accord to request that he publish their work. These included Jan Rabie whose was the first Afrikaans-language anti-apartheid novel, evoking much criticism and controversy when it was published in 1958. Balkema's status was definitely established when he was asked to handle the official publication of the (journals) of Jan van Riebeeck in 1952. Balkema was known for the high quality of the books he published, in particular the typography and design. He was one of the first South African publishers to switch to an IBM typewriter for typesetting. He also introduced non-justified text to the country. His perhaps greatest contribution was to Afrikaans-language nonfiction. A large number of books on South African nature, architecture, culture, and history were authored and published on his initiative, and are still considered standard works in their respective fields. He also published English-language literature and academic books and journals. Later years In the 1960s, Balkema decided to end his career as a publisher. During a visit to his family in the Netherlands in 1986, he fell severely ill. He and his wife Annie decided to re-settle in the Netherlands, where they remained until their deaths, hers in 1994 and his in 1996. Legacy In 1984 a liber amicorum in his honour was published by Vriende van die S.A. Biblioteek, Liber amicorum pro A.A. Balkema. Balkema was included in They shaped our century (1999), a list of the 100 most influential people in South Africa in the 20th century. His son started a technical and scientific publisher in Rotterdam, naming it A A Balkema Publishers after his father. This imprint is now part of the Taylor & Francis Group as CRC Press / Balkema. References 1906 births 1996 deaths Dutch publishers (people) People from Avereest South African book publishers (people) People from Cape Town Dutch emigrants to South Africa