In die Konsentrasiekamp: Jeugherinneringe Author: D. H. van Zyl (David Hermanus van Zyl)
In die Konsentrasiekamp: Jeugherinneringe (Collectible First Edition Era Memoir)
The Intimate, Powerful, and Exceptionally Scarce Eyewitness Childhood Account of Life and Survival Inside the British Concentration Camps of the Anglo-Boer War
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: In die Konsentrasiekamp: Jeugherinneringe
- Author: D. H. van Zyl (David Hermanus van Zyl)
- Publisher: Nasionale Pers Beperk, Bloemfontein
- Publication Date: 1944
- ISBN-10: None Issued (Pre-ISBN Era)
- ISBN-13: None Issued (Pre-ISBN Era)
- Edition Details: First Edition, First Printing (Hardcover). Published as a critical primary-era historical record.
- Binding: Original publisher's patterned card-hardcover or light cloth-bound boards. Offered as found without a dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Small Octavo (8vo), 115 pages. Illustrated with poignant historical photographs, archival camp sketches, and period documentation plates.
- Language: English (Main descriptive catalog layout), featuring original quoted metadata and text subjects in Afrikaans.
Official Condition Report
- The Book: Very Good (VG) Inside / Good Plus (G+) Externally
- Exterior / Covers: The original publisher's covers are structurally straight, square, and remain firmly attached to the book block. In line with the vulnerable wartime publishing materials of 1944, the exterior shows honest signs of age and shelf wear. There is a small, superficial tear to the spine panel cloth/paper material, which is localized and does not compromise the underlying structural stitching.
- Interior: Very Good (VG). While the outer covers show standard handling wear, the internal text block is beautifully preserved, clean, and tight. The white pages, layout text, and photographic inserts are crisp and entirely free of user highlighting, ink signatures, text underlining, deep foxing, or loose pages.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1944 during the height of the Second World War by Nasionale Pers, In die Konsentrasiekamp is a vital and deeply moving historical primary source. Written by David Hermanus van Zyl, the volume records his vivid childhood memories and first-hand experiences as a young boy interned behind the barbed wire of the British concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer War.
Published in 1944 during the height of the Second World War by Nasionale Pers, In die Konsentrasiekamp is a vital and deeply moving historical primary source. Written by David Hermanus van Zyl, the volume records his vivid childhood memories and first-hand experiences as a young boy interned behind the barbed wire of the British concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer War.
Van Zyl strips away clinical academic statistics to deliver a raw, deeply human account of the camp system implemented under Lord Kitchener's scorched-earth policy. The narrative details the everyday realities of life under canvas: the devastating outbreaks of measles and typhoid, the extreme rationing and tainted food supplies, the internal spiritual resilience of the women and children, and the tragic loss of young lives. Long out of print and exceptionally difficult to find due to small wartime print runs, this authentic eyewitness memoir serves as an essential reference standard for global researchers of internment systems and advanced collectors of Anglo-Boer War history.
Author Profile: D. H. van Zyl
David Hermanus van Zyl (1893–1974) was a highly prominent South African cultural figure, author, politician, and dedicated historical researcher. Beyond his career as a Member of Parliament and Senator, Van Zyl committed decades of his life to collecting oral histories, cultural folklore, and primary accounts of the republican eras. His meticulous writing style is celebrated for combining deeply poignant personal memories with objective historical framing, ensuring that the unfiltered human experiences of the camp survivors were permanently saved for the national record.
David Hermanus van Zyl (1893–1974) was a highly prominent South African cultural figure, author, politician, and dedicated historical researcher. Beyond his career as a Member of Parliament and Senator, Van Zyl committed decades of his life to collecting oral histories, cultural folklore, and primary accounts of the republican eras. His meticulous writing style is celebrated for combining deeply poignant personal memories with objective historical framing, ensuring that the unfiltered human experiences of the camp survivors were permanently saved for the national record.
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