Lawrence George Green was an English South African travel writer, who wrote substantially on the Southern African region. He died on this day in 1972, after a prolific travel writing career.

According to a review of his book Cape Town Tavern of the Seas, Green was "...a charming man and a prolific writer." As his publishing house, Howard Timmins, collapsed shortly after his death, many of his books remained out of print for more than 20 years.

However, thanks to a recent re-print, Cape Town Tavern of the Seas is available once again. This book is celebrated for its "folksy" depictions of mid- 20th century Cape life, which includes stories about local landmarks and cuisine. This book and his other works are therefore considered valuable literary depictions of life in the Cape and other areas of Southern Africa.

Green also wrote a number of other books, which include The Coast of Treasure, Great African Mysteries, Secret Africa and When the Journey's Over, which was published in 1972 - the year he passed away.

References:

1. Cape Town Tavern of the Seas Book Review [online] Available at: galago.co.za [Accessed 5 May 2009]
2. Catalogue - Africana: Lawrence Green [online] Available at: booksofzimbabwe.com [Accessed 5 May 2009]
3. Sonderling, N.E. (ed.) New Dictionary of South African Biography, v.2, Pretoria: Vista.
4. Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau.