The Kafirs illustrated

Outstanding portraits of 'The People of the Heavens' (the Zulu). George Angas' Kafirs Illustrated is of great importance for its outstanding portraits, particularly of Zulus. The plates also include views of Cape Town, Hottentot Holland, Somerset West and Durban.

'The three large works by George French Angas, the Kafirs, New Zealanders and South Australia are amongst the most important of the illustrated travel books of their period... Of the three works, the Kafirs is the most uncommon' (Tooley).

Angas, born in Newcastle in 1822, travelled to South Africa in 1847. He spent two years there, and in 1849 published the present work.

First edition; folio (55 x 36.5 cm. approx.), lithographed portrait on india paper, 30 hand-coloured lithographed plates by Angas, Needham, Laby, and others after Angas, wood-engravings in the text, short tear and repair to margin of frontispiece and plate 1, plate 25 slightly shorter and mounted on stub, later half morocco retaining original gilt morocco lettering label on upper cover and part of original spine, a very good clean copy.

Abbey (Travel), 339; Colas 134; Gay 3157; Mendelssohn I, 45-46; Tooley 60.