The Missing Madonna

Ex Libris Design evolved out of Ex Libris Press, a design and fine art and commercial printing company founded in 1995.

We offer Graphic design | Book design | Branding |

Designing the Missing Madonna book for Cicely van Straten was an absolute pleasure and was honoured to work with such an acclaimed author. The first of a trilogy, a story on Uganda.

Born in South Africa, Cicely van Straten (née Luck) grew up in East Africa where her family farmed in Kenya and her father taught at Makerere University, Uganda.

When the family left Uganda for South Africa, Cicely took an honours degree in English at Wits University. Her African roots, and her grandfather’s anthropological studies in Kenya, gave her a fascination with African folklore. Her Master’s Dissertation: The fairytale as paradigm of inner transformation: a comparative study of European and African fairytales (Univ. Pretoria 1996) concerns the need to restore the rich folkloric heritage lost to millions of indigenous children during rapid cultural change. She has contributed papers on this theme at various conferences and seminars on children’s and youth literature.

Among her publications are: The Great Snake of Kalungu (Juventus), Tajewo and the Sacred Mountain (Juventus), Quest for the Sacred Stone (OUP), Flowers of the Thorn (Lowry), Huberta’s Journey (Tafelberg), The Warrior’s Star (Queillerie).

She has written The Wings of Eredu, a trilogy in a pan-African setting, depicting the initiate’s journey to adulthood. It also emphasises the traditional African reverence for the natural world fast being destroyed by the exploitation of industrialised cultures. The trilogy has fantasy and sci-fi elements and is still looking for a publisher.

The first in the series is A Missing Madonna. Set in Buganda in the first decade of this century, it depicts the recovery of Uganda since the downfall of Idi Amin and celebrates the resilience of ordinary people, who lead rather extraordinary lives.

Three generations of my family were involved in education in East Africa and education was a family passion. After we left Uganda in the late 1960s and moved to South Africa, we mourned the decline in education caused by the political turmoil in Uganda.

Imagine my pleasure when I began to hear of the resurrection in education in Uganda and the number of dedicated teachers of all kinds who gallantly worked for `Excellence of the Best’ against many odds! (I have actually seen `Excellence of the Best’ painted on a school wall!)

Where ingenious and non-violent theft is a way of life!

A Missing Madonna centres on three thefts, by differing thieves, of a statue of a Madonna and Child from a convent school chapel, out in the bush on a hill overlooking Lake Victoria Nyanza. A science pupil and explosives from the school labs also disappear. Follow the desperate sisters as they trace the thieves and their loot into odd places. Meet the local characters who help them on their hunts.

Yes, there is sorrow and hardship in Buganda, with AIDS still swinging the scythe there. But the brave sisters of St Mary’s hold a bright light against this dark background. Woman Power is strong in Africa! Humour and celebration abound among its people.

 Cicely can be contacted at

Turaco Publishing | Cicely van Straten | cstraten@mweb.co.za
Author | MA University of Pretoria
http://turacopublishing.blogspot.com

Tinus de Jongh as a Medical Artist by Dr Janet Hodgson

Dr Janet Hodgson

Conceptualizing and designing a book for Dr Janet Hodgson was an extraordinary and exciting experience. 

She had done research on Tinus de Jongh ( 1885 - 1942), as a medical artist and his relationship with her grandfather, Dr David James Wood ( 1865 - 1937) ophthalmologist. She discovered the Tinus de Jongh paintings and drawings still hanging in the offices, library and passages of Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town. There are pencil drawings in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology illustrating child birth and illustrations of eye diseases. These were used as teaching aids. Tinus de Jongh did these medical illustrations in 1921 before he became a famous South African artist to try an earn a living. It is an intriguing story and a good read.
 

TINUS  DE  JONGH AS A MEDICAL ARTIST
Janet Hodgson
Born in Retreat, Cape Town, in 1936, Janet has lived at the Cape, mostly on farms, all her life except for fourteen years as a mission theologian in England. 
She obtained the BSc Agriculture degree (cum laude) from Stellenbosch University in 1957, an MA in Religious Studies (with distinction) from the University of Cape Town in 1975, followed by a PhD in 1985. While bringing up four children she lectured part-time in Religious Studies at UCT. In addition to her academic writing she has published ten books in England, Canada and South Africa on a wide range of subjects.  

