Daughter of poet, author, and creative writing teacher, Finuala Dowling, and satirist, performer, and playwright, Guy Willoughby, Beatrice Willoughby grew up immersed in Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde and Billy Collins. Her school holidays were spent learning classic poems off by heart and performing comic sketches and take-offs for her uncles, aunts and cousins.

Following in her maternal grandfather’s footsteps, she pursued copywriting, for which she has won several awards. She lives in Cape Town. So, is her debut collection of poetry.

Uittogboek – ’n bundel wat van fyn vakmanskap, tematiese en stilistiese verskeidenheid en intellektuele diepgang getuig – is ’n hoogtepunt in die digter Johan Myburg se oeuvre. Temas soos die doodsbesef, die mens se verganklikheid en die optekening van laaste dinge word op subtiele en sensitiewe wyse benader en met ironie en humor deurspek. Die samebindende gegewe van die bundel is die Romeinse keiser Hadrianus (76–138 n.C.), en die bundel open met sy bekende sterfgedig in Latyn en Myburg se trefsekere vertaling daarvan in Afrikaans. Myburg bewys homself met hierdie publikasie as ’n digter wat nie slegs formele verse nie, maar ook vrye verse en langer prosagedigte kan skryf wat die leser op verskeie vlakke uitdaag, gevange hou en betower.

Sasol First Field Guide to Fishes of Southern Africa is a beginner's guide to the more common fishes of the region, and covers both marine and freshwater species. Full-colour photographs, distribution maps and easy-to-read text will help enthusiasts and budding naturalists to identify the more common fishes in southern Africa, discover where they are found and learn about their unique behaviour, reproduction, conservation status and unusual features. A brief introduction gives context to the topic, outlines points of importance and explains the structure of the book. Sales points: straightforward introductory guide to the region's fishes; suitable for both adult and younger enthusiasts; informative, uncomplicated text written for beginners; useful introductory section; full-colour photographs of each fish; compact enough for ease of use in the field.

The story of the Springboks 2019 Rugby World Cup victory is one of the most inspiring in South African sporting history.

It is about how two men – coach Rassie Erasmus and captain Siya Kolisi – led a team of warriors into battle and conquered the world when inequality and division are still undeniable realities in South African society. When the Boks won the 2007 World Cup final, they did so with 20 white players in their match-day squad of 22.

In 2019, there were five black Africans in their starting line-up for the Yokohama final and the images of Kolisi lifting the Webb Ellis Cup will be replayed forever.

None of this seemed possible in 2017 when the Boks had reached an all-time low. They had slipped to No 7 in the world and had lost the faith of the rugby-loving public. Erasmus came in with just 18 months to prepare for the competition.

Sports writer Lloyd Burnard takes the reader on a thrilling journey from the time when no-one gave the Boks a chance of winning, to the delirious victory tour. He covers the key roles played by Erasmus and Kolisi, and their special relationship. There are ups and downs en route to victory: the first signs of self-belief when they beat the All Blacks in Wellington, Kolisi’s injury, the fall of Aphiwe Dyantyi when he was caught with banned substances in his system, and the Langebaan incident involving Eben Etzebeth that threatened to derail the team.

Growing up in extreme poverty in Messina (today Musina) in the early 1980s, Lovemore Ndou was forced to start boxing to protect himself and his family. At an early age, he experienced the injustices of the apartheid system when his arm was broken during a beating in a police cell and he saw his best friend gunned down in a protest march.

Through sheer determination, he managed to persevere and soon the Black Panther (his name in the ring) started winning matches. He left the country for Australia in the mid-1990s, made a name for himself internationally, and eventually became a triple-world champion despite setbacks and challenges. A number of big names in local and international boxing circles feature in the book, including Floyd Mayweather, with whom Ndou sparred during a stint in the USA.

Never knocked out in 64 professional bouts, he transitioned from combats in the ring to confrontations in the courtroom in a successful post-boxing career as a lawyer. Today he has his own practice in Sydney, Australia.

Penvere is 'n versameling rubrieke deur die voelkenner Morne du Plessis wat enigeen - hetsy agtertuinduifbewonderaar of kranige ornitoloog - breed sal laat glimlag. In hierdie bundel word met 'n fyn oog en 'n skerp sin vir humor gekyk na die sonderlinge gedrag en gewoontes van verskeie Suid-Afrikaanse voelspesies, waarvan die meerderheid selfs aan die leek bekend behoort te wees. Van die hadida en die lemoenduif tot die mossie, koekoek en bosloerie - elke spesie bestaan in 'n unieke verhouding tot die natuur - en besit 'n magdom eiesoortighede wat soms nie veel van menslike gedrag verskil nie. Met sy pittige aanslag en skerp waarnemeingsvermoe, dwing die skrywer die leser om saam met hom verwonderd te raak oor die boeiende wereld van voels wat rondom hom bestaan, die natuur is te kosbaar en te breekbaar om dit huis toe te bring.

