Meet Joan
Joan lives in Bredasdorp, a small town tucked into the Overberg, where the wheat fields run out to meet the mountains and the sea isn’t far behind. She has spent a lifetime in this part of the world — and an even longer one with a book in her hand.
Her love of reading started early, and it started stubbornly. By the time she was in fifth grade, lights-out was never really the end of the story: Joan would lie awake until the house went quiet, then read by the glow of the streetlamp outside her window, one eye on the page and one ear listening for footsteps. Some habits never really leave you. Give her a good book in the evening now and you likely won’t see her again until she’s turned the last page.
She wrote her first “book” at twelve years old — pages stapled together, a little wobbly, but entirely her own. Around that same age, she bought her first books with her own pocket money: the “Katy” series, read and re-read until the spines gave up. There is a particular kind of magic in owning a story rather than borrowing it, and it’s a feeling she’s spent her life chasing ever since — one she hopes travels along with every parcel that leaves Bredasdorp.
In the decades since, Joan has never really put the pen down either. She has written many stories over the years, and has a published anthology of poetry to her name — proof that she is just as at home writing the stories as she is reading them. Ask her for a bedtime story even now and you won’t get one she’s read before; she’ll simply make one up, right there on the spot, usually a better one than anything on the shelf.
Of everywhere she’s travelled, her favourite is still Hay-on-Wye, the small Welsh town with more bookshops than almost anywhere else on earth. The Book Press is her own small way of bringing a little of that same magic home to Bredasdorp — and now, to wherever you’re reading this from.
What’s on the shelves
Fiction, non-fiction, children’s and young adult books, Afrikaans titles, cookbooks, history and biography, and the occasional rare or collectible find. If you’re looking for something in particular and can’t see it, get in touch — Joan is always happy to help track a book down, and has a knack for knowing exactly what you’ll enjoy next.
Shipping anywhere
Joan ships across South Africa, the rest of Africa, and internationally. Shipping costs are calculated at checkout based on the weight of your order. If you’re local to Bredasdorp, you’re also welcome to collect your order from her in person, free of charge.