K* (Eastern Cape) by Rev. Francis Fleming, inscribed (1853)
This book, inscribed by the author is a very interesting association copy of the Reverend Francis Fleming’s seminal 1853 work, K*, and its Inhabitants. Complete with an intimate authorial inscription on the flyleaf.
The Inscription: A Link to the 41st Regiment
The author’s presentation inscription reads:
"From The Author to H. G. Maydewell, Captn. 41st Regt."
This inscription provides a direct historical bridge. The Rev. Francis Fleming served as the Chaplain to Her Majesty’s Forces in King William’s Town, British K* during a tumultuous period of the Xhosa Frontier Wars (specifically surrounding the Eighth Frontier War, or the War of the Mlanjeni, 1850–1853).
The recipient, Captain Henry George Maydewell, was a serving officer in the 41st (The Welch) Regiment of Foot.
1. The Frontier War Connection
While the 41st Regiment as a whole wasn't deployed en masse to the Cape Frontier during the Eighth Frontier War (they were soon destined for the Crimea), individual officers, staff, and detachments were frequently seconded, sent out as unattached officers, or served on specific garrison duties in the highly militarized zone of British K*. King William's Town served as the military headquarters for the entire British operation on the eastern frontier. Fleming and Maydewell would have moved in the exact same tight-knit colonial military circles—sharing Sunday sermons, garrison mess halls, and the constant anxieties of frontier warfare.
2. A "Fresh off the Press" Presentation
The book was published in London by Smith, Elder, and Co. in 1853. Given that Maydewell retired from the army as a Major around 1852–1853, this inscription represents a poignant gift from the Chaplain to a fellow officer and friend either just as Maydewell was leaving the service or right when Fleming received his first author copies from London. It is a firsthand artifact of two men who lived through the very history the book seeks to document.
The Provenance Pathway
The top-left inscription tracks the subsequent life of the book back in England:
Why K* and its Inhabitants Matters
Fleming's work remains an incredibly vital (though heavily biased) primary source for South African historians. Writing from the eye of the storm in King William's Town, his accounts offer detailed, vivid sketches of early topographies, local flora and fauna, and the complex, tragic socio-political landscape of the Xhosa people under the pressure of British colonial encroachment.
First edition; all woodcuts present; map present; some foxing; minor repairs; binding worn and chipped. X, 144 pp, map.
135mm x 198mm
R2,500
