First Edition of Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom (1994)
Nelson Mandela (born July 18, 1918, Mvezo, South Africa—died December 5, 2013, Johannesburg) was the first Black president of South Africa (1994–99). His negotiations in the early 1990s with then South African President F.W. de Klerk helped end the country’s apartheid system of racial segregation and ushered in a peaceful transition to majority rule. Mandela and de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1993 for their efforts.
The 1994 South African First Edition Rush
As seen on the copyright page, this is the true first South African edition, published by Macdonald Purnell in 1994—the momentous year Mandela was elected president.
While it was officially published by a South African firm based in Randburg, a closer look reveals that it was actually "Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd."
Because of the massive global anticipation and tight secrecy surrounding the manuscript before its release, the international publisher (Little, Brown and Company) and local publishers coordinated a massive global production effort. To meet the monumental demand immediately following the April 1994 elections, sheets were printed in the UK and shipped to South Africa to ensure the book hit the shelves before the end of that historic year.
Anachronistic Maps for Underground History
The map page lists "BOTSWANA (BECHUANALAND)".
By 1994, Bechuanaland had been the independent Republic of Botswana for nearly three decades (gaining independence in 1966). However, the maps included in the autobiography intentionally feature these colonial-era names because they trace Mandela’s clandestine travels.
In 1962, Mandela secretly left South Africa to garner international support and military training for Umkhonto we Sizwe. His first escape route out of the country took him across the border directly through the Bechuanaland Protectorate. The map uses the historical name to accurately reflect the geopolitical reality Mandela faced when he was operating underground as the "Black Pimpernel."
155mm x 245mm
First edition, 1994. Dust jacket worn at the edges, especially the top and bottom of the spine. Previous owners name in front.
R1,000
