A Year's Housekeeping in South Africa Author: Lady Barker Published: MacMillan and Co., London, 1877 Size: 18cm x 12.5cm; 335pp
Description: First edition hardcover in good condition. The book was written by Mary Anne Barker (Lady Barker) and is an account of her time in Natal, with her husband, who had been appointed Colonial Secretary. They lived in Natal for three years. This fascinating account is set out in the form of letters, describing the family’s experiences, domestic life, observations on the weather, scenery, Zulu custom and beliefs and interactions between the indigenous people and colonists. There are some interesting illustrations. Externally, the book has the original publisher’s original green cloth covered boards gilt titling stamped to the spine. Minor shelf wear to the extremities and firmly bound. Internally, some light foxing to the front-end cover. The illustrated page opposite the title page shows some splitting and the same applies to the hinge on the back-end cover. Pages are lightly tanned with some minor foxing to some. At the back-end cover there is what looks like a faint annotation. Photos provided reflect the condition in addition to the above description. Overall condition is good.
