Ons politiek van naby by Jan J. van Rooyen

Ons politiek van naby (First Edition in Original Dust Jacket)

A Political Journalist's Close-Up Account of Afrikaner Statesmen and Parliament in the Verwoerd Era

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Ons politiek van naby
• Author: Jan J. van Rooyen
• Publisher: Tafelberg, Kaapstad en Johannesburg
• Publication Date: 1971
• Edition Details: First Edition (Eerste druk), Tafelberg, 1971.
• Binding: Publisher's hardcover boards with printed dust jacket, spine titled in gilt or yellow lettering.
• Physical Format: Medium-sized octavo hardcover. No maps or plates.
• Language: Afrikaans

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Good (G)
• Exterior / Boards: The dust jacket is dark green and black with orange title lettering. It shows chipping and small tears at the top of the spine, with flaking and nicking along the spine edges and hinges. The top corners and edges of the front and back panels show wear and light creasing, there is a crease across the back panel photograph, and some small marks to the front. The boards beneath the jacket are not described.
• Interior: The title page and imprint page are clean and legible with light toning. A few small brown spots appear on the endpaper beside the stamp.
• Provenance: Rubber stamp to the endpaper: 'SUE-NITA'S GEORGE WALK 044 - 873 6118', a George bookshop stamp. No handwritten inscription or signature.
• The Dust Jacket: Present but worn: chipped and torn at the top of the spine, with edge wear, creasing and general rubbing. The back panel carries a black-and-white photograph of the author with Dr Verwoerd. Once the jacket is fitted, it is protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover.

Synopsis & Historical Value

Published by Tafelberg in 1971, Ons politiek van naby (roughly, 'Our Politics from Close Up') is an Afrikaans memoir of contemporary history by the political journalist Jan J. van Rooyen. It draws on about twenty years of reporting at Die Transvaler.

The book looks at the statesmen, leaders and members of parliament who shaped the period, setting out their thoughts, decisions and actions. Van Rooyen writes as an eyewitness, and the back-panel photograph of the author with Dr Verwoerd reflects his personal acquaintance with the Prime Minister.

The work is cited by academics as a primary source on the Nationalist Party in the apartheid era. It is a useful first-hand document for collectors and students of Afrikaner political history.

Author Profile: Jan J. van Rooyen

Jan J. van Rooyen was a political reporter and later co-chief editor of Die Transvaler. Scholarly sources also describe him as parliamentary correspondent for Nasionale Pers, the group behind Die Burger and Die Volksblad, from 1948 to 1962.

Ons politiek van naby · Jan J. van Rooyen Tafelberg 1971 · Afrikaans political memoir · Die Transvaler journalist memoir · Verwoerd era Nationalist Party history · first edition Afrikaans politics book