Father of a City. The Life and Times of George Cato, First Mayor of Durban

Goetzsche, Eric

Published by (Pietermaritzburg: Shuter and Shooter, [1966])

About this Item

8vo; original blue boards, lettered in silver gilt on spine; pictorial dustwrapper; pp. 216, incl. index; plates. Dustwrapper slightly rubbed; trace of foxing to edges and endpapers. Very good condition. 'George Christopher Cato was born, in 1814, in London, the son of a man who, "following the family trade in silk weaving" nevertheless emigrated to South Africa, in 1826, with a wife and six sons ranging from George downwards. Shortly after arrival, Cato père was killed by an elephant in the Addo Bush, and thus George, ahead of his teenage, was saddled with responsibilities. This book is a remarkable account of how he faced up to them, and in so doing made an indelible impression on embryonic Durban, and indeed on the history of Natal. . Inevitably, in his portrait of Cato, the author has etched, as a background to his picture, much of the history of early Natal, of its peoples and their way of life. In getting to know Cato and his influence on people and events, one senses how they, in turn, influenced Cato.'.

Seller Inventory # 13820

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Father of a City. The Life and Times of George Cato, First Mayor of Durban
• Publisher: (Pietermaritzburg: Shuter and Shooter, [1966])
• Binding: Hardcover
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included