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.
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Jean Welz 1975. Portfolio – Welz, Jean
Portfolio containing 10 colour lithographed prints and one signed and numbered charcoal reproduction. Also contained in the portfolio is a prospectus for the work, a short introductory text by W.E.G. Louw and a signed note from the publisher. Produced to the finest standards for the artists 75th birthday and limited to 300 copies. A small…
Serious Business – Dowd, J.H. and Spender, B.E.
Nostlgic illustrations of children at play. Wear to the boards. Internally clean Publisher: Country Life Date Published: 1946 Publication Place: London
Adamastor – Campbell, Roy
Contains early poems, Adamastor and satirical fragments. With a preface and seven drawings. Very good. Half calf over blue linen boards. Binding lightly worn Publisher: Paul Koston Date Published: 1950 Publication Place: London Condition: Very good
History of Cape Silver 1700 – 1870 – Heller, David
A History of Cape Silver : signed by the author on title page. Illustrations showing Cape silversmiths’ marks, decorations, examples of silverware produced between 1700 and 1870. 90 plates plus frontispiece. Inscription to front pastedown. Some toning to front and rear feps. 276 Pages. Contents clean and binding sound. 1st Edition. Condition: Very good. Dust…
Her South African Ancestors (Including the Featherstones) – Cronwright, Samuel Cron
First Edition. Octavo (23cm); 101pp; illustrated with photographic plates. A family history compiled by the husband of renowned South African author Olive Schreiner. The work traces the lineage of the Featherstone and Cronwright families and their contemporaries, providing a detailed record of 19th-century settler life and colonial genealogy in the Cape. A valuable primary resource…
Full Many A Glorious Morning – Lawrence G.Green
“A recent journey by rail and road in four countries of Southern Africa with the traveller going back on old tracks, striking out in new directions and moving along the highways and byways of memory.” Travelling through Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Kalahari, Kakamas, Keimoes, and other little-known places. Age-toning to page-edges. Previous owners names on end…
Grow Lovely, Growing Old – Green, Lawrence G
Capturing the atmosphere of the Cape in far off days. The story of Cape Town’s three centuries – the streets, the houses, the characters, the legends, traditions and folklore, the laughter and tears. Sketches by Sir Charles D’Oyly. 12 illustrations. 271 Pages. Contents clean and binding sound. Inscription to the half title 1st editin. Condition:…
The Great War 1899 – 1900 – Docking, A. Shipway
Scarce volume of Anglo-Boer War poetry. Wear to head and foot of spine. Sight sunning to the spine. Condition: good Publisher: Greening & Co. Date Published: 1902 Publication Place: London First Edition: Yes
The White Tribe of Africa. South Africa in Perspective – Harrison, David
An historical survey documenting the rise of Afrikaner nationalism from the Great Trek through the peak of the Apartheid era. Originally written to accompany the acclaimed BBC television series of the same name, Harrison’s work offers a nuanced look into the Afrikaner world-view, exploring the historical forcesfrom the Anglo-Boer War to the 1948 Nationalist victorythat…
Plans for a Better World – Smuts. J.C.
A selection of speeches by Smuts. Very scarce in the original dustjacket. Previous owner’s name, some light foxing and sunning to the jacket. A very good copy. Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton Date Published: 1942 Publication Place: London First Edition: Yes Has Dust Jacket: Yes
A Guide to the Official Records of the Colony of Natal – Webb, C de B.
An invaluable resource for researchers. It includes Unpublished Government Record, Principal Publications, Statistical Returns, Tabular Statements, Sessional Papers, Reports of Commissions and Papers Published for General Information. Publisher: University of Natal Press Date Published: 1968 Publication Place: Natal Condition: Very good
Khaki and Blue. Thirty-Five Years’ Service in South Africa – Godley, R S
Of historic importance as an authentic account of the Revolutionary strike at Johannesburg in 1922. The author’s reminiscences cover a period of continuous service with the Police Force from 1896 to 1921. B&W photographs. Some wormholes to boards and first few pages. Tinted top edge. 269 pages. Binding firm. 1st Edition. Condition: Good. Dust jacket:…
Through Shot and Flame – Kestell, J.D.
An account of the Second Anglo-Boer War (18991902). Kestell, who served as a chaplain and was part of the “Orange Free State triumvirate,” provides an eyewitness narrative of key battles like Colenso and the storming of Platrand, as well as the “Great De Wet Hunts”. The book is noted for its moving descriptions of the…
Debbie Go Home – Paton, Alan
10 short stories set in South Africa. reprint Good Soft cover Publisher: Jonathan Cape Date Published: 1986 Publication Place: UK Condition: Good Binding: Soft cover
Nuwe F.A.K. Sangbundle – De Villiers, Dirkie et.al.
Following the massive success of the original 1937 Volksangbundel, this 1961 revision updated the collection to be more “manageable” for home and school use. It discarded roughly 140 songs that had fallen out of popular use and added 74 new compositions, often providing modernized musical accompaniments. It remains a definitive cultural archive of Afrikaans musical…
Send Carrington! The Story of an Imperial Frontiersman – Gon, Philip
Biography of Major-General Sir Frederick Carrington (18441913), a prominent military figure known for his service in numerous colonial conflicts across Southern Africa. The narrative covers his leadership in the Basuto Gun War, the First Matabele War, and his role in the suppression of the 1896 Matabeleland Rebellion. Gon details Carrington’s reputation for being “sent for”…
Men who made Rhodesia – Hickman, Colonel A.S.