Die FAK-sangbundel se eerste verskyning in 1937 was ’n belangrike kulturele gebeurtenis. Sedertdien was dit so wyd in aanvraag dat dit vier uitgawes en vyf herdrukke beleef het. In latere uitgawes is liedere wat nie veel aftrek gekry het nie weggelaat en gewildes wat vroeer ontbreek het, opgeneem. Tans word dit beskou as die mees omvattende bundel Afrikaanse lirieke met bladmusiek en dit dien as verwysingswerk vir ’n groot aantal kulturele organisasies, koormeesters en skole. Dit is voorsien van ’n register volgens liedere se titels en eerste reels sowel as ’n rubriekindeling, waaronder vaderlandsliedere, natuurlirieke, liefdes-, kleuter- en slaapliedjies en gewyde liedere. Bekende Afrikaans digters en komponiste se talente word hier saamgevoeg, sowel as sensitief vertaalde Afrikaanse weergawes van wereldwye gunstelinge.

The best, greatest, craziest, biggest and funniest. Awesome South Africa will intrigue you, make you laugh, astonish and astound you. This entertaining compilation on South Africa is packed full of humour, history, interesting facts and trivia about South Africa and its people. This recently launched Second Edition is now updated with the latest information and statistics. The book, which has received rave reviews is a visual cacophony of all that is unique, exceptional, and noteworthy about South Africa: its heritage, its people and its heart. Irrespective of age, race or gender, the book is sure to be enjoyed by everyone – cynic and enthusiast.

Le ncwadi ejabulisayo, egcwele mfi yethula izingane emaqenjini ezinyoni ezingaphezu kwama-60 ezitholakala eningizimu ne-Afrika: okholwase abanemilenze emide, oklebe abasheshayo, izincwincwi ezifana nejuba, izinsingizi ezinesibindi nezinye eziningi.

Funda ukubona izinyoni ezihlukahlukene, futhi uthole nendlela ehlaba umxhwele eziziphatha ngayo–indlela ezithola ngayo ukudla, ezikhetha ngayo umlingani, ezakha ngayo isidleke, ezikhulisa ngayo amachwane azo nokuthi zizigwema kanjani izilwane ezizizingelayo. Isingeniso esinemininingwane sichaza okuphathelene nezinyoni okunjengokuthandana, ukufuduka, ukuhlala kwazo ngaziningi kanye nokwebuza.

Kufakwe izithombe ezinhle ngokwedlulele ezingaphezu kwama-500, eziningi zichaziwe ukuze zigqamise izici nokuthile okuhlukile okuhlaba umxhwele ngazo.

Most mothers are familiar with the daily challenge of encouraging their children to eat healthy, sustaining meals that will fill them with vitality as well as nourishment.

Fun Foods offers a treasure trove of ideas for how to create healthy meals for kids that are also inspiring and, well, fun! Covering salads, snacks, lunchboxes and sarmies, dinner, tea time, picnics, veggies and fruit, the chapters include many creative ideas for dishes that children can make for themselves, using their imagination.

Throughout, the recipes have been styled to make everyday meals fun: think Funny Bunny Salad, Frittata Faces, Purple Pasta, Owl Rice Cakes and Sushi Sandwiches.

Sasol First Field Guide to Spiders & Scorpions of Southern Africa provides fascinating insight into the arachnids of the region. Through full-colour photographs and easy-to-read text, the young adult and budding naturalist will be able to identify the more common species found in southern Africa, discover where they live, and learn about their unique habits.

This book describes and illustrates 80 of the larger, more conspicuous and charismatic tree species likely to be seen while travelling in the Kruger National Park.

With the aim of assisting readers to make accurate identifications of these majestic plants, each spread contains photographs and succinct text with minimal botanical jargon. To aid identification, a series of maps demarcating 35 different vegetation zones or ‘landscapes’ within the Kruger Park helps readers to determine which tree species are likely to be seen in which area.

Part of the NATURE NOW series, this compact ID guide is jampacked with images of trees – an informative safari companion for all who want to make the most of their visit to Kruger.

