A History of Copper Mining in Namaqualand

Here are recounted the initial prospecting expeditions from the Cape, the first purely speculative boom of any extent in South Africa - the copper mining mania of the 1850s, the troubled question of leases and the effect of the final settlement on the Black peoples who were the original inhabitants of the area, and the rise and development of most important mining centres in Namaqualand. All these aspects and more are examined in this well-researched yet absorbing story.

With this book, John Smalberger makes a lasting contribution to our knowledge of Namaqualand's history.