Founded in 1990, family-owned Quagga Books has built a distinctive footprint in the antiquarian book trade with our eye for the unusual.
For an authentic experience, visit our Kalk Bay shop or browse through our interesting mix of books, maps and ephemera on our website.
We ship worldwide using a secure airmail process.
Game Fishes of Africa – Copley, Hugh
Part One: Sea Fishes; Part two: Fresh-water Fishes; Part 3: Baits. 38 b&w Plates. Numerous line drawings. Includes newspaper clipping: “Fish that Fight”. First Edition. Condition: very good – minor foxing and age toning to paste down and free endpapers. Jacket condition: fair – dust jacket is split at the spine and approximately half of…
Flowering Plants of the Cape Flats Nature Reserve – Low, A.B., & Scott, L.B.
Flowering Plants of the Cape Flats Nature Reserve an illustrated leaf key An illustrated guide to the flowering plant types in the Cape Flats Nature Reserve. First Edition. Condition: very good – foxing to title page, bookplate on title page, wear to spine, dimples to spine, light foxing to page edges, minor lean to spine….
Nita Spilhaus (1878-1967) – Elliott, Peter
Nita Spilhaus (1878-1967) and her artist friends in the Cape during the early twentieth century This book is the first major serious study of the life and work of Nita Spilhaus. Written by her great nephew Peter Eliott, this book is self published. It is an accomplished and meticulous study of Nita’s life, artist friends…
The Old Man and the Sea – Hemingway, Ernest
The last major fictional work Hemingway published during his lifetime. It tells the story of Santiago, an aging fisherman, and his long struggle to catch a giant marlin. UK First Edition. Condition: good – light lean to spine, minor age toning to front and back board, sunning to spine, and foxing to the end papers….
Wilfred Owen The Completed Poems and Fragments (2 vol.) – Stallworthy, Jon (ed.)
Volume I: The poems. Volume II: The manuscripts of the poems and fragments. Wilfred Edward Salter Owen was an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War. First Edition. Condition: very good – minor wear to spine of volume II. Hardcover binding. Publisher: Chatto & Windus –…
Restios of the Fynbos – Haaksma, Els Dorrat & Linder, H Peter
A field guide for the Restionaceae or Cape reeds which is a unique family of fynbos plants found in the southern tip of South Africa. Beautifully illustrated by photographs and over 400 colour images. First Edition. Condition: very good – minor lean to spine. Softcover binding. Publisher: Botanical Society of the Western Cape Date Published:…
The Fair House – Cope, Jack
A family history centring on the Zulu revolt of 1902, was the first of a series of novels that includes The Golden Oriole (1958), The Road to Ysterberg (1959), Albino (1964), The Dawn Comes Twice (1969), The Student of Zend (1972), and My Son Max (1977). First Edition. Condition: very good – minor lean to…
The Doves, Parrots, Louries, & Cuckoos of Southern Africa – Rowan, M.K.
Rowan writes in a clear and engaging style, making complex ornithological information understandable for both amateur bird watchers and professional ornithologists. First Edition. Condition: very good – light lean to spine, minor edge wear to spine. Jacket condition: very good – light edge wear to spine, unclipped. Hardcover binding. Publisher: David Philip Date Published: 1983…
A Moveable Feast – Hemmingway, Ernest
A Moveable Feast is a memoir by Ernest Hemingway about his years as a struggling expatriate journalist and writer in Paris during the 1920s. It was published posthumously on May 5, 1964. First UK Edition. Condition: very good – minor lean to spine, bumped corners, light edge wear, pencil inscription from prior owner to front…
Andrew Smith’s Journal of His Expedition Into the Interior of South Africa 1834 – 36 – Smith, Andrew; Lye, William F (ed.)
