Allaboutwriting

If you are in Long street in Cape Town you will be spoiled for choice if you are shopping for books, Select Books is another gem.

Where are you situated?
232 Long Street, Cape Town, near the top of the street, just below the Lutheran Church. Select Books has been in Long Street since 1986 and at no. 232 for the past eight years.

What kind of readers do you attract, and cater for?
Our customers are very interesting people, and include historians, writers, genealogists, wild life experts, tourists and rugby enthusiasts! We buy and sell scarce, out of print and new books relating to Southern Africa, that is, Africana books. These include a wide selection of books on art & artists, early travel & exploration, botany, architecture, wild life & hunting, military history (especially the South African War of 1899-1902) South African fiction, wine & cooking; as well as rugby books & programmes. We also specialize in signed & inscribed books.

Why are independent books stores important?
They are important because independent book dealers take pride in their stores and the service they give. They seek books their customers require or will delight in and can offer individually tailored advice to the reader who wishes to build up a collection of treasured tomes, whether the purpose is research, pleasure or investment. They can connect readers of similar interests and keep books flowing to readers far from a good bookshop. We have customers in rural areas across Southern Africa and have posted books all over the world, from Argentina to Zimbabwe, including Azerbaijan, Brazil, Hong Kong and Norway.

How is your bookshop different from all others?
We are different from most bookshops in that we sell both new and out of print books which allows us a broader view of the world; and we offer a full postal service. Experience garnered in our previous careers as an archivist and a librarian enrichs the personal service we offer to readers and collectors. We publish an Africana catalogue three to four times a year, highlighting our recent acquisitions and new publications. All our books are accurately described, grouped by category and carefully researched. We publish at least two rugby lists a year and we are the only book shop in South Africa to do so. We maintain a “wants” database, and will contact readers when we find the book they are seeking, with no obligation to buy if they no longer require the title. Some customers are surprised when we contact them long after a request was noted, and their appreciation and delight makes our day!
We build long term relationships with our customers, some of whom have been buying from us and building their Africana Libraries since we took over Select Books fifteen years ago….we might have only met once or twice when they visited Cape Town, but we have stayed in contact through our mailing list and catalogues.

Do you have a “favourite” kind of reader?
Yes! People who truly delight in books- their feel, presentation and bindings as well as their content. Readers who want to know the history of a book or the significance of an inscription. Readers who come back to us year after year and say that a visit to Select Books is always a must on their itinerary! Readers from different countries who show great interest in getting to know South Africa; writers doing research for their own work; rugby enthusiasts dedicated to supporting their teams.

Tell us some of your favourite books of all time.
My favourite reads include many of the South African classics and it is always exciting to be able to offer them in our shop. For example, as a first edition Jock of the Bushveld, or Deneys Reitz’ Commando, a gripping account of his experiences during the Boer War (now known as the South African War) or Alan Paton’s Cry the beloved Country; and so much the better if they are signed! In recent catalogues we have offered an inscribed copy of Prof. Chris Barnard’s One Life; a first edition of the classic travel account by Charles Andersson Lake Ngami (1856) and a very good copy of Maj P.J. Pretorius’ Jungle Man. Pretorius, a reformed poacher, was awarded the DSO in World War I for finding the German cruiser Konigsberg up the Rufiji Delta in East Africa (it was duly sunk by the Royal Navy!). Wilbur Smith based his book Shout at the Devil on this account.

Older works by the photographers David Goldblatt and Obie Oberholzer are becoming difficult to find and it is always good to be able to offer these iconic South African publications.

We are often able to offer books by Nobel Prize winners. Winston Churchill wrote two accounts of the South African War, both of which have become sought after books in first edition (London to Ladysmith via Pretoria and Ian Hamilton’s March). A first edition of Chief Albert Luthuli’s Let My People Go (1962) is always of interest, as are early works by Nadine Gordimer, and J.M. Coetzee. More recently there is considerable difficulty in finding true first editions of Mr. Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom. We also offer copies of F.W. De Klerk’s autobiography, The last trek, a new beginning. Archbishop Desmond Tutu also commands a wide following and he has penned a number of books which make for inspiring reading.

What are you recommending at the moment?
South Africa has a number of gifted writers who try to make sense of our world for the reader. Foremost amongst them I always recommend Allistair Sparks (The mind of South Africa / Tomorrow is another country / Beyond the miracle), Jonny Steinberg (Midlands / The Number / Notes from a fractured country / Thin blue / Three letter plague), Antjie Krog (Country of my skull / Change of tongue / There was this Goat) and Mamphela Ramphele’s Laying ghosts to rest.
If you plan to travel in Africa read Riaan Manser’s Around Africa on my bicycle.
We can supply books on any aspect of South Africa new or old…..

Please give the address of your website and details of any newsletters (including how to sign up).
www.selectbooks.co.za / selectb@mweb.co.za

If you send us an email we will add you to our mailing list. We are busy preparing Catalogue 54!