Hans Strydom: Lewensloop en Beleid van Suid-Afrika se Vyfde Premier - Gert Coetsee
Hans Strydom: Lewensloop en Beleid van Suid-Afrika se Vyfde Premier
A First-Edition Biography Exposing the Unyielding Political Ascent of South Africa’s 'Lion of the North'
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Hans Strydom: Lewensloop en Beleid van Suid-Afrika se Vyfde Premier
- Author: Gert Coetsee
- Publisher: Tafelberg-Uitgewers, Cape Town
- Publication Date: 1958
- ISBN: None Issued (Pre-dates ISBN standardisation).
- Edition Details: First Edition, Standard Hardcover Release. Features highly significant contemporary provenance.
- Binding: Original publisher’s full cloth hardcover, gold spine accents, accompanied by original pictorial dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), approximately 264 pages. Illustrated with historical photographs from private family archives.
- Language: Afrikaans
Official Condition Report
- The Book: Very Good (VG)
- Exterior / Boards: The original boards are square and rigid, showing only slight, minor wear to the corner points and spine tips. Gilt text on the binding is sharp and clean.
- Interior: The binding remains remarkably firm. Text and photographic plates are clean and unblemished, showing only expected light age-tanning confined to the preliminary pages and endpapers.
- Provenance / Association Value: Features a clean, ink owner inscription on the preliminary title leaf: "Frans J. Furstenburg, 31/10/58". Research indicates Francois Johannes Furstenburg was a highly prominent contemporary figure active within Afrikaner cultural circles and political legal frameworks in the late 1950s. This places the purchase of this book exactly two months after Prime Minister Strydom's death in August 1958, giving it incredible contemporary association importance.
- The Dust Jacket: Very Good Minus (VG-)
- Condition: The original 1958 jacket has survived remarkably well but exhibits standard handling-related edge wear, minor chipping at the top crown, and slight surface friction. It is now beautifully halted and protected under a new archival plastic sleeve.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published immediately following his death in 1958, Gert Coetsee’s Hans Strydom: Lewensloop van die Volkstribun serves as the essential contemporary biography of J.G. Strijdom (Hans Strydom), the fifth Prime Minister of South Africa. Dubbed the "Lion of the North," Strydom’s fierce republicanism and unyielding dedication to Afrikaner nationalism reshaped the mid-century political landscape. Coetsee traces his life from a small Willowmore farm to a fierce legal career, culminating in his capture of political power. For collectors of 20th-century political history, this copy is an invaluable, authentic artifact.
Author Profile: Gert Coetsee
Gert Coetsee was a highly skilled mid-century South African journalist, biographer, and political commentator close to the inner circles of the National Party leadership in the Transvaal. His writing provides an unfiltered look into the psychological and strategic motivations driving contemporary nationalist leaders.
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