The Special Collections Book of the Week this week is:

The Historical Karoo: Traces of the Past in South Africa’s Arid Interior, by Chris Schoeman.

The Karoo has been the world of travellers, writers, statesmen and scientists, figures as diverse as Olive Schreiner, Rudyard Kipling, Winston Churchill and Dr Chris Barnard. It has also been the scene of serious conflict, of which the many old British blockhouses, forts, grave sites and memorials dating from the Boer War are vivid reminders; and it still boasts old examples of vernacular and industrial architecture and engineering, in the form of corbelled houses, water mills and bridges.

The Historical Karoo explores one of the most haunting regions of South Africa, providing short histories of the towns, buildings, places of interest, events and fascinating characters that once populated this arid yet beautiful area.

Catalogue Access: https://univofpretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/863305988

This book is available at Special Collections, housed on level 5 of the Merensky 2 Library, and is part of our Africana (ZA) Collection.

The Special Collections unit of the Department of Library Services plays a stewardship role in the acquisition and preservation of the Library's rare and valuable information resources, making them accessible to students, staff and researchers, as well as safeguarding them for future generations.