Two Crafty Jackals is a series of nested tales within tales illustrating examples of right or wrong behaviour that lead to good or bad results. Dimnah the jackal seeks to destroy the friendship between the King of Lions and Shanzabeh the bull out of jealousy and then must face the consequences.

A RAT THAT ATE IRON. A BIRD WITH TWO HEADS. FOUR GREEDY TREASURE-SEEKERS. A DOG THAT WENT TO FOREIGN LANDS TO FIND FOOD. These are only a few of the colourful stories that long, long ago ? it is said ? a sage told three princes so that they could learn to live wisely. Instead of giving them boring lessons, the learned tutor told them fables alive with animals and human characters faced with difficult situations about friendship, cooperation, quarrels and ambition. The tales told by Pandit Vishnu Sharma about 2,500 years ago offer a map of how to make one?s way through life in a moral and wise manner. These stories of friends and enemies, cruelty and deceit, honour and humility, foolishness and cunning, deception and honesty, tell us about the choices we have and how to find a solution to tough questions of right and wrong. This all-colour, beautifully illustrated edition contains stories retold from all five books of the Panchatantra and is designed to make it easy for readers to move from story to story, and across stories within stories ? making it a must-have for readers young and old.

Benny Kaminsky and Thunderbolt Dobney lead a rag-tag gang of neighborhood rowdies. Their territory is the New Cut on London's South Bank--a place bristling with swindlers, bookies, pickpockets, and the occasional policeman. And their aim is to solve crimes. When counterfeit coins start showing up in their neighborhood, Thunderbolt fears his own father may be behind the crime. But his friends devise a way to trap the real culprit. Then the gang takes on the case of some stolen silver. They have just two clues--a blob of wax, and an unusually long match. But even this slippery thief is unmasked by the determined kids of the New Cut Gang. Filled with silly sleuthing, improbable disguises, crazy ruses, and merry mayhem, these stories are action-packed romps from one of the best storytellers ever--Philip Pullman.

‘Shortly after his appointment as lecturer in Stellenbosch, historian PJ van der Merwe turned his attention to the Northwest. In those days the region was mostly unknown to people outside this part of the world. Like today, there was uncertainty then about the boundaries of this region and its sub-regions … Berigte uit die Dorsland, compiled by Van der Merwe’s daughter, Margaretha Schäfer, contains more than 200 of his magazine and newspaper articles. The articles, based on interviews and observations, offer a wealth of important information that he gathered during two extensive visits to the Northwest and surrounding regions … He realised, long before most historians, that a personal interview with someone, who has had a particular experience, was an important historical source. But, it was essential to test the evidence and verify it with that of other people. The articles in Die Burger, Die Huisgenoot, Die Landbouweekblad and Sarie Marais are accompanied by excellent photographs taken by Van der Merwe.’ HERMANN GILIOMEE