The Cape Town Book presents a fresh picture of South Africa’s first city, one that brings together all its stories. From geology and fynbos to forced removals and hip-hop, Nechama Brodie, author of the best-selling The Joburg Book, has delved deeply into the hidden past of Cape Town to emerge with a lucid and compelling account of South Africa’s oldest city, its landscape and its people.

The book’s 14 chapters trace the origins and expansion of Cape Town – from the City Bowl to the southern and coastal suburbs, the vast expanse of the Cape Flats and the sprawling northern areas.

Offering a nuanced, yet balanced, perspective on Cape Town, the book includes familiar attractions like Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch and the Company’s Garden, while also giving a voice to marginalised communities in areas such as Athlone, Langa, Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha.

Many of the images in the book have never been published before, and are drawn from the archives of museums, universities and public institutions.

This beautifully illustrated, information-rich book is the definitive portrait of the wind-blown, contradictory city at the southern tip of Africa that nearly four million people call home.

The Cape Town Book includes:
– More than 500 historical and contemporary photographs of Cape Town
– 15 original reference maps
Recommended activities and places of interest in and around Cape Town, together with contact information
– Suggested further reading – the author’s selection of specialist publications about Cape Town