Die Skool Stuur Speurders by Theunis Krogh

Die Skool Stuur Speurders (1949 J.L. van Schaik Keurboslaan Title in Dust Jacket)

A Keurboslaan Boarding-School Detective Adventure for Boys, Published in Pretoria by J.L. van Schaik

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Die Skool Stuur Speurders
• Author: Theunis Krogh
• Publisher: J. L. van Schaik, Beperk, Pretoria
• Publication Date: 1949
• ISBN: None Issued (Pre-ISBN Era)
• Binding: Hardcover issued with an illustrated dust jacket; the boards are concealed beneath the jacket. The jacket is covered in clear protective film.
• Physical Format: Small octavo, comparable in size to a standard hardcover novel. No maps or plates.
• Language: Afrikaans

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Good (G)
• Exterior / Boards: The boards are concealed beneath the dust jacket, which is covered in clear protective film. The spine shows chipping and loss at the tail, with some spotting and wear along its length.
• Interior: The title page is clean, with light toning and a few small specks.
• The Dust Jacket: Present, illustrated in red and grey and covered in clear protective film. It shows a torn and chipped upper edge at the head with some loss, a vertical tear near the lower left, and creasing and wear along the edges. Protected in a Mylar sleeve.

Synopsis & Historical Value

Die Skool Stuur Speurders was published in Pretoria by J. L. van Schaik in 1949 under the name Theunis Krogh. It belongs to the Keurboslaan series of Afrikaans boarding-school stories, written chiefly for boys but enjoyed just as much by girls.

The jacket illustration shows three smiling boys alongside an elderly man in a wheelchair, in keeping with the book's schoolboy detective theme.

The Keurboslaan books are a well-documented part of Afrikaans youth literature. The original twenty titles were later condensed and revised in the 1970s as the Nuwe Keurboslaan series, which makes the early van Schaik printings of interest to collectors of Afrikaans children's fiction. J. L. van Schaik was known for the high quality of its production.

Author Profile: Theunis Krogh (Stella Blakemore)

Theunis Krogh is the pseudonym of Stella Blakemore (1906–1991), a South African writer of Afrikaans youth novels. She was born on 13 April 1906 near Lindley, was schooled in Natal and studied at the Royal Academy of Music. The pen name came from her maternal grandfather, Theunis Johannes Krogh, undersecretary in President Paul Kruger's South African Republic administration.

She wrote the twenty-book Keurboslaan series under this male pseudonym, including Jong Doktor Serfontein and Die Serfontein-kinders. She also published under the names Analize Biermann, Stella Owen and Diem Grimbeeck.

Die Skool Stuur Speurders · Theunis Krogh Keurboslaan · Stella Blakemore Keurboslaan · Afrikaans boys' detective story · J.L. van Schaik 1949 · Keurboslaan series book · vintage Afrikaans children's book