Book details

Jock of the Bushveld is the classic and much loved story based on the true experiences of Percy Fitzpatrick and his Staffordshire bull terrier Jock. The story begins in the 1880s, at the time of the South African gold rush, when a young Fitzpatrick worked as an ox-wagon transport rider in the old Transvaal. There he came across a man who was in the process of drowning a puppy, the runt of the litter. He saved the dog and the story of his ever-faithful and loving companion was born. Fitzpatrick later told the stories of his adventures as bedtime stories to his children. Rudyard Kipling, a good friend of Fitzpatrick's, took part in some of these story-telling evenings and eventually persuaded Percy to collect the tales in book form. The original illustrations were drawn by Edmund Caldwell and appear in this edition. The book was first published in London in 1907 and immediately achieved huge acclaim. It was reprinted four times in that first year, has remained in print ever since and is now regarded as a South African classic.