The Historical Karoo
The Historical Karoo

Author: Chris Schoeman

Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa

Published: 2013-09-30

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1770225706

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To many people, especially those driving along the N1 national road at high speeds, the Karoo represents nothing more than a monotonous, hot and arid landscape to be passed through as quickly as possible. But in this vast, open region, history is everywhere, if visitors would only look for it. And that is exactly the purpose of this book: to point out all the many places, buildings, objects and associated personalities of historical interest in the Karoo. The Karoo has been the world of travellers, writers, statesmen and scientists, figures as diverse as Olive Schreiner, Rudyard Kipling, Winston Churchill and Dr Chris Barnard. It has also been the scene of serious conflict, of which the many old British blockhouses, forts, grave sites and memorials dating from the Anglo-Boer War are vivid reminders; and it still boasts old examples of vernacular and industrial architecture, and engineering, in the form of corbelled houses, water mills and bridges. The Historical Karoo is ordered according to three main routes that people drive through the area. It provides short histories of the towns along the way, and points out the sites, buildings and other aspects of interest that can be found there. Enlivened by historical and current photographs and informative side panels, this book is a collector’s item.

The Plains of Camdeboo
The Plains of Camdeboo

Author: Eve Palmer

Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa

Published: 2012-09-28

Total Pages: 468

ISBN-13: 0143528963

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The Karoo is a vast semi-desert region that extends across parts of the Western and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. This environmentally important area is the largest ecosystem in the country and is abundant in wildlife, vegetation, and ancient history. The Plains of Camdeboo is a celebration of this remarkable landscape. At first encounter the Karoo may seem arid, desolate and unforgiving, but to those who know it, it is a land of secret beauty and infinite variety. For generations author Eve Palmer's family have lived on the Karoo farm of Cranemere, situated on the Plains of Camdeboo. This family have battled for decades against this harsh desert; they have had to adapt to it, learning to fear, respect, and ultimately love it. First published in 1966, The Plains of Camdeboo has become a classic in South African literature. Here is a book that is not autobiography, not history, not botanical study, but all of these and more, blending into a uniquely vivid and personal account of life in the Karoo. The animals, the insects, the wealth of fossils, the countless flowers that spring miraculously to life after rain - all are woven into this rich and engaging story.

The Historical Overberg
The Historical Overberg

Author: Chris Schoeman

Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa

Published: 2017-05-18

Total Pages: 373

ISBN-13: 177609073X

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Situated between the Hottentots Holland Mountains and the Breede River, the Overberg is a fertile agricultural region and a popular holiday destination for tourists and nature lovers who delight in the beauty of its mountainous landscape, abundant plant species and long sandy beaches. This area also has a rich history going back thousands of years, when the indigenous Khoi people originally thrived there, and when the first European settlers left their own indelible imprint on the culture, architecture and character of the region. The Overberg has been a home or point of interest for explorers, innovators, artists and writers, for figures as varied as Bartolomeu Dias, Sir David de Villiers Graaff, Uys Krige and Audrey Blignault. Some of South Africa’s oldest towns, houses and missionary stations can be found here, and its treacherous coastline has been the cause of hundreds of shipwrecks for centuries. The Historical Overberg provides a detailed account of this past by pointing out the many places, buildings, events and personalities that have made the Overberg the diverse and unique place that it is today. Enlivened by historical and current photographs and informative panels, this book is a collector’s item.

