Karel Schoeman - In Liefde en Trou: Die Lewe van President M.T. Steyn en Mevrou Tibbie Steyn met ’n Keuse uit Hulle Korrespondensie
In Liefde en Trou: Die Lewe van President M.T. Steyn en Mevrou Tibbie Steyn
Met ’n Keuse uit Hulle Korrespondensie
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: In Liefde en Trou: Die Lewe van President M.T. Steyn en Mevrou Tibbie Steyn met ’n Keuse uit Hulle Korrespondensie
- Author: Karel Schoeman
- Publisher: Human & Rousseau (Edms) Bpk, Cape Town / Pretoria
- Publication Date: 1983
- ISBN-10: 0798115742
- ISBN-13: 9780798115742
- Edition Details: True First Edition, First Printing
- Binding: Original publisher's cloth-bound hardcover with decorative gilt spine lettering
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 332 pages. Fully indexed and enhanced with a central archival photographic gallery and translated epistolary entries.
- Language: Afrikaans
Official Condition Report
The Book: Good Plus (G+)
- Exterior: Hardcover cloth boards are strong, uniform in tone, and structurally square. Corners show very light, standard shelf friction, but the general framework is solid and unwarped. Gilt elements remain tidy.
- Interior: In remarkably clean condition. The internal text pages and photo plates are clean, flat, and intact. The text block is completely square, and the spine remains fully undamaged and unbroken. The volume displays signs of being well-maintained and respected over its years on the shelf.
The Dust Jacket: Good (G)
- Condition: Complete and historically accurate. Displays standard age-related edge wear, soft creasing along the perimeter, and a distinct patch of surface paper loss on the front-top section of the spine. Free of major horizontal splitting.
- Preservation: To prevent further handling wear, the jacket has been carefully wrapped and protected inside a brand-new, clear archival cellophane cover sleeve.
Synopsis & Historical Significance
Published in 1983 by Human & Rousseau, In Liefde en Trou is a masterful biographical and epistolary study of Marthinus Theunis Steyn, the sixth and final State President of the Orange Free State (1896–1902), and his wife, Rachel Isabella "Tibbie" Steyn (née Fraser).
Acclaimed historian Karel Schoeman crafts a deeply intimate look at their lives by interweaving their personal diaries with a curated selection of their private correspondence. The book maps out President Steyn’s fierce leadership during the Anglo-Boer War, his unyielding refusal to compromise Free State independence, and his agonizing battle with paralysis brought on by war fatigue.
Crucially, the book focuses heavily on Tibbie Steyn. Despite being of pure Scottish ancestry through both parents, she completely identified with the Boer people during their darkest hours. Her profound strength, leadership during the reconstruction era, and protection of regional memories earned her the revered national title of Volksmoeder (Mother of the Nation).
Author Profile: Karel Schoeman
Karel Schoeman (1939–2017) was one of South Africa’s most prolific, highly decorated novelists, historians, and biographers. A long-time specialist researcher at the National Library of South Africa in Cape Town, Schoeman was awarded the prestigious Order of Ikhamanga for his peerless contributions to South African literature and historical preservation. Known for his intense attention to archival primary sources and diaries, his biographical accounts of Free State history are regarded as foundational masterpieces of Afrikaans literature.