A Register of those who served in the British South Africa Company’s Police A register with descriptions of nearly 900 men who served between 1889 and 1892. There is an historical summary and biographical notes. Two folding maps. Inscribed by the author. Some discolouration and spotting to the front board and foxing to the page…
They Were South Africans – Bond, John
Intended to correct the “historical perspective” by highlighting the specific contributions of English-speaking South Africans to the nation’s development. It covers a wide array of figures, from frontiersmen and missionaries to educators and farmers, exploring their roles in South Africa’s agricultural, political, and social history. reprint good softcover Publisher: Oxford University Press Date Published: 1971…
Cape Town Tavern of the Seas – Green, Lawrence G
An evergreen book dealing with a variety of characters, eg. snake-charmers and fire-walkers and giants; mingle with the gypsies of Egypt and the secrets of the tribal rainmaker; carnivals, streets, canals and shops. Anecdotes on the local history of the Cape. A number of b&w illustrations. Previous owner’s name to half title page. 205 Pages,…
Milner. Apostle of Empire – Marlowe, John
The political career of Alfred George the Right Honourable Viscount Milner. Who, as High Commissioner in South Africa towards the end of the Anglo-Boer War and later as a member of Lloyd George’s War Cabinet played a leading political role during two of the twentieth centuries most important moments. Condition: very good, dust jacket: good,…
Sotho War Diaries. 1864 – 1865 – Fraser, J G & Briggs, James and edited by Karel Schoeman
Taken from Fraser’s unpublished diaries and combined with an excerpt from his autobiography describing the event of the withdrawal of the Basotho from the Orange Free State and and second Sotho-Free State War in 1865. A couple of B&W photographs. 118 Pages. First edition. Condition: Very good. Dust jacket: Good to very good. Mild edge…
This Man of Purpose. Pioneer of Natal and Zululand – a Biography – Farquhar Osborn
This biography chronicles the life of Sir James Liege Hulett (18381928), a pioneering figure in the South African sugar and tea industries. The text details his arrival in Natal from England in 1857, his establishment of the Sir J.L. Hulett & Sons empire (the precursor to Tongaat Hulett), and his influential political career as a…
Sir Lowry Cole, Governor of Mauritius, 18231828, Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, 18281833: A Study in Colonial Administration – Hunt, Keith S.
A detailed examination of the colonial governorships of Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole. Focusing on Cole’s administrative reforms in Mauritius and the Cape Colony, including his efforts to abolish the “colour bar,” the construction of the strategic Sir Lowry’s Pass, and his management of frontier tensions. Condition:very good. Dust jacket: good with edgewear. Publisher: Butterworths Date…
The Cape Colour Question. A Historical Survey – Macmillan, W. H
Facsimile reprint of the 1927 original text. Hardcover, xvi, 304 pages. Includes a foreword by C.W. de Kiewiet, a frontispiece portrait of Dr. John Philip, and two folding maps. Utilises the private papers of Dr. John Philip (superintendent of the London Missionary Society) to analyse 19th-century race relations. Macmillan examines the evolution of legal and…
Only an Anguish to Live Here. Olive Schreiner and the Anglo-Boer War 1899 – 1902 – Schoeman, Karel
Based on Schreiner’s largely unpublished letters, the author recreates her life during the Anglo-Boer War and interprets her spirited defence of the Boers as a stage of the development of a sense of social justice. Which within the next ten years was to make her a champion of civil and women’s rights. Publisher: Human &…
The Defence of Duffer’s Drift – Swinton, E.D.
A few experienced in the field defence for detached posts which map prove useful in our next war. First published in 1907. The author’s hypothetical scenarios conceived during his time serving in the Anglo-Boer War. reprint very good, dust jacket: very good. Publisher: Leo Cooper Date Published: 1990 Publication Place: London Condition: very good Jacket…
Vanishing Cape Town – Grogan, Tony
Capturing the charm and cultural heritage of a city that was fast disappearing with evocative, quirky and humourous sketches. Ordinary people, delightful old buildings, street scenes, Malay Quarter, etc. Contents firmly bound. 2nd Edition 2nd impression. Condition: Good. Insect damage to the end papers. Dust jacket: Very good. Mild edge-wear. Binding: Hardcover. Blue boards with…
Oos Wes Tuis Bes Distrik Ses – Small, Adam and Jansen, Chris (photog.)
Poetry of Adam Small accompanied by black and white photographs by Chris Jansen of District Six, Cape Town. Limited to 1250 copies, signed by the poet and photographer. First edition Very good.Dust jacket:Very good. Some light edgewear. Publisher: Human en Rousseau Date Published: 1973 Publication Place: Kaapstad First Edition: Yes Condition: Very good Jacket Condition:…
After Pretoria: The Guerilla War. With the Flag to Pretoria. 13 of 72 parts –
13 parts of this serialized publication on the Anglo – Boer War. Numbers: 42, 44, 45, 47 – 54, 65 and 67. All in very good condition. Numerous illustrations. very good softcover Date Published: c. 1900 First Edition: Yes Condition: very good Binding: softcover
Saturday Morning at the Corner of Commissioner and Trichardt Streets. Boksburg – Goldblatt, David
Digital photographic print from an edition for 100. Signed and dated by the photographer to the recto in black ink and numbered in pencil to the verso. Produced by Modern Art Oxford and donated to their fundraising programme to coincide with David Goldblatt’s touring retrospective exhibition. Fifty One Years, U.K. 2003. This image appears in…