The Historical Karoo

The Historical Karoo PDF Author: Chris Schoeman
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
ISBN: 1770225706
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
To many people, especially those driving along the N1 national road at high speeds, the Karoo represents nothing more than a monotonous, hot and arid landscape to be passed through as quickly as possible. But in this vast, open region, history is everywhere, if visitors would only look for it. And that is exactly the purpose of this book: to point out all the many places, buildings, objects and associated personalities of historical interest in the Karoo. 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 Anglo-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 is ordered according to three main routes that people drive through the area. It provides short histories of the towns along the way, and points out the sites, buildings and other aspects of interest that can be found there. Enlivened by historical and current photographs and informative side panels, this book is a collector’s item.

The Historical Karoo

The Historical Karoo PDF Author: Chris Schoeman
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
ISBN: 1770225706
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Get Book Here

Book Description
To many people, especially those driving along the N1 national road at high speeds, the Karoo represents nothing more than a monotonous, hot and arid landscape to be passed through as quickly as possible. But in this vast, open region, history is everywhere, if visitors would only look for it. And that is exactly the purpose of this book: to point out all the many places, buildings, objects and associated personalities of historical interest in the Karoo. 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 Anglo-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 is ordered according to three main routes that people drive through the area. It provides short histories of the towns along the way, and points out the sites, buildings and other aspects of interest that can be found there. Enlivened by historical and current photographs and informative side panels, this book is a collector’s item.

Hidden Karoo

Hidden Karoo PDF Author: Patricia Kramer
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
ISBN: 1432310216
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 399

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Book Description
The Karoo is big sky country; a land of vast open plains punctuated by flat-topped mountains, conical hills and secluded valleys, a land of scrubby bushes and hardy trees, where pioneers carved roads out of rock to set down roots in an unforgiving environment. Here dreams are born, legends are made, and outcasts find sanctuary. It is also an ancient place, whose story is revealed through geology, fossils and artefacts, and whose human lineage predates any written history. Today, the people who inhabit it must manifest the same fortitude that sustained those who left their footprints in the primieval mud. In Hidden Karoo you will find all this, and more. Through a series of superb photo-essays, this majestic place is revealed as a land where conservation and neglect are seldom far apart, where one town boasts splendidly restored buildings, while along a dusty back road lie forgotten villages waiting for ... something. Could it be a renewal, or a slow death? There’s nothing novel about the movement of people from country to city, and the Karoo mimics other parts of the world where rural areas become derelict as they are depopulated. Hidden Karoo presents a snapshot of the region as it is now, offering a glimpse into towns and villages, farmsteads and churches, important buildings and humble homes, all against a backdrop of awe-inspiring landscapes. Through words and pictures, it prompts us to consider what was, what is and, perhaps, what might be. One constant about the Karoo is change. A book can do no more than capture a moment in time or depict fragments of a place, but in doing so, it bears witness to the past and offers the hope that there may yet be a future for this unparalleled part of our country.

Circling the Great Karoo

Circling the Great Karoo PDF Author: Nicholas Yell
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780620453516
Category : Great Karoo (South Africa)
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description
Following on the success of the previous edition, this re-edited, updated and revitalized version, chronicling Nicholas Yell's epic journey through the Karoo on an old scrambler, is a must-read for the historically-inclined adventure traveler.

The Historical Overberg

The Historical Overberg PDF Author: Chris Schoeman
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
ISBN: 177609073X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 373

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Book Description
Situated between the Hottentots Holland Mountains and the Breede River, the Overberg is a fertile agricultural region and a popular holiday destination for tourists and nature lovers who delight in the beauty of its mountainous landscape, abundant plant species and long sandy beaches. This area also has a rich history going back thousands of years, when the indigenous Khoi people originally thrived there, and when the first European settlers left their own indelible imprint on the culture, architecture and character of the region. The Overberg has been a home or point of interest for explorers, innovators, artists and writers, for figures as varied as Bartolomeu Dias, Sir David de Villiers Graaff, Uys Krige and Audrey Blignault. Some of South Africa’s oldest towns, houses and missionary stations can be found here, and its treacherous coastline has been the cause of hundreds of shipwrecks for centuries. The Historical Overberg provides a detailed account of this past by pointing out the many places, buildings, events and personalities that have made the Overberg the diverse and unique place that it is today. Enlivened by historical and current photographs and informative panels, this book is a collector’s item.

