God, Spies and Lies by John Matisonn

God, Spies and Lies (Collectible First Edition, First Printing Paperback)

A Veteran Journalist's Insider Account of the Spies, Politicians and Press That Shaped Modern South Africa

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: God, Spies and Lies: Finding South Africa's future through its past
• Author: John Matisonn
• Publisher: Ideas for Africa (Pty) Ltd in association with Missing Ink, Vlaeberg, South Africa
• Publication Date: 2015
• ISBN-13: 9780994670236
• Edition Details: First Edition, First Printing. Standard softcover release.
• Binding: Publisher's illustrated card wrappers, perfect bound.
• Physical Format: Large softcover (trade paperback) format, 448 pages.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good (VG)
• Exterior / Wraps: The illustrated card wrappers are clean and bright at the front, with no obvious creasing. The spine is legible and shows no obvious cracking. The back cover carries some faint scuffing or marks towards the lower left and middle left. The head of the text block sits slightly dipped, and the page edges are lightly toned.
• Interior: The title page and copyright page are clean and legible. The page edges are lightly toned. No markings, stamps or ex-library marks are noted.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)

Synopsis & Historical Value

Published in 2015, God, Spies and Lies: Finding South Africa's Future Through Its Past is both a memoir and a political history by veteran journalist John Matisonn. It draws on four decades of reporting and on insider access to the leaders and powerbrokers of the democratic era, and it argues that the country's future depends on an honest look at its past.

The book opens with an account of Nelson Mandela's meetings with his "secret friend", Bloomberg, and goes on to cover the Broederbond revelations and the little-known story of the early independent black-owned newspapers. It also names former Sunday Times editor Tertius Myburgh as an apartheid agent, a claim made here for the first time.

Part of its value lies in recording the roles of journalists who have been too little recognised or forgotten. Blending memoir, political reporting, analysis, media history and anecdote, it is a useful companion for collectors of South African political history and the story of the press under apartheid.

Author Profile: John Matisonn

John Matisonn, born in Johannesburg in 1949, is a South African political journalist and author who began his career as a political reporter on the Rand Daily Mail. In 1979 he was sentenced to two weeks in jail for refusing to reveal his sources for an article that led to the exposure of the Muldergate scandal.

He served as NPR's correspondent in South Africa from 1986 to 1991, later held a presidential appointment as a Councillor on the Independent Broadcasting Authority, and was appointed by the UN as chairperson of the Electoral Media Commission in Afghanistan for the 2005 elections. His later book is Cyril's Choices (2019).

God, Spies and Lies John Matisonn · John Matisonn first edition · South African political memoir · Muldergate journalist memoir · Broederbond revelations book · Mandela and Bloomberg secret friend · apartheid press history