The Thoughts of General Smuts – P.B. Blanckenberg
The Thoughts of General Smuts – P.B. Blanckenberg
The Thoughts of General Smuts (Very Good Post-WWII Hardcover Copy)
An Intimate Insight into the Philosophy, Holism, and Statesmanship of Oubaas Smuts
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: The Thoughts of General Smuts
- Author: P.B. Blanckenberg (Compiled by his private secretary)
- Publisher: Juta & Co., Limited, Cape Town / Johannesburg
- Publication Date: 1951 (November, First Edition)
- ISBN: None Issued (Pre-dates the standard adoption of ISBNs).
- Edition Details: First Edition, Standard Hardcover Release.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium full cloth boards with gilt-stamped spine lettering, issued with a protective dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), featuring a frontispiece photographic portrait of Field Marshal Smuts.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
- The Book: Very Good (VG)
- Exterior / Boards: The original blue cloth boards are exceptionally flat, firm, and bright. The spine is completely unbroken and crisp, with bright, unfaded gilt lettering.
- Interior: The text block is robustly bound, tight, and completely clean. Internal pages are unmarred by text highlighting, dealer markings, or dog-ears. Faint, natural age-toning entirely appropriate for a 1951 paper stock.
- The Dust Jacket: Very Good Minus (VG-)
- Condition Details: The original, highly fragile 1951 dust jacket is now fully preserved and enclosed in a new, archival plastic cover. The jacket displays light edge wear and a small amount of clean paper loss at the spine crown and foot. Color panels remain bright and unsoiled.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published just one year after the death of Field Marshal Jan Smuts, The Thoughts of General Smuts is an invaluable collection compiled by P.B. Blanckenberg, who served closely as Smuts' private secretary. This work bypasses standard battlefield reports to focus entirely on Smuts' brilliant intellect. It aggregates his personal writings, letters, and speeches covering his unique philosophical concept of Holism, his views on international diplomacy, the formation of the League of Nations and the UN, and his private reflections on the future of the African continent. It offers an unmatched, intimate look into one of the 20th century's most complex minds.
Author Profile: P.B. Blanckenberg
P.B. Blanckenberg was a trusted confidant and private secretary to Jan Smuts during some of the statesman's most challenging political years. His unique access allowed him to preserve the private philosophies and off-the-record wisdom of the global leader.
