The Splendour Of South Africa By R.I.B. Webster
The Splendour Of South Africa
A Magnificent Mid-Century Pictorial Homage to the Diverse Scenery, Radiant Geographies, and Cultural Vignettes of the Subcontinent
A Magnificent Mid-Century Pictorial Homage to the Diverse Scenery, Radiant Geographies, and Cultural Vignettes of the Subcontinent
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: The Splendour Of South Africa
- Author: R.I.B. Webster
- Publisher: Central News Agency Ltd (CNA) / Colour Library Books, Johannesburg
- Publication Date: 1984 (First Edition Cycle) / 1990 Impression
- ISBN-13: 9780620075275 (ISBN-10: 0620075279)
- Edition Details: Vintage Hardcover Release.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium cloth boards with deep gilt-stamped typography along the spine; complete with original full-colour gloss illustrated dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Oversized Coffee-Table Folio (4to), 160 pages. Profusely augmented with an elite archive of full-colour landscape, ethnographic, and wildlife master photography printed across heavy-gauge gloss paper stock. Dimensions: Approx. 35 x 27 x 2 cm. Weight: Approx. 2.0 kg.
- Language: English [1, 2, 3]
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Very Good (VG)
- Exterior / Boards: The oversized cloth boards are structurally rigid, square, and firm. Minor, typical shelf-rubbing and light friction along the lower rim margins and corner tips, entirely expected for a folio of this scale and weight. The spine remains completely unbent, sturdy, and upright.
- Interior: The text block is robustly bound, clean, and tight. Internal pages and the expansive full-colour photo layouts are pristine, bright, and exceptionally well-preserved. Completely free of contemporary reader highlighting, margin notes, ink stains, or dog-ears.
- Provenance: Pristine collector's state; entirely free of modern previous owner signatures, library institutional stamps, or dealer pencil notations.
- Protection: Safely enclosed and beautifully preserved within an archival-grade protective cellophane sleeve.
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The Dust Jacket: Very Good (VG)
- Condition: Bright and complete. Displays a few limited signs of historic wear, including microscopic handling friction and very light surface shelf-rubbing along the top and bottom margins, consistent with careful placement. Free of deep tears, heavy chipping, or sun-fading.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published by the historic Central News Agency (CNA) in collaboration with Colour Library Books, The Splendour Of South Africa is a sweeping, deeply nostalgic photographic archive of the subcontinent during the late 20th century. To capture the sheer scale and immense geographic variety of the land, an elite team of professional field photographers spent months traveling across every major biome and region.
The resulting monograph maps out an incredibly photogenic panorama: from dramatic, storm-swept skies and infinite desert horizons to dense subtropical forests, rich indigenous flora, and wild animal reserves. Rather than offering an empty visual gallery, the vivid photography is given historical depth by a thoughtful, engaging narrative text written by R.I.B. Webster. This classic coffee-table book serves as a timeless visual record and an evocative time capsule of South African heritage preservation, making it highly collectible for enthusiasts of vintage travel literature and Africana.
Author Profile: R.I.B. Webster
R.I.B. Webster was an insightful mid-century travel chronicler, editor, and documentary writer who specialized in regional African topography and cultural landscapes. The Central News Agency (CNA) print division was famous for commissioning South Africa's top mid-century journalists and photojournalists to document regional life, and Webster's concise, engaging style was highly regarded for its ability to balance lighthearted geographical summaries with a genuine respect for the country's diverse natural environments.
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