The Wesleyan Mission in the Orange Free State 1833–1854 Edited by Karel Schoeman

The Wesleyan Mission in the Orange Free State 1833–1854: As Described in Contemporary Accounts, edited by acclaimed South African historian and author Karel Schoeman, is an important contribution to the documentary history of the early Orange Free State and the development of Christian missionary activity north of the Orange River. Published by Human & Rousseau in 1991 as Vrijstatia 11, this first edition is particularly relevant to collectors and researchers of Africana, Free State history and nineteenth-century missionary activity.

In 1833 the Wesleyan mission stations north of the Orange River were transferred to the Caledon River valley in what is today the eastern Free State. During the following decades, the so-called Bechuana Mission expanded its activities considerably, extending to the border towns of the Cape Colony and northwards towards regions associated with modern Eswatini and Mafikeng.

Schoeman presents the history of  the Wesleyan mission largely through the contemporary writings of the missionaries themselves, giving the reader valuable primary-source perspectives on this formative period. Subjects covered include the Bechuana Mission, the transplantation of the mission in 1833, Thaba Nchu and the Rolong mission, the Kora mission at Umpukane, the Tlokwa mission at Imperani, Platberg and the eventual dissolution of the mission between 1849 and 1854.

Condition – Very Good

Very Good 1991 paperback. The illustrated card covers show moderate shelf wear, rubbing and scuffing, particularly along the spine, edges and corners, with some surface marks consistent with age and use. Despite the external wear, the binding remains sound and the internal pages appear clean and well preserved. A solid and presentable copy of this increasingly difficult-to-find specialist Africana title.