{"product_id":"2026100011027-secondhand-the-bloemfontein-diary-of-lieut-w-j-st-john-1852-53","title":"The Bloemfontein Diary Of Lieut. W.J. St. John 1852-53","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: Worn\/faded, no tears\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the turbulent years following the Sand River Convention, a young British officer stationed in the newly established Orange River Sovereignty set down his observations of colonial life in meticulous detail — and those pages survive today as an invaluable window into mid-nineteenth-century Bloemfontein. The Bloemfontein Diary of Lieut. W.J. St. John 1852–53 chronicles the daily experiences of Lieutenant W.J. St. John as he navigated the social, military, and political landscapes of a frontier town on the cusp of becoming the capital of an independent Boer republic, capturing encounters with settlers, indigenous peoples, and colonial administrators with the candid eye of an insider.\n\nEdited and contextualised by the distinguished South African historian and author Karel Schoeman, this primary source document is elevated into a work of serious historical scholarship, situating St. John's personal observations within the broader narrative of British imperial retreat and Afrikaner self-determination in southern Africa. Schoeman's authoritative editorial hand supplies the annotations and historical framing that transform a soldier's private journal into an indispensable record of a pivotal moment in South African history. For anyone drawn to the human texture of colonial Africa — its ambitions, its anxieties, and its contradictions — this diary raises a compelling question: what else did St. John witness that history has yet to fully reckon with?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50572699500763,"sku":"2026100011027-SECONDHAND","price":40.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/01113735-7e39-422c-b730-6c74fb4877e6.png?v=1791167285","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026100011027-secondhand-the-bloemfontein-diary-of-lieut-w-j-st-john-1852-53","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}