The Foreign Volunteers: They fought for the Boers: The South African War 1899–1902 Author: Brian Pottinger
The Volunteers (Collectible Signed & Numbered Limited Edition)
The History of the British and Colonial Volunteers in the Anglo-Boer War, Issued in a Luxurious bright red Presentation Volume
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: The Foreign Volunteers: They fought for the Boers: The South African War 1899–1902
- Author: Brian Pottinger
- Publisher: Scripta Africana, Johannesburg
- Publication Date: 1989
- ISBN-10: 0947025111
- ISBN-13: 9780947025113
- Edition Details: Limited Deluxe Edition. Number 466 of only 1,000 numbered copies, hand-numbered and signed by Director Hans Strydom on the limitation page.
- Binding: Publisher's premium bright red covers over fine cloth boards with raised bands, spine heavily gilded in gold leaf, matching patterned endpapers. Housed in the original publisher's matching cloth-bound protective slipcase.
- Physical Format: Quarto (4to), 191 pages. Lavishly illustrated with an extensive collection of full-color and sepia historical prints, archival troop rosters, military sketches, maps, and facsimile documents.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
o Exterior / Leather Binding: The luxurious quarter-leather spine is exceptionally robust, square, and undamaged, with the gilt decorations and raised bands remaining bright, sharp, and highly reflective. The cloth boards are flat, stiff, and clear of handling blemishes or staining.
o Interior: The text block is tight, crisp, and beautifully preserved. Internal heavy-stock art pages, color plates, and maps are immaculate, bright white, and entirely free of foxing, user highlighting, dealer annotations, or dog-ears.
o Provenance: Features the pristine, authentic ink signature of Scripta Africana Director Hans Strydom alongside the hand-numbered designation "466" on the official limitation certificate page. -
The Slipcase: Good to Very Good (G/VG)
o Condition: The original matching cloth-bound protective slipcase is solid and fully functional. It displays standard, honest signs of age, including light shelf and handling-related wear with minor scuffing and chafing on the outer flat panels, which is typical for these heavy deluxe editions. It continues to provide exceptional, robust protection for the volume.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1989 as part of the highly prestigious and sought-after Scripta Africana series, The Volunteers is an authoritative, visually spectacular historical study of the British and Colonial volunteer regiments that deployed during the Anglo-Boer War. Author Brian Pottinger delivers a deeply researched narrative detailing the deployment, operational challenges, and battlefield contributions of non-regular forces, ranging from the Imperial Yeomanry and the City Imperial Volunteers to regional units raised across South Africa, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Pottinger explores the political motivations behind volunteerism, the cultural friction between regular British command and colonial fighters, and their pivotal strategic role in changing the course of the veld campaign. Striking a masterclass balance between thorough military analysis and magnificent artistic presentation, this strictly limited deluxe printing stands out as a high-tier investment asset for serious collectors of fine Africana bindings and Anglo-Boer War militaria.
Published in 1989 as part of the highly prestigious and sought-after Scripta Africana series, The Volunteers is an authoritative, visually spectacular historical study of the British and Colonial volunteer regiments that deployed during the Anglo-Boer War. Author Brian Pottinger delivers a deeply researched narrative detailing the deployment, operational challenges, and battlefield contributions of non-regular forces, ranging from the Imperial Yeomanry and the City Imperial Volunteers to regional units raised across South Africa, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Pottinger explores the political motivations behind volunteerism, the cultural friction between regular British command and colonial fighters, and their pivotal strategic role in changing the course of the veld campaign. Striking a masterclass balance between thorough military analysis and magnificent artistic presentation, this strictly limited deluxe printing stands out as a high-tier investment asset for serious collectors of fine Africana bindings and Anglo-Boer War militaria.
Author Profile: Brian Pottinger
Brian Pottinger is an acclaimed South African author, historian, and distinguished former journalist. Best known for his leadership roles within South African media houses—including serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Sunday Times and later as Chief Executive of Johnnic Publishing—Pottinger has written numerous highly respected historical and political non-fiction works. His writing for the Scripta Africana series is widely praised for its balance of deep primary archival documentation with a compelling, beautifully paced storytelling style that brings the human realities of combat vividly to life.
Brian Pottinger is an acclaimed South African author, historian, and distinguished former journalist. Best known for his leadership roles within South African media houses—including serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Sunday Times and later as Chief Executive of Johnnic Publishing—Pottinger has written numerous highly respected historical and political non-fiction works. His writing for the Scripta Africana series is widely praised for its balance of deep primary archival documentation with a compelling, beautifully paced storytelling style that brings the human realities of combat vividly to life.
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