The Cradle Days of Natal

The Cradle Days of Natal by Graham Mackeurtan, published by Longmans, Green & Co., presents a comprehensive historical account of the region now known as KwaZulu‑Natal from 1497 to 1845. This edition serves as a major reference in Nataliana, drawing on archival sources and early colonial records to trace the formative years of the colony. The author, Graham Mackeurtan, was a noted legal advocate and Africana collector in South Africa whose work on regional history remains well‑regarded.

This 1972 (new edition) printing retains the scholarly rigour of the original 1930 publication, offering 348 pages of detailed narrative and historical insight. It covers the earliest European encounters, settlement patterns, colonial government establishment and early social structures of the Natal region, thus situating the reader firmly in both the geographic and temporal setting of early Natal history. The association with Longmans underscores the publication’s standing in academic and collector circles.

For collectors and students of South African regional history, colonial settlement and early Natal development, this edition of The Cradle Days of Natal provides an authoritative and visually accessible text. Its enduring relevance for KwaZulu‑Natal studies, Natalism and the historiography of early South African colonialism make it a desirable addition to scholarly or specialist collections.