South African Personalities and Places by Bernard Sachs

South African Personalities and Places (Inscribed Copy in Original Pictorial Dust Jacket)

Bernard Sachs's Portraits of South African Personalities and Johannesburg Landmarks, with an Introduction by Sarah Gertrude Millin

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: South African Personalities and Places
• Author: Bernard Sachs
• Publisher: Kayor Publishers, Johannesburg
• Publication Date: 1959
• ISBN: None Issued (Pre-ISBN Era)
• Edition Details: Kayor Publishers, Johannesburg, 1959. Inscribed on the front free endpaper ("Ben. S").
• Binding: Publisher's dark blue cloth hardcover with printed pictorial dust jacket.
• Physical Format: Medium octavo hardcover, approximately 22 x 15.3 cm, 208 pages. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good (VG)
• Exterior / Boards: The dark blue cloth boards are clean, with a few tiny light specks and slight bumping at the lower spine foot.
• Interior: The text pages are clean with an even cream tone and no markings in the pages examined. The binding is tight and sound.
• Provenance: Handwritten inscription in blue ink on the front free endpaper: "To my dear friends Fanny and Oscar - with my best wishes. Ben. S".
• The Dust Jacket: Present: yellow with a red dot pattern. Chipping and small losses at the top edge of the front and back panels and at the spine head, with tears showing the blue board beneath. The spine tips are worn. Light toning and a darker yellow stain or mark on the front panel; the front flap shows some wear. Protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover. Grade: Good (G).

Synopsis & Historical Value

Published in Johannesburg in 1959 by Kayor Publishers, South African Personalities and Places gathers essays and sketches by the journalist and editor Bernard Sachs on the people and places of South Africa, with a particular focus on life on the Rand. Sarah Gertrude Millin contributes the introduction.

The portraits include figures such as a Chief Rabbi and a Russian-born musician. Other subjects recorded in the book include Leontine Sagan, Sarah Gertrude Millin and Ellen Hellmann. Alongside them are sketches of Johannesburg and Cape Town landmarks, among them the City Hall Steps, the Gaiety Cafe and Malay Camp. The book also tells the story of the Fordsburg battle during the 1922 Rand Revolt.

The volume has been cited by later historians, including in studies of South African Jewish women's history and in a documentary history of South Africa's radical tradition. It is a useful window onto the social and cultural life of Johannesburg's mid-century communities, and a worthwhile addition to a collection of South African personalities, local history and Jewish Africana.

Author Profile: Bernard Sachs

Bernard Sachs (1905-1985) was born in Kamai, Lithuania, and came to South Africa with his family. He was educated at Jeppe High School in Johannesburg and worked as a journalist and leader writer for the South African Jewish Times. He was founding editor of the South African Opinion, a bi-monthly review launched in 1934 and edited for nearly twenty years, with Herman Charles Bosman as its literary editor, and later of Trek.

He also wrote a biography of Herman Charles Bosman. His other works include the novel The Utmost Sail (1955), Multitude of Dreams (1949), The Road to Sharpeville (1961), Personalities and Places: Second Series (1965) and the autobiography Mist of Memory.