The Griquas of Griqualand by Samuel James Halford

The Griquas of Griqualand: A Historical Narrative of the Griqua People, Their Rise, Progress, and Decline by Samuel James Halford is an important work of South African Africana, published by Juta & Company Limited in 1949. This first edition provides a dedicated historical narrative of the Griqua people and their distinctive place in the development of Southern Africa.

Halford traces the origins, growth and eventual decline of the Griqua communities, examining their migrations, settlements, leadership and interaction with the rapidly changing political landscape of nineteenth-century South Africa. The Griquas played a significant role in the histories of both Griqualand West and Griqualand East, and their story became closely connected with colonial expansion, missionary activity, territorial disputes and the wider history of the Cape frontier.

The Griquas of Griqualand is particularly appealing to collectors and researchers interested in Griqua history, indigenous Southern African history, early settlement, colonial expansion and regional Africana. As a mid-twentieth-century work devoted specifically to the Griqua people, it represents a useful historical source while also reflecting the historiographical perspective of the period in which it was written.

Published in Cape Town and Johannesburg by the respected South African publishing house Juta & Company Limited, this 1949 first edition of The Griquas of Griqualand is a worthwhile addition to an Africana collection, particularly one focused on Griqualand, the Northern Cape, Kokstad and the complex cultural and political history of nineteenth-century South Africa.

Condition – Very Good

Very good hardcover without dust jacket. Original cloth boards show light general shelf and edge wear, including wear at the spine ends and corners. Page discolouration and foxing are present internally, consistent with age. Binding remains sound. Please refer to photographs for further condition detail.