FITZPATRICK, Sir Percy.

£2,500 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

Jock of the Bushveld. Scarce first edition of this South African classic. The first impression is distinguished by having three uncorrected marginal illustrations of a dung beetle on pages 65, 337, and 457. Later impressions show it rolling its load correctly with its back, rather than front legs.John Buchan, writing for the Times Literary Supplement, hailed Jock of the Bushveld as "a children's book of the first order... to those who have some experience of the land and the life about which [Fitzpatrick] writes, Jock of the Bushveld will be a cherished possession. We know of no African book in which there is the same minute and loving observation of nature. Sir Percy sees the beauty of a landscape while the average man thinks of a waste of thorn and swamp. There is something of Jefferies in the style, something of Borrow, a touch of Mr. Kipling, and a great deal which is his own".Sidney Mendelssohn in his South African Bibliography describes the book as "perhaps one of the best dog stories ever written" and adds that "the volume has much interest for the 'Little People,' for which it was written, and is equally appreciated by children of older growth. The fascinating hunting adventures and escapades are accompanied by graphic sketches in the margins of every pages, in addition to a large number of full-page illustrations, and a coloured engraving of 'Jock'" (p. 550).

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