Karoo Boy

Karoo Boy PDF Author: Troy Blacklaws
Publisher: Open Road Media
ISBN: 1480410020
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
DIVDIVTroy Blacklaws’s acclaimed debut novel is the remarkable story of a boy coming of age in the wake of tragedy/divDIV When his twin brother dies in a freak accident, Douglas’s life begins to unravel. His mother leaves his father, taking Douglas with her to live in the Karoo region, a harsh desert landscape that is a far cry from Cape Town and the seaside life Douglas has always known. In this small village that is wary of outsiders, he makes two friends who change his life forever: a beautiful girl named Marika and an old man named Moses. Immersed in rich language and vivid detail, and set against the backdrop of 1970s South Africa, Karoo Boy is the story of a young man finding his way in the midst of chaos and loss./divDIV /div/div

The Plains of Camdeboo

The Plains of Camdeboo PDF Author: Eve Palmer
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
ISBN: 0143528963
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 468

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Book Description
The Karoo is a vast semi-desert region that extends across parts of the Western and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. This environmentally important area is the largest ecosystem in the country and is abundant in wildlife, vegetation, and ancient history. The Plains of Camdeboo is a celebration of this remarkable landscape. At first encounter the Karoo may seem arid, desolate and unforgiving, but to those who know it, it is a land of secret beauty and infinite variety. For generations author Eve Palmer's family have lived on the Karoo farm of Cranemere, situated on the Plains of Camdeboo. This family have battled for decades against this harsh desert; they have had to adapt to it, learning to fear, respect, and ultimately love it. First published in 1966, The Plains of Camdeboo has become a classic in South African literature. Here is a book that is not autobiography, not history, not botanical study, but all of these and more, blending into a uniquely vivid and personal account of life in the Karoo. The animals, the insects, the wealth of fossils, the countless flowers that spring miraculously to life after rain - all are woven into this rich and engaging story.

Karoo Kitchen

Karoo Kitchen PDF Author: Sydda Essop
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780986981326
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description


Churchill's South Africa

Churchill's South Africa PDF Author: Chris Schoeman
Publisher: Random House Struik
ISBN: 9781920545475
Category : Churchill, Winston
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
In October 1899, the twenty-four-year-old Winston Churchill sailed for South Africa as war correspondent for the Morning Post to report on the Anglo-Boer War. When he returned the following year, it was as a military celebrity. This book follows Churchill's footsteps across South Africa and gives his impressions of the places he visited, the landscapes he saw, the people he encountered and the events he was involved in. Churchill's South Africa covers the future statesman's travels across the Great Karoo and through the green hills of Natal, his capture by the Boers, his escape to Del.

The Unknown Van Gogh

The Unknown Van Gogh PDF Author: Chris Schoeman
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
ISBN: 177022792X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 269

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Book Description
Much has been written about Vincent van Gogh and his tempestuous relationship with his brother Theo. But few people know that there was a third Van Gogh brother, Cornelis, who was raised in the Netherlands, but worked, married and died in South Africa. The son of a Protestant minister, Cor spent his youth in a series of small Dutch towns, with idyllic holidays walking in the countryside with his artist brother, before troubles and tragedies beset the Van Gogh family. In 1889, the twenty-two-year-old Cor sailed to South Africa, where he worked as an engineer on the gold mines and on the railways. In the Anglo-Boer War he joined the Boers, first as a railway engineer and later on commando in the Free State, where in 1900 he suffered a fate that echoed his famous brother’s tragic end. The Unknown Van Gogh recreates South Africa in the tumultuous last decade of the nineteenth century; reconstructs the personal story of a young immigrant from letters and other archival documents; and explores his relationship with his famous brother Vincent. With new insights based on original research, this book uncovers a figure who has been forgotten by history.

The Great Karoo

The Great Karoo PDF Author: Leon Nell
Publisher: Struik Publishers
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
Looks at De Rust in the Great Karoo from a historical and natural history perspective, peppered with indigenous tales, recipes, fables and snippets of interesting information.