The Kraal Uitgewers Anglo-Boer War Commemorative Collection (4-Volume Set)

Timeless Collectible Books — Premium Set Catalogue Listing

The Kraal Uitgewers Anglo-Boer War Commemorative Collection (4-Volume Set)

Featuring Three Hand-Numbered Matching Volumes (No. 817/1000) and an Ultra-Rare Publisher’s Presentation Copy (No. 0/1000)

Collection Overview & Bibliographic Specifications

This is an exceptional opportunity to acquire a complete, consecutive run of the first three volumes of the highly collectible “Die Erwe van Ons Vaad’re” series, uniquely bound by the exact same limited edition hand-number (No. 817/1000). The set is beautifully completed by a matching large-format standalone companion volume from the same publisher, hand-numbered as a rare out-of-series Publisher’s Presentation Copy (No. 0/1000).

• Publisher: Kraal Uitgewers, Brandfort / Centurion
• Publication Dates: 2005 – 2012
• Binding: Matching original publisher's heavy cloth-bound hardcovers with gold gilt spine lettering and pictorial dust jackets.
• Physical Format: Four massive Quarto volumes (Groot Hardeband) totaling 1,648 pages of text, maps, and high-fidelity archival imagery.
• Language: Afrikaans

Included Volumes:

1. Die Smarte van Oorlog (Paul Alberts, 2005) — Die Erwe van Ons Vaad’re No. 1 [Copy No. 817/1000]
2. Die Bittereinde Vrede (Prof. M. C. E. van Schoor, 2005) — Die Erwe van Ons Vaad’re No. 2 [Copy No. 817/1000]
3. De la Rey: ’n Stryd vir Vryheid (Prof. A. W. G. Raath, 2007) — Die Erwe van Ons Vaad’re No. 3 [Copy No. 817/1000]
4. Onthou! Kronieke van Vroue- en Kinderleiding, 1899–1902 (E. Wessels & Prof. A. W. G. Raath, 2012) — Standalone Companion Volume [Publisher’s Copy No. 0/1000]

Official Condition Report

The Books: Very Good to Fine (VG/F) Set 

• Interiors: The text blocks across all four volumes are in immaculate condition. The internal pages are crisp, bright white, and entirely free of foxing, pencil marks, highlighting, or ownership signatures. Bindings remain remarkably tight, solid, and square under the substantial weight of these heavy academic works.
• Exteriors: Cloth bindings are strong and uniform in colour. Minimal, standard shelf friction is present at the base of the spines and lower edges from shelf storage, with gold gilt lettering pristine throughout.

The Dust Jackets: Very Good to Fine (VG/F)

• Condition: All four original pictorial dust jackets are complete and vibrant. They display only light, standard shelf wear and minor surface rubbing on the rear faces, entirely consistent with careful handling. Completely free from edge chips, sun-fading, or structural tears.

Synopsis & Historiographical Value

This unified four-volume collection represents the absolute zenith of modern Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902) research and preservation. Published by Kraal Uitgewers, these volumes collectively shift the focus away from detached battlefield timelines to capture the deeply personal, human, and political realities of the conflict.

• Volume 1 (Die Smarte van Oorlog) uses poignant social documentary work to detail the raw trauma of the scorched-earth policy and early concentration camps.
• Volume 2 (Die Bittereinde Vrede) provides an authoritative look inside the tense, agonizing peace negotiations at Vereeniging that permanently changed the face of South Africa.
• Volume 3 (De la Rey: ’n Stryd vir Vryheid) delivers a massive, 567-page master biography on General Koos de la Rey, unearthing his mobile guerrilla genius and complex personal philosophy.
• Volume 4 (Onthou!) serves as a monumental, heartbreaking historical database archiving the letters, journal fragments, and death lists of the Boer women and children who suffered in the British camp systems.

Together, this set stands as a profound historical archive and an elite centerpiece for any high-tier library of rare Africana.