Jock of the Bushveld

The much-loved classic by Percy Fitzpatrick, available as a limited centenary edition. Jock of the Bushveld, published in 1907, has been read and enjoyed by millions of children and is now a classic among animal stories. It remains as fresh and exciting as it was when it was first written. Since its release in 1907 it has remained a firm favourite in South Africa and has been widely read abroad; it has been printed in many languages including Afrikaans, Dutch, French, Xhosa and Zulu. Jock's owner was a young transport rider in the rugged and colourful days of the Transvaal gold rush. Those were the days when big game roamed the land and each sunrise brought a new adventure. Fitzpatrick first told his children about his adventures with his dog at bedtime. It was his close friend Rudyard Kipling who convinced him to collect the stories and record them in a book. The story of the bull terrier who shared his master's life on the veld has been illustrated with lively sketches by Edmund Caldwell. Fitzpatrick searched for a suitable artist to illustrate the book and settled on the talents of Edmund Caldwell, and he went as far as to take Caldwell to South Africa to see the Bushveld to ensure the authenticity of his illustrations.

James Percy Fitzpatrick was born in King William's Town in 1862 and died on his Eastern Cape Farm, Amanzi, in 1931. He worked for the firm of H Eckstein and Co, later becoming a partner, and a director of Rand Mines Ltd. Always active in politics, he also found time to write several books besides the classic Jock of the Bushveld. His first book, Through Mashonaland with Pick and Pen, was published in 1892, followed by The Outspan: Tales of South Africa in 1897 and The Transvaal from Within in 1899.