Louis Botha: A Man Apart by Steyn, Richard
Louis Botha: A Man Apart (Author-Signed & Dedicated Association Copy)
An Intimate Chronicle of South Africa's Foundational General and Statesman
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Louis Botha: A Man Apart
- Author: Richard Steyn
- Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers, Johannesburg / Cape Town
- Publication Date: 2018
- ISBN-13: 9781868429226
- Edition Details: First Edition, Standard Softcover Release. Inscribed and signed by the author.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium heavy-gauge illustrated card wrappers with French flaps (gatefold softcover).
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 312 pages. Enhanced with historical maps, strategic military outlines, and central gloss photographic sections.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
- The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Exterior / Wraps: The heavy illustrated card wrappers are exceptionally flat, square, and bright. The spine is completely unbroken, crisp, and uncreased. Extremely light, microscopic storage friction along the corner tips, completely consistent with careful handling.
- Interior: The text block is robustly bound, clean, and tight. Internal pages and photo inserts are bright white, crisp, and immaculate. Free of standard user highlighting, dealer pencil markings, or dog-ears.
- Provenance: Features a highly collectible, crisp ink presentation dedication from the author on the title/preliminary page: “To Robert with warm regards. Richard Steyn”.
- The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 2018, Louis Botha: A Man Apart is a brilliant, objective reassessment of General Louis Botha, the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa.
Author Richard Steyn tracks Botha's complex journey from a brilliant Boer guerrilla commander who continually outwitted British columns to a conciliatory statesman who worked alongside Jan Smuts to unify a fractured country. Steyn sheds light on Botha's immense natural charm, his deep personal integrity, and the agonizing political tightrope he walked while managing bitter rifts within his own constituency, royal relationships in London, and the challenges of the First World War.
Author Profile: Richard Steyn
Richard Steyn is a highly distinguished South African author, biographer, and former journalist. He read Law and History at Stellenbosch University before transitioning into publishing, serving as the editor of the Natal Witness and later as the Editor-in-Chief of The Star. His biographical trilogy on South Africa’s wartime leaders—Smuts, Churchill, and Botha—has been widely praised by academics for its highly accessible narrative pace and deep reliance on private correspondence archives.
