The Heart Of A City By R. F. Kennedy
The Heart of a City: A History of the Johannesburg Public Library (First Edition, 1970)
The Monumental, Definitive Archival History of South Africa’s Premier Bibliographic and Municipal Sanctuary
The Monumental, Definitive Archival History of South Africa’s Premier Bibliographic and Municipal Sanctuary
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: The Heart of a City: A History of the Johannesburg Public Library
- Author: R.F. Kennedy (Reginald Frank Kennedy)
- Publisher: Juta & Company, Limited, Cape Town / Johannesburg, South Africa
- Publication Date: 1970
- ISBN: None Issued (Pre-dates standard local ISBN integration for comprehensive municipal histories)
- Edition Details: First Edition
- Binding: Original publisher's premium full-bound brown cloth (often textured with a leatherette grain), featuring crisp gilt titles stamped directly to the spine.
- Physical Format: Heavy Thick Octavo (8vo), 636 pages. Profusely illustrated throughout with rare black-and-white historic photographic plates, old street plans, and structural portraits of early library spaces.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Very Good (VG)
- Exterior / Covers: The original heavy brown textured boards are structurally straight, flat, and remarkably firm. The corners remain clean with minimal shelf wear. The spine is uncreased, unbroken, and completely undamaged.
- Interior: Complete and immaculately preserved across all 636 pages. The internal leaves, historical photo spreads, and indices are exceptionally clean, clear, and white—free of user highlighting, ink signatures, or dog-ears.
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The Dust Jacket: Very Good Minus (VG-)
- Condition Details: The original unclipped pictorial dust jacket accompanies the book. It exhibits some honest, age-related shelf handling wear, rubbing, and small chips/tears along the edges and spine areas, completely normal for a substantial volume of this mass.
- Preservation Note: The book is now professionally housed under a brand-new protective Cellophane cover, which aligns, reinforces, and holds the original dust jacket together beautifully while safeguarding it against any future surface friction.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1970 by Juta & Company, The Heart of a City is universally acclaimed as the definitive, monumental masterwork documenting the history of the Johannesburg Public Library. Far more than a simple institutional index or dry commemorative timeline, this extensive 636-page reference tome acts as a vital foundation for South African bibliographic and librarianship studies. Written with profound professional insight, the narrative charts the complex evolution of the library from its humble subscription origins in 1890 during the volatile mining camp days, through its structural move to Kerk Street, to its full municipal integration into the Johannesburg Town Council as a free lending library in 1924.
Published in 1970 by Juta & Company, The Heart of a City is universally acclaimed as the definitive, monumental masterwork documenting the history of the Johannesburg Public Library. Far more than a simple institutional index or dry commemorative timeline, this extensive 636-page reference tome acts as a vital foundation for South African bibliographic and librarianship studies. Written with profound professional insight, the narrative charts the complex evolution of the library from its humble subscription origins in 1890 during the volatile mining camp days, through its structural move to Kerk Street, to its full municipal integration into the Johannesburg Town Council as a free lending library in 1924.
Kennedy masterfully records the overarching philosophies of mid-century librarianship, tracing the systematic development of the library's progressive book selection policies and the procedural evolution of its world-class archives. Central to the book's narrative is the construction and opening of its historic, imposing Italianate headquarters on Market Square in August 1935—designed by architect John Perry. This landmark building became a civic sanctuary, housing rare treasures like the African Studies and Performing Arts collections. For bibliophiles, institutional historians, and professional collectors of Witwatersrand Africana, this scarce first-edition volume is a highly prized tribute to a beloved institution.
Author Profile: R.F. Kennedy
Reginald Frank Kennedy (1897–1978) was one of the most distinguished, influential figures in the history of South African library science and archival preservation. Moving to South Africa from England, Kennedy spent nearly forty years shaping the literary core of Johannesburg, serving as the Deputy Librarian from 1921 to 1936, and subsequently ascending to the position of Chief City Librarian from 1936 until his retirement in 1960. A man of vast scholarship and profound enthusiasm, he dedicated his life to building investment-grade collections and establishing the foundational frameworks of modern municipal indexing. Kennedy was highly revered for his unmatched knowledge of rare books, and his authoritative research monographs—including his catalogs on South African prints and his definitive history of the library—remain benchmark reference texts globally collected by academic institutions and antiquarian dealers alike.
Reginald Frank Kennedy (1897–1978) was one of the most distinguished, influential figures in the history of South African library science and archival preservation. Moving to South Africa from England, Kennedy spent nearly forty years shaping the literary core of Johannesburg, serving as the Deputy Librarian from 1921 to 1936, and subsequently ascending to the position of Chief City Librarian from 1936 until his retirement in 1960. A man of vast scholarship and profound enthusiasm, he dedicated his life to building investment-grade collections and establishing the foundational frameworks of modern municipal indexing. Kennedy was highly revered for his unmatched knowledge of rare books, and his authoritative research monographs—including his catalogs on South African prints and his definitive history of the library—remain benchmark reference texts globally collected by academic institutions and antiquarian dealers alike.
heart of a city rf kennedy juta 1970 first edition history johannesburg public library municipal archives book selection city librarian witwatersrand aficana collectible books used collectible book dust jacket