Roberts Birds of Southern Africa has been continuously in print for some 65 years and is the most popular African natural history book of all time. The scope and depth of biological information in the Seventh edition of Roberts far exceeds that of any previous edition. It covers all 951 species recorded in the region and also illustrates these in 80 new plates commissioned from the region’s best bird artists. For scientists and conservationists it is a benchmark publication and will be a standard reference for years to come. For birdwatcher it will be an invaluable source of information to help them better understand and appreciate the birds around them.

This year we are in for a treat, with Madam & Eve back with more cartoons looking at domestic life and politics in the New South Africa.

Madam & Eve cartoons appear regularly in the Mail & Guardian, The Star, The Saturday Star, Herald, Mercury, Witness, Daily Dispatch, Cape Times, Pretoria News, Diamond Fields Advertiser, Die Volksblad, EC Today, Kokstad Advertiser and The Namibian.

The Roberts Bird Guide (2nd Edition) has gone to great trouble to concentrate on, and illustrate, difficult-to-identify species and family groups such as raptors, warblers, cisticolas and waders. Special attention has been given to make sure there is far greater coverage of male-female differences and there are also many more juvenile illustrations. Unlike all previously published southern African bird guides, this new edition will be scattered with informative photographs that are incorporated in the text pages and each plate illustration is augmented with an introduction. Apart from the approximately 240 plate spreads, the guide also has 12 photographic and illustrated double spreads that show head enlargements and other details. Plates are annotated far more definitively than other guides – highlighting key identification features, especially for difficult-to-identify species.

It’s been one helluva year – again. We’ve seen Zuma resign as president, the DA go after its own people, Trump exercise his megalomania, the rise of racial tensions (as well as the petrol price) and tempers being flared. All while the Guptas fled the Saxonwold Shebeen.

Who better to make sense of this than Zapiro, political analyst, cartoonist and agent provocateur. He has the ability to knock the air out of us, to rock us back in our seats, to force us bolt upright with a 1000-watt jolt of electrifying shock. He makes us angry, he makes us laugh and he makes us think. He shines a light on the elephant in the room, presents the emperor in all his naked glory. Impossible to brush off, he is determined to provoke a response.

When all around is crumbling, when fake news and zipped lips conceal the truth, Zapiro comes to the rescue. With the dissecting eye of a surgeon, the rapier-like point of his pen exposes flimflam, and reveals with a single line what lies behind the action.

An enduring and popular resource, this handy publication lists all the birds to be seen in the region and provides a simple way of recording where and when you have spotted them.

Pocket-sized for ease of use, it offers:

• Cross-referencing to the new Sasol Birds of Southern Africa (fifth edition)
• Six columns for multiple recordings at six different localities
• Up-to-date names for all southern African birds
• Endemic and threat status for all birds

This revised, updated checklist will be sought after by the region’s twitchers at all levels.

Hoewel Olga Kirsch die enigste Joodse stem in die Afrikaanse digkuns is, is dit skaars bekend onder lede van die Suid-Afrikaanse Joodse gemeenskap. Olga Kirsch was, na Elisabeth Eybers, maar die tweede vrou wat ‘n digbundel in Afrikaans laat verskyn het.

Die doelwit van hierdie biografie is om te keer dat haar werk vergete raak en om te wys waarom haar werk belangrik is, nie net in Suid-Afrika nie, maar ook in Israel.

Dit ondersoek nie net Kirsch se rol as Afrikaanse Joodse digter nie, maar ook haar as voorbeeld van ‘n grensoorsteker tussen kulture en veeltalige immigrante-digter. Daarom is van haar Engelse en Hebreeuse digkuns ook ingesluit in hierdie werk.

Accompanied by superb photographs, this ground-breaking book is the first practical field guide to record the Zulu names of bird species commonly found in KwaZulu-Natal. Where one name was previously used to describe a number of birds belonging to the same genus (i.e. ukhozi for most eagles), the need existed to give species specific names.

The authors hope this book will be used to inspire a greater interest, awareness and protection of the avifaunal heritage of KwaZulu-Natal. It is vital for the heritage of all South Africans that these names are recorded and made widely available. Noleen Turner, a passionate birder and honorary research professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, in collaboration with Prof Adrian Koopman and Roger Porter, led this seven-year project, together with 18 expert Zulu bird guides from various parts of KwaZulu-Natal.

