Steve Lunderstedt, author, world-renowned military historian and tour guide, says his Saturday market at the Moth Centre in Kimberley is not just a treasure trove of books, but a gathering of like-minded souls.
“Printed books will never die. In fact, the book market is growing,” he says.
“I love the feel of paper, paging through a book, as well as the smell of the ink. So do thousands of other like-minded people. Kindle will never have the same fascination or satisfaction.”
He says Steve’s Bookstore was born out of necessity when the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown put a stop to his historical tours. He previously owned bookstores and antique shops, but the rent and other costs were inhibiting.
“I have attended markets on and off since the 1980s. I am down to 16 000 books now, although I have owned between 22 000 and 24 000 books. I would rather give books to the library than throw them out.”
It is not easy to prepare for markets – packing books out in the morning, only to pack it away four hours later. Some days no books find new owners.
“I concentrate on non-fiction, mostly Southern African, be it about wars, biographies, sport and so on. I regard the fiction books as the bread and butter and the non-fiction as the ice cream and jam.
“Depending on the condition, I determine the price. You might be a brilliant author, but if your book is in poor condition it will go for much less.”
He finds his stock at second-hand shops everywhere, or people call him when houses are cleared.
Treasures found
One treasure he found was at a second-hand shop in Cradock. It was the complete set of sought-after first edition, mint-condition books of Lawrence Green, whose father “was the prince of journalists in South Africa, being the editor of the Diamond Fields Advertiser”.
“I bought the box for R50. That is probably the best buy I have ever done.”
Green was a renowned travel writer and investigative journalist, born during the Siege of Kimberley. He left Kimberley when he was ten years old. Green would travel extensively and interview old people while he was still reasonably young. He documented stories from the 1860s and 1880s from interviewing these people.
Green travelled throughout the interior of Southern Africa and up the Atlantic seaboard.
Another good find was when Lunderstedt was informed on books thrown out in an alleyway in Kimberley.
“I found an original copy of the science-fiction handmade book by William Timlin called The Ship that Sailed to Mars. Timlin was a well-known architect and made about 20 of this particular book. He made all the sketches and did the calligraphy.”
Although the book was worth thousands of rands, Lunderstedt donated it to the William Humphreys Art Gallery (Whag), who had it restored.
“Each one of Timlins’ books is a work of art combined with literature.”
His Saturday markets are enjoyable, talking to people about interesting topics and history.
“We talk on a variety of subjects, which is good for the soul. Books will never die. Load shedding and the recent blackouts in Spain and Portugal, where there was no power for electronic devices, made me realise it again.
“With books you can still sit in the sun and read, or have a chat with people about the wonder of printed matter.”
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