New Cape Books by Franco Frescura
Franco Frescura will be familiar to most subscribing to this site. Not long ago he released two new books on Cape Postal History. (He claims that these will be his last books on that subject). The books are available on Amazon.com and also in South Africa (write to Franco), both for a rather modest asking price plus postage.
The first is Poste Restante at the Cape and Other Essays:
The book is a collection of essays dealing with aspects of the Cape of Good Hope, a land originally inhabited by Khoikhoi and San First Nations, first visited by Portuguese mariners, invaded by successive Dutch and English colonialists, settled by armed German farmers, prospected by Cornish, Italian, Australian and Californian miners, traded with by Jewish East Europeans, and finally inhabited by a complex mixture of European, African, Chinese, Malay and Indian cultures. It was inevitable that out of this complicated cultural mix should emerge a number of puzzles, contradictions and enigmas, many of which continue to colour our understanding of South African history to this day.
The second is Postal Officials of the Cape of Good Hope:
This is a book of data, including lists of postmasters, early visitors to the Cape, licensed stamp vendors, main post and sub-post offices, railway stations and returns of post office property. This book is an essential companion for students of Cape colonial genealogy and not the least of postal history.
The books can be obtained from Phansi Museum Press (or write to Franco), 302 and 300 pages respectively, black and white, paperback, 8x10 inches. ISBN 9780620996570 and 9780620959247. Available in South Africa at R350 each from Phansi Museum (https://phansi.com) and for the rest of the world from Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com) for $20 each. Shipping and taxes are additions.
Any 'profit' from these books will go directly to the Museum Press (SA) or to the PSGSA (rest of the world).
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Thanks Peter, both sound very interesting, I also see from Amazon you also have a new publication.
The Macloutsie Post Office and Its Postmaster, Bechuanaland Protectorate, 1892
Can you tell us a bit more about it?
Yes that's is correct. This is an old booklet that has been previously been distributed previous in print and electronically. The new Third Edition updates the introduction with new information on Postmaster Symons and include his writings during the Mafeking Siege at the telegraph office there. It is like previous editions published by Krone Publication first in 1997. The details are:
J.E. Symons, edited by Peter Thy, 2022. The Macloutsie Post Office and its Postmaster, Bechuanaland Protectorate, 1892. Krone Publications, 77 pages, black and white, paperback, 6x9 inches. ISBN 9798362084295. Available only on Amazon.com at $8 each, plus tax and shipping.
The Post Office of Macloutsie and its first and only postmaster occupy a special role in the early postal history of southern Africa for a couple of reasons. First, the banks of the Maklutsi River in the north-eastern-most Bechuanaland Protectorate became the focal point for the Mashonaland occupation forces that crossed the river in 1890. Second, as the newly appointed postmaster to the police settlement of Macloutsie, J.E. Symons, writes in 1892 a couple of detailed accounts for the British Post Office Magazine about his travel to Macloutsie and the daily workings of the post office. Already in late 1892, however, the mail routes changed and the post office downgraded to an agency and the postmaster no longer needed. Symons, after about nine months at Macloutsie, is then reassigned to the office in Vryburg. Later we lose evidence for his whereabouts. That is until 1900, when he appears in Kimberley at its Telegraph Office. He there takes part in the defense of the town during the Boer siege and also takes up his old spare-time occupation of writing for the British Post Office Magazine. The booklet reprints his writings for the Post Office Magazine and offers a general introduction to the postal history of the area and to the life of Postmaster Symons, as we know it.
This is the third edition of a booklet first printed in 1997 and subsequently in 2002. The present third edition is expanded mainly to include Symons' writings during the Mafeking siege.
I am uncertain about how to get it mailed to South Africa via Amazon.com and what it would cost. I have tried to order a copy for delivery in South Africa, but was rejected by Amazon.com because I was missing what appears some tax details of the recipient. Would appreciate to hear about experiences to order for delivery in South Africa.
Uploaded files:Thanks Peter, very interesting will be ordering a copy. When I found it on Amazon this morning, it showed me ships to Cyprus, as I am here until early next month and then off to Doha. I am not too sure about South Africa anymore. My daughter (in JHB) does a lot of Amazon buys and does not seem to be a problem, although most of them are digital copies.
Your book will help some puzzles for me as I was doing some research on two covers I bought last year. I show them in the attached image. Maybe you have seen them before. The write up I literally copied from the previous owner, but can do with a bit of collateral information.