‘An authentic narrative of travels and discoveries, the manners and customs of the Native Tribes, and the physical nature of the country’. Edited with an introduction and notes by William F Lye. Numerous illustrations. Two hundred copies of this edition of witch this copy is number 19. Signed by the editor William F Lye. Deluxe…
Thomas Baines: An Artist in the Service of Science in Southern Africa – Stevenson, Michael (Ed)
A catalogue accompanying the exhibition held at Christie’s, London during September 1999. Contains numerous colour photographs and illustrations. First Edition. Condition: very good – minor edge wear and bumping to corners, light lean to spine. Softcover binding. Publisher: Christies International Media Date Published: 1999 Publication Place: London Condition: very good – minor edge wear and…
The Plains of Camdeboo – Palmer, Eve
A personal account of one of the world’s strangest and most unfamiliar regions. Part biography, part history, part natural history. B&w photographs and illustrations. Revised Edition. Condition: very good – slight lean to spine and slight curve to the front wrap. Softcover binding. Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers Date Published: 1993 Publication Place: Johannesburg Condition: very…
The Plains of Camdeboo – Palmer, Eve
The Plains of Camdeboo: the Classic Book of the Karoo A personal account of one of the world’s strangest and most unfamiliar regions. Part biography, part history, part natural history. B&w photographs and illustrations. Revised Edition. Condition: very good – light lean to spine, edge and corner wear, light curve to the front wrap. Softcover…
Return to Camdeboo – Palmer, Eve
Return to Camdeboo: A Century’s Karoo Foods and Flavours Memoir and regional food book. First Edition. Condition: very good – a little wear to the wraps, light lean to spine. Softcover binding. Publisher: Tafelberg Date Published: 1992 Publication Place: Cape Town Condition: very good – a little wear to the wraps, light lean to spine….
Zulu Pottery – Perrill, Elizabeth
l Zulu Pottery is a centuries-old ceramic art form rooted in the cultural, social, and spiritual life of the Zulu people in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Zulu Pottery examines the techniques and individuals continuing this great tradition. Contains numerous colour photographs. First Edition. Condition: very good – light lean to spine. Softcover Binding. Publisher: Print Matters…
Blackie’s Girls’ Annual – Haverfield, E.L. et al.
A popular vintage children’s book series published annually in the United Kingdom by Blackie & Son Ltd during the early to mid-20th century. Contains b&w illustrations and full colour plate illustrations. First Edition. Condition: good – edge wear, bumped corners, foxing scattered throughout, wear to front board, and light lean to spine. Hardcover binding. Publisher:…
The book of a Thousand Nights and a Night (12 Vol.) – Burton, Sir Richard F. (trans.)
Arabian Nights 8vo, 12 volumes. Translated from Arabic by Captain Sir R.F. Burton, reprinted from the original edition and edited by Leonard C. Smithers, 71 original illustrations reproduced from pictures in oils specially painted by Albert Letchford. Bound in the publisher’s binding of three quarter dark blue morocco, gilt titles to spines, “Kamashastra Edition” in…
Journal of Jan Van Riebeeck. 3 volumes – Van Riebeeck, Jan; Thom, H.B (ed.)
A multi-volume historical publication containing the official day-to-day diary kept by Jan van Riebeeck during his time as commander of the Dutch East India Company settlement at the Cape of Good Hope. The English edition of this work produced for The Van Riebeeck Society. Translated by Van Zyl, W. P. L. English Edition. Condition: very…
Lithops: Flowering Stones – Cole, Desmond T.
Over 300 close up colour photographs of the plants. Limited printing of 2500 copies of which this copy is number 1843. Forward by Rowley, Gordon D. First Edition. Condition: very good – light lean to spine, minor bumping to corners, and age toning to endpapers. Jacket condition: very good -light sunning to spine. Hardcover binding….
