Karate SA by Rob Marsh

Karate SA (First Edition in Illustrated Dust Jacket)

An Illustrated 1986 Introduction to Karate Styles, Stances and Techniques in Southern Africa

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Karate SA
• Author: Rob Marsh
• Publisher: Timmins Publishers, Cape Town
• Publication Date: 1986
• ISBN-13: 9780869782910
• ISBN-10: 0869782916
• Edition Details: First Edition, published 1986.
• Binding: Publisher's blue cloth boards with a printed pictorial dust jacket.
• Physical Format: Medium-sized hardcover, approximately 235 x 165 mm, 126 pages. Illustrated with black and white photographs and drawings.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
• Exterior / Boards: The blue cloth boards are clean, with a pale silhouette device and title to the front board. The spine and corners are clean and square, with no visible wear.
• Interior: The pages are clean and cream-toned, with no markings seen. The binding is tight. No inscriptions, stamps or ex-library marks.
• The Dust Jacket: Present. The colour photographic jacket shows light surface scratches and scuffing to the front panel, most visible along the top edge, with no tears. It is protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover.

Synopsis & Historical Value

Published in Cape Town by Timmins Publishers in 1986, Karate SA is an introduction to karate as it was practised in South Africa in the mid-1980s. It was written for beginners and more advanced practitioners alike.

Rob Marsh traces the history of the art and describes the main styles followed in southern Africa. He explains stances, moves, techniques and kata, supported throughout by photographs and line drawings. The book also profiles leading figures in the sport and lists national and local karate organisations.

It closes with an account of a young South African student who trained in Japan under leading masters, and carries a foreword by a sports scientist. As a snapshot of South African martial arts in the apartheid era, it will interest collectors of South African sporting literature and practising karateka.

Author Profile: Rob Marsh

Rob Marsh is an English-born South African writer. He graduated from Manchester University with a Bachelor of Education in 1973, moved to Zambia in 1976 and settled in South Africa in 1979. A long-time practitioner of Shotokan karate, he lists Karate SA among his non-fiction titles.

His other books include South Africa Weird and Wonderful (Tafelberg), Business Success in South Africa (Struik), Famous Crimes in South Africa, and the novel Serpent Under (Jacana).

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