Trees & shrubs of the Witwatersrand, Magaliesberg & Pilanesberg by Van Gogh, Joan
Trees & Shrubs of the Witwatersrand, Magaliesberg & Pilanesberg (Premium First Edition Copy)
An Exquisite Visual Masterwork and Definitive Field Guide Detailing the Indigenous Flora of the Transvaal Highveld and Ancient Bushveld Ridges
An Exquisite Visual Masterwork and Definitive Field Guide Detailing the Indigenous Flora of the Transvaal Highveld and Ancient Bushveld Ridges
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Trees & Shrubs of the Witwatersrand, Magaliesberg & Pilanesberg
- Author: Joan van Gogh and John Anderson (Dr John Anderson)
- Illustrator: Joan van Gogh
- Publisher: Struik Publishers, Cape Town
- Publication Date: 1988
- ISBN-10: 086977719X
- ISBN-13: 9780869777190
- Edition Details: First Edition, First Impression. Standard Hardcover Issue.
- Binding: Publisher's original premium heavy-gauge cloth boards with crisp stamped title lettering on the spine, topped with a detailed botanical pictorial dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Quarto (4to), 250 x 185 mm, 112 pages. Lavishly illustrated with 150 vivid full-colour plates of botanical paintings by Joan van Gogh, detailed regional distribution maps, and localized ecological cross-sections.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
-
The Book: Very Good (VG)
- Exterior / Boards: The original structural cloth binding is in very good condition, remaining flat, true, and structurally sound. The corners and edges show only minor, light signs of standard storage shelf-wear, while the spine remains entirely straight, rigid, and completely undamaged.
- Interior: The text block is robustly bound, tight, and true. Internal pages and the extensive botanical painting inserts are exceptionally clean, clear, crisp, bright white, and firmly attached. Free of modern user highlighting, foxing, thumb marks, or dealer pencil markings.
-
The Dust Jacket: Very Good (VG)
- Exterior: Present and beautifully preserved within an archival clear protective cellophane wrapper. The jacket retains high colour density and its original finish, showing only limited, standard signs of handling and light edge friction along the boundaries. Free of major chipping, tattered tears, or major sun fading.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1988 by Struik, Trees & Shrubs of the Witwatersrand, Magaliesberg & Pilanesberg is an absolute masterpiece of South African natural history publishing that elegantly bridges the gap between high-art botanical illustration and rigorous field science. Written and curated by the brilliant duo of Joan van Gogh and Dr John Anderson, this comprehensive work serves as the definitive reference guide to the woody flora populating three of the most ecologically and geologically significant landforms in the old Transvaal: the industrial Witwatersrand basin, the ancient quartz ridges of the Magaliesberg, and the volcanic ring complex of the Pilanesberg.
Published in 1988 by Struik, Trees & Shrubs of the Witwatersrand, Magaliesberg & Pilanesberg is an absolute masterpiece of South African natural history publishing that elegantly bridges the gap between high-art botanical illustration and rigorous field science. Written and curated by the brilliant duo of Joan van Gogh and Dr John Anderson, this comprehensive work serves as the definitive reference guide to the woody flora populating three of the most ecologically and geologically significant landforms in the old Transvaal: the industrial Witwatersrand basin, the ancient quartz ridges of the Magaliesberg, and the volcanic ring complex of the Pilanesberg.
The volume is structured as an exceptionally practical field manual for both professional botanists and curious laymen. It details the precise diagnostic keys for 159 distinct indigenous species known to occur within these unique microclimates. The text maps out the specific characteristic features of the bark, leaf structure, flowering cycles, and fruit bodies of each plant, backed by meticulous field collection data. This text is elevated into a collectors' prize by Joan van Gogh's 150 vivid, full-colour botanical paintings, which capture the raw texture and seasonal changes of the Highveld and Bushveld with stunning botanical accuracy. This scarce first impression stands as an indispensable cornerstone item for tree lovers, conservationists, and serious Africana bibliophiles.
Author Profile: Joan van Gogh and John Anderson
Joan van Gogh is an internationally acclaimed South African botanical illustrator and fine artist whose distinctive style balances classical realism with deep scientific precision. A descendant of a legendary artistic lineage, her life-work has been heavily praised by botanical academies for its mastery of texture, grain, and lighting. Dr John Anderson is a globally renowned South African palaeobotanist, bioclimatologist, and author who spent decades as a senior researcher at the National Botanical Institute (NBI) in Pretoria. World-famous for his evolutionary timeline mapping of ancient Gondwanan ecosystems and his definitive co-authored volumes on the Palaeoflora of Southern Africa, Dr Anderson combined rigorous geological context with field dendrology. Together, Van Gogh's brushwork and Anderson's scientific insights created a benchmark reference work that remains an authoritative staple in African natural science.
Joan van Gogh is an internationally acclaimed South African botanical illustrator and fine artist whose distinctive style balances classical realism with deep scientific precision. A descendant of a legendary artistic lineage, her life-work has been heavily praised by botanical academies for its mastery of texture, grain, and lighting. Dr John Anderson is a globally renowned South African palaeobotanist, bioclimatologist, and author who spent decades as a senior researcher at the National Botanical Institute (NBI) in Pretoria. World-famous for his evolutionary timeline mapping of ancient Gondwanan ecosystems and his definitive co-authored volumes on the Palaeoflora of Southern Africa, Dr Anderson combined rigorous geological context with field dendrology. Together, Van Gogh's brushwork and Anderson's scientific insights created a benchmark reference work that remains an authoritative staple in African natural science.
botany books, rare tree books south africa, trees and shrubs of the witwatersrand 1988, joan van gogh john anderson, struik publishers first edition, collectible botanical art, used collectible book, out of print highveld flora, magaliesberg pilanesberg trees, indigenous woody shrubs, antiquarian nature guides