Cotyledon and Tylecodon – van Jaarsveld, Ernst & Koutnik, Daryl
The first account to cover the closely related genera Colyledon and Tylecodon. It represents information gathered over 25 years. Each species is described and illustrated by means of exquisite watercolour paintings by Elise Bodley and Lisa Strachan as well as habitat photographs of the plants. First Edition. Condition: very good – bound in green cloth…
Lady Anne Barnard’s Watercolours and Sketches. – Barker, Nicolas (Intro)
Limited to 1000 copies. Glimpses of the Cape of Good Hope. Lady Anne was an accomplished artist recording landscape and figures during her stay in the Cape. Her diaries and letters, illustrated with delightful drawings and watercolours paint a lively commentary on the events of her life. With an introduction by Nicolas Barker. Includes fold…
Herbert Baker. Architecture and Idealism. 1892 – 1913 – Keith, Michael
The South African Years Extensively illustrated with photographs and drawings. First Edition. Condition: very good – edge wear to corners and edges of spine, light bumping to corners, light lean to spine. Jacket condition: very good – light edge wear, slight crease mark to spine, unclipped. Hardcover binding. Publisher: Ashanti Publishing Limited Date Published: Undated….
Kingfishers of Sub-Saharan Africa – Clancey, Phillip A
Covers 20 kingfisher species. Exquisitely detailed colour plates portray each kingfisher in its natural surroundings. Comprehensive account of distribution, status, habitat, vocalisation, behaviour and breeding biology as well as historical background and possible ancestral forms behind the initial colonisation of the continent and adjacent islands. First Edition. Condition: very good – sunning to spine, bumped…
From Man to Man – Schreiner, Olive
From Man to Man or Perhaps Only… An exploration of gender dynamics, societal norms, and the quest for individual identity, set against the backdrop of 19th century South Africa. Unfinished novel. First Edition. Condition: very good – slight curve to the boards, foxing throughout, edge wear. Hardcover binding. Publisher: T. Fisher Unwin LTD Date Published:…
Undine – Schreiner, Olive
The first completed novel by South African author Olive Schreiner, written primarily in her youth while working as a governess. Though written before The Story of an African Farm, it was published posthumously in 1929. First Edition. Condition: very good – foxing and sunning to spine, lean to spine, inscription from prior owner in ink…
Geologie de la Republique Sud-Africaine du Transvaal – Molengraaff, D G A F
French text. with 19 figures in the text, a plate of cross-sections, and a colored topographical and geological fold out map of the Transvaal. First Edition. Condition: good – spine loosening, edge wear, age toning to front and rear board, unopened edges. Softcover binding. Publisher: Au Siege de la Societe Geologique de France Date Published:…
Botanical Exploration of Southern Africa. – Gunn, Mary and Codd, L E
Introductory volume to the Flora of Southern Africa An illustrated history of early botanical literature on the Cape flora. Biographical accounts of the leading plant collectors (some with b&w photographs) and their activities in southern Africa from the days of the East India Company until the modern times. First Edition. Condition: very good – bound…
Rook en Oker – Jonker, Ingrid
Includes “Die kind wat doodgeskiet is deur soldate by Nyanga” (“The child who was shot dead by soldiers at Nyanga”), which Nelson Mandela famously recited at the opening of the first democratic Parliament in 1994. Includes pamphlet for Ingrid Jonker the Center. Second Edition. Condition: good – wear to spine, edge wear, foxing to back…
Commando. A Boer Journal of the Boer War. – Deneys Reitz
The author entered the war at the age of 17 years and fought it through to the end. A story of courage, endurance and the triumph of human spirit over adversity. Illustrated with numerous photographs and sketches. First Edition, Fourth Impression. Condition: very good – bound in red cloth, light edge wear at the spine,…
Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa. 2 Volumes – Burchell, William J
No. 927 of a limited edition of facsimile reprint of 1000 numbered copies. 2 volumes with folding map. With a new introduction by A Gordon-Brown. Includes 10 plates and 50 Vignettes. Heavy item that will incur additional shipping charges. Tipped in maps of Burchell’s route to replace standard fold out map. Facsimile Reprint. Condition: very…