Natal and the Zulu Country by T. V. Bulpin
Natal and the Zulu Country (3rd Edition with Family Association Inscription)
A Popular History of Natal and Zululand, Illustrated by Penny Miller, with a Handwritten Family Provenance Note
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Natal and the Zulu Country
- Author: T. V. Bulpin
- Publisher: T. V. Bulpin Publications (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town
- Publication Date: 1977
- Edition Details: 3rd Edition, 1977. Inscribed by a previous owner; the verified signature field is noted, with the inscription signed with initials J.F.W.
- Binding: Publisher's pictorial printed cloth boards with printed cover design. Issued without a dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), hardcover, medium-sized. With line illustrations by Penny Miller.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
- The Book: Good (G)
- Exterior / Boards: The pictorial cloth boards carry the printed design and show clear rubbing overall. The spine is rubbed and frayed at the head and tail, with some fraying along the hinge edges. The top corner of the front cover has a patch of surface loss and chipping. A price sticker (R10.50) remains on the back cover. A worn but complete copy.
- Interior: The pages are clean with no foxing seen. A handwritten presentation inscription is present on the preliminary page, quoted under provenance.
- Provenance: Handwritten inscription: "To John Anthony with regards. Do not sell or give away as it contains some very good historical events in Natal connected with family forebears on the Rathbone, Warner, Pope-Ellis side of family - the latter connection being Dr P.C. Sutherland who was Peter Pope-Ellis's great grandfather. The Rathbone, Warner & Dr Stanger connection is with the Baldwins. J.F.W." A bookseller's price sticker (R10.50) is on the back cover.
- The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)
Synopsis & Historical Value
Natal and the Zulu Country is T. V. Bulpin's popular history of Natal and Zululand, illustrated with line drawings by Penny Miller. It follows the region's story through figures and episodes such as Shaka, Dingane, the Voortrekkers, Cetshwayo, the trading days, Pietermaritzburg and the Drakensberg.
The book is counted among Bulpin's classics, written by a Natal-born author who made the popular narrative of South African history his life's work. This is the 3rd Edition, published in Cape Town in 1977.
This copy carries a long handwritten family note on the preliminary page, urging that the book not be sold or given away because of its connection to Natal family forebears. It gives the volume a personal, local-history association that will appeal to collectors of Natal and Zulu country Africana and family-history material.
Author Profile: T. V. Bulpin
Thomas Victor Bulpin (1918-1999) was born in Umkomaas, KwaZulu-Natal. He worked in cinema as a technician before joining the Associated British Cinema Corporation to cover Africa for newsreels, and later ran his own publishing company.
He wrote on big-game hunters, travel and South African history, and is credited with 29 books and more than 2,000 booklets, pamphlets and articles. His notable works include The Ivory Trail, The Hunter Is Death and The Great Trek, with Tavern of the Seas appearing posthumously in 2003.
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