The Great Escape of the Boer Pimpernel: Christiaan de Wet – The Making of a Legend Author: Fransjohan Pretorius
The Great Escape of the Boer Pimpernel: Christiaan de Wet – The Making of a Legend (Collectible First Edition)
The Definitive Military and Mythological Analysis of General de Wet's Miraculous Escape from the British Vangnet in 1900
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: The Great Escape of the Boer Pimpernel: Christiaan de Wet – The Making of a Legend
- Author: Fransjohan Pretorius
- Publisher: University of Natal Press, Pietermaritzburg
- Publication Date: 2001
- ISBN-10: 0869809946
- ISBN-13: 9780869809945
- Edition Details: First Edition, Standard Softcover Release (First Printing).
- Binding: Original publisher's premium heavy-gauge illustrated card wrappers with an uncreased, unbroken spine.
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 238 pages. Enhanced with comprehensive military tactical maps, archival battlefield diagrams, historical photographic plates, source notes, and an authoritative index.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
o Exterior / Wraps: The glossy heavy card covers are exceptionally bright, flat, and square. The corners are sharp with only negligible storage shelf friction, completely consistent with a well-preserved volume. The spine remains entirely unbroken, uncreased, and crisp, displaying excellent shelf presence.
o Interior: The text block is robustly bound, tight, and immaculately preserved. Internal pages, detailed tactical maps, and photographic inserts are crisp, white, and clean. The volume is completely free of text underlining, highlighting, dog-ears, or previous owner signatures. - The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued in Premium Card Wrappers)
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 2001 by the University of Natal Press, The Great Escape of the Boer Pimpernel is a masterclass in objective military history and historiography. The volume focuses intensely on the high-stakes operations of July and August 1900, when British Commander-in-Chief Lord Roberts deployed an overwhelming force of more than 50,000 soldiers to encircle General Christiaan de Wet in the Brandwater Basin. Renowned historian Fransjohan Pretorius meticulously traces how De Wet, accompanied by President Marthinus Steyn and a mobile commando, managed to continuously evade, outmaneuver, and escape this massive British dragnet.
Published in 2001 by the University of Natal Press, The Great Escape of the Boer Pimpernel is a masterclass in objective military history and historiography. The volume focuses intensely on the high-stakes operations of July and August 1900, when British Commander-in-Chief Lord Roberts deployed an overwhelming force of more than 50,000 soldiers to encircle General Christiaan de Wet in the Brandwater Basin. Renowned historian Fransjohan Pretorius meticulously traces how De Wet, accompanied by President Marthinus Steyn and a mobile commando, managed to continuously evade, outmaneuver, and escape this massive British dragnet.
The book goes beyond a mere chronological retelling of the spectacular chase; it brilliantly analyzes how these specific events captured the global imagination, cementing De Wet's reputation as the "Boer Pimpernel" and a master of guerrilla warfare. Pretorius separates historical fact from wartime myth, examining how both British desperation and Boer resilience forged an enduring military legend. This highly sought-after, out-of-print academic first printing is a critical cornerstone for any collector of advanced Anglo-Boer War history and specialized militaria.
Author Profile: Fransjohan Pretorius
Professor Fransjohan Pretorius (born 1949) is one of the world's most distinguished and universally respected historians specializing in the Anglo-Boer War. As Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Pretoria, he has authored and edited numerous seminal works on the conflict, including his award-winning Life on Commando during the Anglo-Boer War 1899–1902. Renowned for his meticulous archival research and balanced historical approach, his scholarship has earned him multiple prestigious accolades, including the Recht Malan Prize and the Stals Prize for History, placing him at the absolute vanguard of contemporary South African historiography.
Professor Fransjohan Pretorius (born 1949) is one of the world's most distinguished and universally respected historians specializing in the Anglo-Boer War. As Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Pretoria, he has authored and edited numerous seminal works on the conflict, including his award-winning Life on Commando during the Anglo-Boer War 1899–1902. Renowned for his meticulous archival research and balanced historical approach, his scholarship has earned him multiple prestigious accolades, including the Recht Malan Prize and the Stals Prize for History, placing him at the absolute vanguard of contemporary South African historiography.
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