LocalPlaces – Cape Town

LocalPlaces – Cape Town offers a clear, compelling journey through centuries of history, from ancient societies and seafaring trade to indigenous resistance, colonial conquest, slavery, migration, settlement, apartheid, and the emergence of a democratic nation. Told through vivid storytelling rather than academic prose, this book connects local places to global events, revealing how storms, ships, empires, diamonds, gold, and ordinary people shaped the city beneath Table Mountain.

Written by renowned guide and storyteller Gerald Garner, this concise history brings the past to life with insight, empathy, and surprising detail. It is a book for curious locals and travellers, for anyone who wants to understand Cape Town – and South Africa – as a place of resilience, and hope.

LocalPlaces – Cape Town brings the city’s extraordinary history together in one clear, accessible narrative – for the first time.