The recording, derivation and crafting of these names has been a lengthy but fascinating process. Turner notes that the project has included not only the consideration of biodiversity management, but also the pursuit of social ecology, the long neglected but crucial ‘people’s’ aspect of conservation. She said when it came to Zulu names for birds, they had to fill in the gaps, and of the 550 species analysed, some were confirmation of well-known names, such as inkazwi for the fish eagle; some were selected from the most commonly known names such as inkankane for the hadeda ibis. Some names were redirected: for example, the name for the Brown-headed Kingfisher indwazela became the generic name for all kingfishers (ndwaza referring to the motionless position while waiting for prey).

Other new names were coined based on appearance, calls, behaviour and distribution such as isankawu (the bird whose call sounds like a vervet monkey) for the Southern Pochard, or umacutha derived from the Zulu word cutha (meaning to draw the body tense) as the generic name for herons, which perfectly describes the bird’s behaviour before it lunges at its prey.

Die meeste ma’s word daagliks uitgedaag om hul kinders aan te moedig om gesonde maaltye te nuttig wat lewenskragtig en voedsaam is.

Pretkos bied ’n skatkis van idees om gesonde, inspirerende etes vir kinders te berei – met groot pret! Van slaaie, peuselhappies, kosblikkos en toebroodjies, aandete, teetyd en pieknieks tot groente en vrugte word ingesluit.

Die hoofstukke bevat heelwat kreatiewe idees vir verbeeldingryke geregte wat kinders vir hulself kan berei. Al die resepte is gestileer om alledaagse maaltye pret te maak, soos Slaaihasie, Vrolike frittatas, Pers pasta, Ryskoekie-uile en Soesji-broodjies.

“Not sex please,” sê die monnik en toe hy die verbouereerde uitdrukkings op ons gesigte sien, glimlag hy gerusstellend. “Seven is better . . . OK?”

Tussen misverstande, pogings om die taal en skrif te leer en lokvalle van swendelaars wat daarop uit is om ’n vinnige yuan te maak, is daar die vriendelike vreemdelinge wat soos ’n goue draad deur Elkarien Fourie se ervarings in China loop. Hulle is die “mede”-mense wat uitstaan tussen die gedrang van miljoene in die megastede; wat aanbied om die pad saam te loop eerder as om dit net te verduidelik.

Elkarien het Confucius se voorskrif gevolg en haar hele hart saamgeneem op hierdie avontuur wat haar gekies het eerder as andersom.

Sasol First Field Guide to Frogs of Southern Africa is a fascinating guide to the frogs of the region.

Full-colour photographs, distribution maps and easy-to-read text will help the budding naturalist to identify the more common frog species that occur in southern Africa, discover where they live, and learn about their behaviour and unusual features.

Verbal precision is the best way to describe this compelling and daunting collection, where poetry and all the known demands of writing poetry are constantly deconstructed.

In a no-nonsense approach devoid of self-pity, Strang utilises wry acerbic humour coupled with a fine technical skill to debunk commonly held perceptions on an array of topics including femicide and gender-based violence, physical and mental illness/death, childhood and aging, sex and sexuality, and armed conflict and political violence.

It is a complex, brilliant volume of poetry blending the intellectual with the intuitive, utilising an array of inter-texts including fairy tales, the 2 tarot, the Bible, and art in various forms, interwoven with primordial wisdoms and mythology

Hierdie gids is deel van 'n nuwe reeks, Eerste veldgidse, en bied 'n fassinerende blik op die natuurlewe van die streek.

Met behulp van kleurfoto's en -verspreidingskaarte asook maklik leesbare teks, sal die beginner- en ontluikende natuurkenner die meer algemene diere van Suider-Afrika kan identifiseer, kan vasstel waar hulle voorkom, en meer te wete kom oor hul unieke gedrag en ongewone eienskappe.

Step back in time to the thrilling year of 1912, where rugby forged its indomitable spirit, and a legendary team emerged to win all five of the international matches they played. "The Forgotten Springboks" takes you on a voyage with this iconic South African national rugby team, as they embark on an extraordinary tour of England, France, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

Led by Billy Millar, the tour captain, the Springboks embarked on a quest that would forever change the course of rugby's narrative. As they set foot on foreign soil, they were met with a mix of curiosity and skepticism, but these determined men were ready to showcase the strength of their spirit and the finesse of their game. Yet this remained unrecorded, until now.

The book delves into the heart-stopping moments on the field, where every try, every scrum, and every tackle took the spectators' breath away. With unparalleled unity and skill, the Springboks defeated their opponents, carving a path of triumph wherever they went. Each match was a test of their mettle, and each victory became a testament to their unwavering determination.

Beyond the rugby pitches, the book offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of these remarkable individuals who went on to become soldiers, farmers, miners, and doctors who faced major adversity.