In a series of tales, South Africa’s greatest short story writer reveals a little-described—and rarely romanticized—world of Afrikaner life in the late 19th century Like our own Mark Twain, Herman Charles Bosman wields a laughing intolerance of foolishness and prejudice, a dazzling use of wit and clear-sighted judgment. Spun by the plainclothes local visionary and storyteller Oom Shalk Lourens, these moving and satirical glimpses of lethargic herdsmen, ambitious concertina players, legendary leopards and mambas, and love-struck dreamers lay bare immense emotions, contradictions, and mysteries within the smallest movements and unadorned talk of the Groot Marico District of the Transvaal province. Leading oral tradition by the hand into a territory all his own, Bosman maps a world at once lucid and layered, distant yet powerfully familiar.

The Faulkner of South Africa: Transcendent glimpses into the human condition, of dreams and heartbreak, told with homespun wisdom.

Whether set in Cape Town, Johannesburg or the remoteness of lonely farms, these stories present an acute and heartfelt sensitivity for the troubles of ordinary people during apartheid. They provide a rare historical record of the times, revealing the hopes and dreams of people of all races, that are only now becoming a reality. Dora Taylor's powers of observation enable her to conjure up the vibrancy of a city, the squalor of a shanty town or the peace of the veld. Although the stories are often heart-rendingly tragic, there is always an underlying quality of hope, springing from the author’s intense desire that things should improve, an objective to which she devoted her life.

This book examines a diverse set of civic war memorials in North East England commemorating three clusters of conflicts: the Crimean War and Indian Rebellion in the 1850s; the ‘small wars’ of the 1880s; and the Boer War from 1899 to 1902. Encompassing a protracted timeframe and embracing disparate social, political and cultural contexts, it analyses how and why war memorials and commemorative practices changed during this key period of social transition and imperial expansion. In assessing the motivations of the memorial organisers and the narratives they sought to convey, the author argues that developments in war commemoration were primarily influenced by – and reflected – broader socio-economic and political transformations occurring in nineteenth-century and early-twentieth century Britain.

This fascinating text provides a detailed guide to the growing of mushrooms, containing a comprehensive treatise on the subject and detailing everything a prospective mushroom-grower could possibly need to know. Informative and accessible, this scarce text is the perfect introduction to the beginner, as well as constituting a great handbook for seasoned practitioners. Chapters included in this text include: What s a Mushroom?, History of Mushroom Growing, The Mushroom industry To-day, Cultivation Overseas, How Mushrooms are Grown, Mushrooms for the Amateur Gardener, Mushrooms for the Country Gentleman, Mushrooms for Nurserymen and Market Gardens, Building a Mushroom Farm, and many more. This scarce book has been elected for modern republication due to its educational value, and is proudly republished here complete with a new introduction to the subject.

A spellbinding and varied line-up of recollections of the star turn of the 20th-century South African literary scene. Included in this valuable tribute are detailed memoirs of four of Herman Charles Bosman's keepers of the flame: his colleague George Howard, his cousin Zita Grové, his disciple Lionel Abrahams; and the unpublished chapters by his widow, Helena Lake, never previously collected in book form. In addition there are souvenirs by Bosman's other wives and lovers. Tributes come from his press associates, while much intimate interview material is included to complete this strange portrait of Johannesburg's murderous blue-eyed boy. Their accumulated testimony here gives as good value as Bosman himself ever did during his embattled lifetime.