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You will need a copy of an article of mine in the Cape and Natal Journal Whole No. 105, 2023. I can send you a copy if you give me your email address. Not sure I can upload it to this site.
If you get my article you will also understand why I ask if you will be able to give be good scans (300 dpi) of both sides of the two covers.
Peter
Uploaded files:Thanks Peter,
I have access to the Cape and Natal Journal and your copy has also been uploaded on this site successfully. I will make better scans and email them to you when I get back to Doha and reunite with my scanner. Lots of information for me to digest!
I am very pleased that two postal historians, one in California, the other in Cyprus, used this site to hook up together about books written in and about the Cape. Excellent! Hopefully more will follow suit.
I am considering buying a copy of Franco's book on 'Postal Officials of the CoGH'. Before I do I wonder if Peter can tell me how it works. Franco has written an article, 'Women in the Cape Colonial Post Office'. I assume this was based on or extracted from his book on 'Postal Officials of the CoGH'. Franco's article includes an informative introduction about SA's first postmistress, Mrs Catharina Caldwell of Stellenbosch, 1808 - 1846. This introduction tells us much more about her than his listing does. (See listing below).
CALDWELL, Mrs Catharina. Postmaster at Stellenbosch, 8 May 1808
CAITHNESS, Mrs P, Postmaster at Simonstown, 18 March 1844
Both the dates above are the dates when these two women started work in their respective offices. This is useful but I also need to know the date they stopped working there. So, do you know if the 'Postal Officials of the CoGH' book includes the start and end dates of their employment in a particular Post Office. Any advice would be welcomed.
It is simply a nearly 200 page listing of personnel of the PO within the period for which the archival material exists. The two people you give are listed. Caithness as you give it and Caldwell with more information. I am sure that you can find information in Franco's other publications since they are all based on information in this work. After all it is only $20. I also recommend the essay collection - some of which has been published before, but here revised, and some also new. This book would probably appeal more to the beginning collector than the seasoned guy like you. But a review would be much appreciated (hopefully it is on the way in the SAF).
You will rarely find a 300 page book selling for a merely $20. Strangely the books have so far sold in North America and South Africa - but not in the UK. Really strange. You may be the first (but hopefully) not the last to obtain the book in the UK (and EU).
Peter
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Many thanks, Peter. It is, as I feared, somewhat incomplete without the end dates of employment in a particular office. However, there is clearly much more info than shown in Franco's article 'WOMEN IN THE CAPE COLONIAL POST OFFICE', which is, as its title suggests, limited to Cape woman 'postmasters'. (Does this mean they are transgender?) Anyone interested in this fascinating subject can see Franco's article here. See:
https://www.sahistory.org.za/francofrescura/postal-history-women-colonial-po.html
Another minor and selfish complaint is that these women postal officials are listed alphabetically. Ideally, when putting together a display on the first postmistresses at the Cape, one needs a list in date order. However, it is relatively easy to extract them from the larger on-line list and and re-arrange them in date order starting with the aforementioned Mrs Caldwell in Stellenbosch. However, again, a printed book, while providing information to be manually copied, is not nearly as useful as an on-line file that can be copied and edited with Cut&Paste. Why is it that Franco's postmark information is free to download but this is not? See;
https://stampssa.africa/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/WebsiteSept2021.pdf
I question the value of printed books for all but a handful of fast disapperaing old-fashioned philatelists and postal historians. I realise that in the past this was how philatelic knowledge was shared but the world is very different today. In addition to printed books, knowledge should also be made available for free on-line, (as Franco has done above). Our hobby is dying and is going to the grave surrounded by dusty books. My society insists on printing books which few read and almost no-one buys. Soon there will be more books left than collectors to read them. For the sake of our hobby, make them accessible to a new generation by sharing them on-line.
Having said that, you will be pleased to know that I have just ordered the 'Postal Officials of the CoGH' book. I have done this partly for the info and partly to help Franco break his UK duck. Hopefully, ownership will allow me to claim an Earliest Recorded UK copy! Once I receive it, I will review it on this site. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
This is what Amazon charged me to deliver the 'Postal Officials of the CoGH' book to me in the UK from the USA.
At today's RoE, USD $20 is GBP £15.957858 (@ 1 USD = 0.797893 GBP).
Order Summary
Items: GBP 16.02
Shipping & handling: GBP 8.26
Total before tax: GBP 24.28
Estimated tax to be collected: GBP 0.00
Exchange rate guarantee fee: GBP 0.55