Battle of the Books – Memoirs of Early Johannesburg reviewed by Kathy Munro and posted on the website of The Heritage Portal and well worth reading.
Johannesburg Pioneer Journals 1888 – 1909 edited by Maryna Fraser, published by the Van Riebeeck Society Cape Town 1985, Second Series no 16. This is an elegant well presented volume and an excellent item of Johannesburg history. The Van Riebeeck Society was well known for its reproductions of choice Africana diaries, travel books, memoirs and biographies. This volume marked the centenary of Johannesburg and brought to light four early eye witness accounts of life in the mining town between 1888 and 1909. Charles Du Val was a theatre man, from an Irish family who settled in England. Du Val travelled through South Africa, performing, observing and writing about his experiences. His series of four articles were published in “the Weekly Irish Times” in Dublin and give his impressions of life in early Johannesburg.