is noted for the first inclusion of Maori and Pacific Island players in a New Zealand touring party to the apartheid republic.
This copy adds a personal layer in the form of a warm Afrikaans inscription to a friend named Louis, dated Johannesburg, 24 February 1971. It will appeal to collectors of Springbok rugby literature and Afrikaans sporting Africana.
Author Profile: Rufus Papenfus
Rufus Papenfus was a South African artist, commentator and illustrator, and the creator of the drawings and text in this volume.
He also illustrated Basjan en Wilhelm: Die houtperd, en ander verhale, written by Jan Geldenhuys.
Die grootste reeks Rufus · 1970 Springbok All Blacks series book · signed Rufus Papenfus · Springbok rugby history Afrikaans · South Africa vs New Zealand 1970 rugby · illustrated rugby book 1970 · Afrikaans rugby Africana
