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| TITLE: | The South African Story |  |
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| ISBN-13: | 978-1-920411-38-1 | ||||
| AUTHOR & COPYRIGHT HOLDER: | Ron McGregor, Cape Town, South Africa | ||||
| SUMMARY: | First edition published February 2011; cover design by Lisa McGregor; layout and design by Barbara Mueller; Printing by MegaDigital, Cape Town. |
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| SIZE: | paperback; perfect bound; 340 page - 210mm (h) x 148mm (w), weight = 445g | ||||
| PRICE: | ZAR 140.00 |  |
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About
the Book: With over forty years of experience, Ron McGregor has established himself as one of South Africa’s most senior tourist guides. The South African Story is a collection of his commentaries. Informative and entertaining, these cover history, geography, climate, politics, famous personalities, and much more. It’s hard to think of any other book that combines such a wide variety of topics in a single volume. Broadly speaking, the chapters are arranged so that they follow the most popular route for first-time visitors. That is, overland from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, and then from Durban to Johannesburg via Zululand, Swaziland, the Kruger National Park and the Mpumulanga Drakensberg. For those venturing further afield, there are also commentaries on areas like the 1820 Settler country around Grahamstown, the battlefields of Natal and Zululand, and the semi-desert of Namaqualand, famous for its massed wildflower displays in August and September. There are brief histories of famous people – Smuts, Churchill, Kruger, Rhodes, Nelson Mandela, and more. Broader topics include the Great Trek, the two Anglo-Boer Wars, Apartheid and Liberation. Where appropriate, the chapters are accompanied by maps and diagrams to enhance the reader’s understanding. There are also appendices which describe what we eat and drink, and what we mean when we speak of places like Border, Berg and Bushmanland. Originally written for the independent traveller who doesn’t have a guide to tell the tales and answer questions, The South African Story will also be invaluable to those who wish to qualify as tourist guides, and very useful to ordinary South Africans who simply want to learn more about their own country. |
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About
the Author: In 1968, Ron McGregor – then a student of English at Wits University – accepted a three day vacation job driving tourists to the Kruger National Park. When it was over, he collected his pay – all fifteen rand of it, and went home. The next day, the touring company called him with an offer of another tour, and what was a three day vacation job turned into a career spanning more than forty years over six decades. Now established as one of South Africa’s foremost tour guides, there are few places he hasn’t visited, few roads he hasn’t travelled, and few tales he hasn’t heard. Apart from touring, he has always loved writing. He is a prolific contributor to the letters columns of our newspapers, and has published a number of short stories. A few novels are lurking in the wings, but touring is a full-time profession, so these may have to wait until retirement. Until then, readers may enjoy his raconteurial style in his first published volume, The South African Story. |
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