Die K@fferoorlog van 1793 Author: Dr. P. J. van der Merwe (Petrus Johannes van der Merwe)
Die K@fferoorlog van 1793 (First Edition Fine Press Release)
’n Eerste-handse Historiografiese Studie van die Tweede Grensoorlog
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Die K@fferoorlog van 1793
- Author: Dr. P. J. van der Merwe (Petrus Johannes van der Merwe)
- Publisher: Nasionale Pers Beperk, Kaapstad
- Publication Date: 1940
- ISBN: None Issued (Pre-ISBN Era)
- Edition Details: First Edition, First Printing. Standard softcover format with structural wrap-around card covers.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium heavy-gauge textured card wrappers with integrated overlap (softcover issue).
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 88 pages. Focused layout utilizing regional mid-century academic typography.
- Language: Afrikaans
Official Condition Report
- The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Exterior / Wraps: The original paper wrappers are exceptionally flat, square, and well-preserved. There is virtually none of the typical spine chipping or edge peeling common to wartime Nasionale Pers softcovers. The face is bright and clean with just an absolute minimum of corner shelf friction.
- Interior: The text block is robustly bound, tight, and completely uncracked. Internal sheets are exceptionally clean and free from regular aging flaws, foxing, or water damage. Completely clear of student marginalia, underlining, or library stamp marks.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1940 during a pivotal turning point in South African historiography, Die K@fferoorlog van 1793 is a seminal academic assessment of the Second Frontier War. Dr. P. J. van der Merwe provides an objective correction and expansion of early colonial records by George McCall Theal, shedding new light on the frontier dynamics of the eastern Cape.
Van der Merwe focuses deeply on the economic triggers of the war—primarily driven by access to crucial grazing land and water resources between the expanding Trekboer community and the Xhosa tribes. The text features a critical re-evaluation of Honoratus Maynier, the controversial Landdrost of Graaff-Reinet, balancing the political missteps and shared blame of both frontier parties. It is a highly scarce, collectable pre-apartheid historical artifact that is highly prized by collectors of early Frontier War Africana.
Author Profile: Dr. P. J. van der Merwe
Dr. Petrus Johannes van der Merwe (1912–1959) was a brilliant and widely respected South African historian and professor at Stellenbosch University. Renowned for his landmark trilogy on the lifestyle and mobility of the Cape Trekboer, Van der Merwe revolutionized local history by integrating extensive archival research with oral traditions gathered over 15,000 miles of driving through rural regions. His premature death at age 47 cut short several major works, leaving early printings like Die K@fferoorlog van 1793 as rare, definitive markers of his academic legacy.
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