Paul Kruger’s Memoirs, Judge Kotze Association copy (1902)

This is an extraordinary association copy of historical significance. This is a 1902 first edition of Paul Kruger’s memoirs (Gedenkschriften van Paul Kruger), but what makes it remarkable is that it served as a literal battleground for historical truth between two of the most powerful and antagonistic figures in the late South African Republic (ZAR): President Paul Kruger and Chief Justice John Gilbert Kotzé.

The Ultimate "Adversary Copy"

The signature on the title page reads "J.G. Kotzé 1907." Kotzé was the Chief Justice of the Transvaal, and his relationship with President Kruger was famously volatile, culminating in the Judicial Crisis of 1897.

Kruger maintained that the Volksraad (parliament) could pass laws via simple resolutions that the courts had no power to test.

Kotzé fiercely defended judicial independence, asserting the courts' right to test laws against the Constitution.

In response, Kruger passed Law No. 1 of 1897, forcing judges to swear an oath abandoning this right, and subsequently sacked Kotzé when he refused.

For Kotzé to sit down in 1907 with the memoirs of the man who fired him, ink pen in hand, makes this a profoundly intimate historical artifact.

Fact-Checking a President in the Margins

As noted by the collector/bookseller Geoff Klass, Kotzé used the margins to fiercely contest Kruger’s version of history.

On page 111, the printed text recounts an incident during the 1883 Third Deputation to London to renegotiate the Pretoria Convention. The book claims that during a tense meeting with Colonial Secretary Lord Derby, Sir Hercules Robinson whispered into Derby's ear, "It is a lie." The text claims that Kruger overheard this, sprang up, and wanted to physically assault Robinson before others intervened.

Look at Kotzé’s extensive, fluid handwriting at the bottom rejecting this dramatic story:

"× dit is geheel onjuist..." ("This is completely incorrect. Kruger and Sir Hercules were from 1881 until the end always on a very friendly footing...")

Kotzé goes on to dismantle the story, noting that he spoke with others present (like Rev. D.P. Faure, who acted as interpreter) who confirmed nothing of the sort ever happened. He dismisses it as a fabricated campfire story ("club-storie") or a myth that Kruger was later sweet-talked into believing.

Layers of Provenance

The book passes through multiple hands closely tied to the Kruger administration:

John Wagner: The flyleaf contains the signature of John Wagner, who served as the Civil Commissioner of Pretoria under Kruger’s government.

Geoff Klass: The pencil notes at the front were made by Geoff Klass, a highly respected figure in the mid-to-late 20th-century South African antiquarian book trade, who specialized in uncovering historical items such as this copy.

Instead of just a standard copy of a well-known Boer War-era memoir, this book is a primary source document in its own right—capturing a deposed Chief Justice using his retirement to cross-examine his old rival from beyond the grave.

The Kruger signature is printed.

165mm x 235mm

Binding repaired; stained boards; edges chipped; some foxing. Complete. Annotations throughout.

R8,500