Charles Allen Du Val

With A Show Through Southern Africa

In 1881 Charles Henry Du Val wrote a book entitled With a Show through Southern Africa and Personal Reminiscences of the Transvaal War. He found a publisher in Tinsley Brothers of 8 Catherine Street in London, and delivered his manuscript with its numerous illustrations to them by the end of the year. The book was published in May 1882 in the form of two volumes, and was an immediate success. Over 25,000 copies were sold during the first two months (1). He then went on to make another tour in England and Ireland with his show.

A second edition appeared in 1884. In the same year a one-volume "popular edition" was produced for the South African market, which was condensed by about a third and had fewer illustrations. The omitted information was mostly political commentary and descriptions of the African landscape, which were unnecessary for its intended primary market.

It described, in a highly entertaining and informative way, his experiences while touring with his show "Odds and Ends" in southern Africa from 1879 to 1880, and also his time at the Siege of Pretoria in 1880-1881 during the First Boer War. Both versions were in print for many years, and enjoyed renewed interest from the outbreak of the Second Boer War in 1899 (2).

Critical reviews, almost all highly favourable, appeared in the London press. One pundit of the London literary world was sniffy (3). After misquoting the actual title of the book (4), he loftily advised the “judicious critic” to collect examples of the “author's curious infelicity of style”, or to find out whether he “has anything interesting to tell”. However that pompous and anonymous highbrow was in a tiny minority.

Most critics however were enthusiastically favourable. The Athenaeum announced that "Mr. Du Val has made a real contribution to the history of the Transvaal War". The Daily News praised his "light but decidedly clever pen". The Mercury declared that the book "will take a permanent place beside the few reliable books which have been written during the recent blood-stained years of South African history".

The general public loved the book! Charley’s style is engaging and the reader is soon caught up in his amazing adventure. Hardships there most certainly were – sea voyages, few and uncompleted railways, and almost impassable roads. Not to mention the warfare that raged around him and his intrepid band of assistants.

His biographer rightly said of the book:

Although the style is sometimes a little flowery for contemporary tastes the book remains highly readable today and is a valuable source for researchers into South Africa at the time of the First Anglo-Boer War, as the Transvaal War is now officially known to historians. Charley had the knack of imparting solid information made palatable by his eye for the amusing and the ludicrous. The success of his book with his contemporaries was well deserved (5).

(1) Du Val Tonight! The Story of a Showman by Vivien Allen (1990) page 128.

(2) Reprinted editions are currently (2011) available from "print on demand" publishers.

(3) Pall Mall Gazette 3 January 1883. For the full article see Pall Mall Gazette review.

(4) The writer had headed his piece "WITH A SHOW THROUGH SOUTH AFRICA". As Vivien Allen correctly points out, "The term South Africa to describe the present state dates only from 1910, when the Union of South Africa was created from two British colonies of the Cape and Natal and the two Boer republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. Hence the title of the book, as a tour through Southern, not South, Africa." (Page 128.)

(5) Du Val Tonight! The Story of a Showman by Vivien Allen (1990) page 130.

For a collection of the press reports on Charles Henry Du Val see Charles Henry Du Val Press Cuttings.