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What falls under Cape history? This category covers the written record of the Cape of Good Hope, from the Dutch East India Company era and Jan van Riebeeck's 1652 landing at Table Bay through the Cape Colony under British rule and into the modern Western and Eastern Cape. It is a cornerstone of any serious Africana collection and a field with deep appeal for South African and overseas collectors alike.
Here you will find second-hand and antiquarian books on Cape history held at Midlands Books in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands: settler and frontier histories, VOC and colonial records, regional and town histories, biographies, and travel accounts, ranging from affordable reading copies to scarce early editions. This category sits alongside our broader Africana collection, and many titles overlap with South African history more widely. Values depend on edition, condition, and scarcity, so if you are weighing up a Cape history title you own, our guidance on judging a book's worth is a good place to begin.
66 products
A Colossus of Roads – Patricia Storrar's 1984 account of Thomas Bain, the Victorian engineer who built many of the great mountain passes of the Cape, with design and photography by Günther…
Natale Labia Museum – An Afrikaans history of 'The Fort' in Muizenberg and its conversion into a museum and cultural centre, compiled by Lucy Alexander and Patricia Hardy. Published in 1988 by…
Rust en Vreugd – William Fehr's 1965 bilingual Afrikaans and English guide to his celebrated collection at Rust en Vreugd, Buitenkant Street, Cape Town. An oblong hardcover with pictorial boards, taking the…
Those in Bondage - A collectable 1950 Africana hardcover examining the lives of enslaved people at the Cape during Dutch East India Company rule. An important early work on Cape slavery and…
Bay Between the Mountains - A fascinating illustrated 1985 first edition history of False Bay by Arderne Tredgold, documenting its fishing communities, maritime heritage, towns and villages through text, historic photographs and…
An unusual January 1977 bilingual City of Cape Town civil defence handbook, printed in reversible English and Afrikaans format. An interesting piece of Cold War-era South African municipal and social-history ephemera.
The Institutes of Cape Law - Scarce 1903 first edition of A. F. S. Maasdorp's important The Institutes of Cape Law – Book I: The Law of Persons, published by J. C.…
In Timber and Tides – The Story of Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, Tapson weaves together a compelling narrative that covers the region’s maritime history, the timber trade that underpinned early economic life,…
Vanishing Villages - Beautifully illustrated 1976 Africana work by Tony Grogan capturing the historic villages, people, architecture and disappearing rural character of the Western Cape through evocative watercolours and drawings. Hardcover with…
The Microcosm - A respected classic of South African historical writing, The Microcosm presents a richly researched account of everyday life in the early Cape Colony by acclaimed historian Thelma Gutsche.
The Microcosm - A respected classic of South African historical writing, The Microcosm presents a richly researched account of everyday life in the early Cape Colony by acclaimed historian Thelma Gutsche.
Papers of the South African Literary Society 1824 - Limited numbered 1963 facsimile edition of the rare 1825 Papers of the South African Literary Society, an important work documenting the literary, scientific…
Narrative of an Exploratory Tour to the Cape of Good Hope - Classic Africana exploration narrative by French missionaries T. Arbousset and F. Daumas, documenting their travels through Southern Africa and providing…
A Cape Camera - A beautifully produced photographic record of historic Cape architecture, featuring rare images from the Arthur Elliott Collection in the Cape Archives and compiled by renowned architectural historian Hans…
Cape Country Furniture - A highly regarded South African reference work on Cape furniture traditions, craftsmanship, and regional decorative styles, richly illustrated and sought after by collectors, decorators, antique dealers, and Africana…
The Last Days of District Six - A haunting and historically important photographic record documenting the final years of Cape Town’s District Six before and during forced removals under apartheid.
The Spirit of District Six - A poignant photographic and historical record of Cape Town’s legendary District Six before its destruction under apartheid. Richly illustrated with evocative black-and-white photography and accompanied by…
The Story of Great Brak River - A charming and increasingly scarce regional South African history covering the development, people, and heritage of Great Brak River on the Garden Route. Illustrated and…
The First People of the Cape - An accessible and richly illustrated exploration of the San and Khoekhoe peoples of the Cape, tracing their ancient origins, culture, heritage sites, and the lasting…
When the Slave Bell Tolled - Signed 1970 Africana novel set in the Cape slave era. Internally clean, with worn dust jacket and musty odour.