Janet has valiantly battled with age-related macular degeneration for the last two decades. Despite her failing eyesight she is still wielding her pen. Her latest publications, in 2014, were Living with Low Vision and a biography of her paternal grandfather – Dr David James Wood (1865-1937). Father of Ophthalmology and the First Medical Specialist in South Africa.

Slit-lamp painting of Melanosis of the Iris and New Formation of a Hyaline Membrance on its surface - Dr Wood

Disseminted Chroroiditis - Late Stage by Tinus de Jongh

Tinus de Jongh

 

Tinus de Jongh

Tinus de Jongh

Tinus de Jongh produced landscapes for which he in later life became famous.

Contact Dr. J Hodgsen at 021 855 2211 / janet3@telkomsa.net

Publications by Janet Hodgsen 
Ntsikana’s Great Hymn: a Xhosa Expression of Christianity in the 19th Century Eastern Cape.
UCT: Centre for African Studies, 1980
The God of the Xhosa.  Cape Town : OUP, 1982
Princess Emma. Johanesburg: Ad Donker, 1987
Vision Quest, Native Spirituality and the Church in Canada, co-authored with the Revd. Jyant Kothare.  Toronto: Anglican Book Centre, 1990
The Faith we See. Working with Images of Christ.  Peterbourough: Inspire, Methodist Publishing House, 2006
Making the Sign of the Cross (Creative Resources for seasonal worship, retreats and quiet days). London and Norwich: SCM - Canterbury Press, 2010
Seeing our Faith. (Creative ideas for working with Images of Christ).  London and Norwich: SCM - Canterbury Press, 2011
Good News Story Workshops (Based on the 5 Marks of Mission).  Cambridge: Grove Gooks, EV 95, 2011
Living with Low Vision.  Cape Town, 2014
Dr. David James Wood (1865 - 1937) Father of Ophthalmology and First Medical Specialist in South Africa.  Cape Town, 2014
Mission From Below: Growing a Kingdom Community.   Durham, UK, 2017
Zonnebloem College (1857-1933). From Hostages for Peace to African Intelligentsia.  Co-authored with Theresa Edelmann.  Durham, UK. To be published 2018

Introduction

ex libris (eks ‘li:bris) prep.  1. from the collection or library of. ~n. ex-libris, pl. ex-libris. 2. a bookplate bearing the owner’s name, coat of arms, etc. [C19: < L, lit: from the books (of)] ex libris (eks ‘li:bris) prep.  1. from the collection or library of. ~n. ex-libris, pl. ex-libris. 2. a bookplate bearing the owner’s name, coat of arms, etc. [C19: < L, lit: from the books (of)] ex libris (eks ‘li:bris) prep.  1. from the collection or library of. ~n. ex-libris, pl. ex-libris. 2. a bookplate bearing the owner’s name, coat of arms, etc. [C19: < L, lit: from the books (of)] ex libris (eks ‘li:bris) prep.  1. from the collection or library of. ~n. ex-libris, pl. ex-libris. 2. a bookplate bearing the owner’s name, coat of arms, etc. [C19: < L, lit: from the books (of)] ex libris (eks ‘li:bris) prep.  1. from the


Ex Libris Design evolved out of Ex Libris Press, a design and fine art and commercial printing company founded in 1995.

We offer Graphic design | Book design | Branding |


Books. The making of books, from conception to the delivery for the client. The smell of books, old ones, leather bound, that have been on shelves in libraries, some of them for hundreds of years and new ones, just off the press, ink not quite dry yet, has always thrilled. How they are bound, what paper has been used, who the craftsmen that worked on them were but most of all who has read them.

From the very old to the very new, packaged for sale without a cover.

Oxford bookstore - no book covers shown

Bodleian Library, Oxford