This the sixth revised edition of A Newspaper History of South which was first published in 1976. This highly successful title takes a lively and penetrating look at events that hit the headlines during the past 128 years from the Discovery of Gold in 1886 to the Rise of Ramaphosa. The scope of the book is vast, embracing war, murder, politics, trials, sport and disaster. It includes accounts of human endeavour and failing, of courage and bravery, and of vicious deeds of death and destruction.
 The book does not attempt to include all South African history. The criteria on which selection was based were twofold: the impact of the incidents on the newspapers of the time; and their significance in the context of South African history. Obviously there are events of consequence which have been omitted; this is not to belittle their importance, but merely for reasons of practicality – space and time factors did not allow any other approach.
 The author presents 53 events among them The Boer War, Sharpeville, The Coalbrook Mining Disaster, the Rivonia Trial, The Mystery of the Helderberg and the release of Nelson Mandela. The Laingsberg flood disaster and the notorious Scissors murder case are included among many other highly fascinating events.
 Since the last edition much has occurred in South Africa including Wayde van Niekerk’s world record at the 2017 Olympic Games, The life and death of Joost van der Westhuizen, State Capture, the Municipal Elections, the removal of Bob Mugabe and the rise of Ramaphosa, amongst other events that grabbed our attention.
 Throughout the book the emphasis is on the newspapers’ handling of each event and on the individuals who made history. As such the book stands as a tribute to the oft-maligned and unrecognized journalists of our time, some of whom had to endure severe restrictions imposed on the press during the apartheid era.
 A Newspaper History of South Africa presents a unique and compelling view of history.