Hidden Karoo
Hidden Karoo

Author: Patricia Kramer

Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa

Published: 2021-03-01

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 1432310216

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The Karoo is big sky country; a land of vast open plains punctuated by flat-topped mountains, conical hills and secluded valleys, a land of scrubby bushes and hardy trees, where pioneers carved roads out of rock to set down roots in an unforgiving environment. Here dreams are born, legends are made, and outcasts find sanctuary. It is also an ancient place, whose story is revealed through geology, fossils and artefacts, and whose human lineage predates any written history. Today, the people who inhabit it must manifest the same fortitude that sustained those who left their footprints in the primieval mud. In Hidden Karoo you will find all this, and more. Through a series of superb photo-essays, this majestic place is revealed as a land where conservation and neglect are seldom far apart, where one town boasts splendidly restored buildings, while along a dusty back road lie forgotten villages waiting for ... something. Could it be a renewal, or a slow death? There’s nothing novel about the movement of people from country to city, and the Karoo mimics other parts of the world where rural areas become derelict as they are depopulated. Hidden Karoo presents a snapshot of the region as it is now, offering a glimpse into towns and villages, farmsteads and churches, important buildings and humble homes, all against a backdrop of awe-inspiring landscapes. Through words and pictures, it prompts us to consider what was, what is and, perhaps, what might be. One constant about the Karoo is change. A book can do no more than capture a moment in time or depict fragments of a place, but in doing so, it bears witness to the past and offers the hope that there may yet be a future for this unparalleled part of our country.

Sonic Spaces of the Karoo
Sonic Spaces of the Karoo

Author: Marie Jorritsma

Publisher: Temple University Press

Published: 2011-05-21

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1439902399

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Sonic Spaces of the Karoo is a pioneering study of the sacred music of three coloured (the apartheid designation for people "not white or native") people's church congregations in the rural town of Graaff-Reinet, South Africa. Jorritsma's fieldwork involves an investigation of the choruses, choir music, and hymns of the Karoo region to present a history of the people's traditional, religious, and cultural identity in song. This music is examined as part of a living archive preserved by the community in the face of a legacy of slavery and colonial as well as apartheid oppression. Jorritsma's findings counteract a lingering stereotype that coloured music is inferior to European or African music and that coloured people should not or do not have a cultural identity. Sonic Spaces of the Karoo seeks to eradicate that bias and articulate a more legitimate place for these people in the contemporary landscape of South Africa.

Karoo Boy
Karoo Boy

Author: Troy Blacklaws

Publisher: Open Road Media

Published: 2013-03-26

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1480410020

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DIVDIVTroy Blacklaws’s acclaimed debut novel is the remarkable story of a boy coming of age in the wake of tragedy/divDIV When his twin brother dies in a freak accident, Douglas’s life begins to unravel. His mother leaves his father, taking Douglas with her to live in the Karoo region, a harsh desert landscape that is a far cry from Cape Town and the seaside life Douglas has always known. In this small village that is wary of outsiders, he makes two friends who change his life forever: a beautiful girl named Marika and an old man named Moses. Immersed in rich language and vivid detail, and set against the backdrop of 1970s South Africa, Karoo Boy is the story of a young man finding his way in the midst of chaos and loss./divDIV /div/div

Circling the Great Karoo
Circling the Great Karoo

Author: Nicholas Yell

Publisher:

Published: 2021-03

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 9780620453516

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Following on the success of the previous edition, this re-edited, updated and revitalized version, chronicling Nicholas Yell's epic journey through the Karoo on an old scrambler, is a must-read for the historically-inclined adventure traveler.

Timeless Karoo
Timeless Karoo

Author: Jonathan Deal

Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa

Published: 2016-11-18

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 1775845656

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This vast and unique region, at once awe-inspiring and secretive, will draw you close into its protective mantle; too close for casual inspection by the hurried traveller. The Karoo will share its secrets with you only if you’re prepared to sit quietly to learn its mysteries over a plate of bobotie, a glass of witblits, and a copy of Timeless Karoo. This beautifully illustrated and well-written book encompasses a vast area: the geographical expanse from Niewoudtville in the northwest, eastwards to Hopetown, south to Steytlerville and west to Montagu. Within this region you will encounter six Karoos: the Central, Hantam, Great, Klein, Tankwa and Northern & Upper Karoo, each with its own stockpile of natural and human history, its own complex tapestry and prehistoric rhythms. Each journey into the Karoo yields a fresh view, a different angle and an urge to cut loose, swing off the tar, and pursue an uncharted dirt road into an unknown horizon.