Books published by publisher Jonathan Ball Publishers (Pty) Ltd

Jock of the Bushveld, published in 1907, has been read and enjoyed by millions of children and is now a classic among animal stories. It remains as fresh and exciting as it was when it was first written and is dedicated by Fitzpatrick to ‘…those keenest and kindest of critics, best of friends and most delightful of comrades’ the likkle people!’Jock’s owner was a young transport rider in the rugged and colourful days of the Transvaal gold rush. Those were the days when big game roamed the land and each sunrise brought a new adventure.The story of the bull terrier who shared his master’s life on the veld has been illustrated with lively sketches by Edmund Caldwell.

The Story of an African Farm is Olive Schreiner’s landmark novel, set in the rural Karoo towards the end of the last century. The story was originally published in 1883 under the pseudonym Ralph Iron. When it was later revealed that the author was a woman, the news was received by many Victorian readers, who were shocked by the forthright feminism and negative comment on the social structures that formed the basis of their colonial society.Olive Schreiner proved to be a woman of vision and an author of skill. She evokes the bleakness and beauty of the farm in the Karoo, which she uses as the backdrop of the stories of Lyndall and Walso – unlikely soul mates whose lives reflect their frustrated quest for a better reality and their dreams of self-fulfilment. Schreiner’s radical views on marriage, class distinction and religion remain relevant to this day and The Story of an African Farm maintains an important place in South Africa literature. This edition contains an informative introduction by Cherry Clayton.

Simon Mann’s remarkable firsthand account of his life delivers like a thriller, taking listeners into the world of mercenaries and spooks, of murky international politics, big oil and big bucks, danger, love, and betrayal. On March 7, 2004, former SAS soldier and mercenary Simon Mann prepared to take off from Harare International Airport. His destination was Equatorial Guinea; his intention was to remove one of the most brutal dictators in Africa in a privately organised coup d’état. The plot had the tacit approval of Western intelligence agencies and Mann had planned, overseen, and won two wars in Angola and Sierra Leone. So why did it go so wrong? Here he reveals the full involvement of Mark Thatcher in the coup d’état, the endorsement of a former prime minister, and the financial involvement of two internationally famous members of the House of Lords. He also discusses how the British government approached him in the months preceding the Iraq War, and the pain of telling his wife Amanda that he believed he would never be freed.