BOOK REVIEWS143as the need for the teacher to be in touch with theoretical developments and thefindings of research, Ms need for ongoing training and the further development ofprofessional skills, the assumption that the teacher will be deeply andimaginatively committed to the well-being and intellectual development of his"pupils, and that in his work he will display a capacity to take decisions and togenerate innovation. Professionality perceived in such ways is of great relevanceto teachers in Zimbabwe where so much is expected of their capacity to be activeagents in the process of social transformation.The different orientations and emphasis of these two books, by Chung andNgara and by Gwarieda, bode well for the debate to which Senator Culverwelllooks forward. Moreover, Gwarinda's book is one title in a new series 'NewDirections in Education' put out by College Press. If the series is to achieveinternational recognition, standards of printing and proof-reading will need to beimproved, but, for the moment, this new initiative is to be applauded. Additionaltitles in the series are already available and will no doubt be reviewed in futureissues of Zambezia.University of ZimbabweT. J. E. BOURDILLONHistoric Buildings of Harare (1890-1940) By Peter Jackson. Harare, QuestPublishing, 1986, x, 134 pp., Z$25.50 (h/b), Z$ 16.96 (p/b), ISBN 0-908306-02-4(h/b) 0-908306-03-2 (p/b).The Hon. Enos Chikowore, Minister of Local Government, Rural and UrbanDevelopment, sums up the achievments of this book in the foreword when hestates that it is 'a significant venture in exposing, explaining and assessing theunique architectural heritage of Harare* (p. ix). One hopes that he is expressing anofficial view in recognizing that old buildings can and should be integrated intofuture urban plans. Ivan Fielden, a former City Architect, echoes these sentimentsby stating that 'positive change is so much more than just indiscriminatereplacement' (ibid.). Peter Jackson provides here a practical and sensitiveapproach to the conservation and appreciation of Harare's old buildings.Three main objectives can be identified. Firstly, through the use of copiousphotographs and sketches, Peter Jackson tries to instruct the reader on 'how to seewhat is there'. This is very closely tied to the second objective which concerns theunderstanding of 'how it came to be as it is', and in order to do this he goes beyondsimple illustration and comments on the historical background, architecturalstyles of the time and the personal idiosyncrasies of the architects. The thirdobjective relates to the development of a coherent strategy for conservation.The book can be divided into two mam sections: the background, historicaland architectural, and the detailed descriptions of selected buildings. The firstsection begins with a historical summary .of the period 1890-1940, which,although brief, is sufficient to provide the framework for the outline of thearchitectural development. The old photographs of the settlement from the kopjeare fascinating, especially given the clear labelling of identifiable buildings andfeatures relevant to the settlement's development. Unfortunately, the same cannot144BOOK REVIEWSbe said of the early maps. The plans of Salisbury in 1891 and 1940 are particularlypoor in that they are copies of the original maps and contain too much detail toallow their successful reduction to the format of this book. As a result, thereproduction of these potentially interesting maps is blotchy and most of thelettering is completely unreadable, even with the aid of a magnifying glass!The next section concerns the architectural development of the settlement,and, while it may appeal more to the specialists among the readers, it is writtenclearly and is supported by an adequate glossary of terms so as to be of interest tothe layman. Pen-sketches are numerous in this section, but there is little specificreference to them in the text, leaving the reader to make the connection Š notalways successfully.The incorporation of traditional styles of architecture into the first settlerhouses is graphically illustrated in the photographs of the first houses, but this veryquickly gave way to the utilitarian 'ox-cart' architecture and then the more formal'railway' architecture. While examples are given for each period, it is not madeclear at this stage that photographs and detailed comments do appear in thesecond half of the book, and it would have been useful if the later page number ofthe example, in addition to the address, had been given. Subsection headingscould have been made more prominent for quick reference as the bold print usedfor the run-on headings does not always stand out clearly.The last section of the general first part of the book concerns the veryimportant discussion of a conservation strategy. This incorporates the truemeaning of the word 'conservation' in which a building should be a functionalunit, incorporated within new development but retaining the features identified asworthy of preservation. Preservation alone is not sufficient because of the pressurefor space within the city centre where many of the buildings are found; they mustbecome functional as well.The existing regulations regarding the preservation of historic buildings arecontrasted with an alternative, more positive, approach to retain and incorporatethe designated buildings within future development plans in a variety of ways.One of the more pressing and perhaps controversial areas of conservation is the'streetscape* of Manica Road, which is well illustrated.Finally, this section details a nine-point check-list which the author has thenused in the case of each example to provide the rationale for its selection as abuilding worthy of conservation. Although very subjective, the criteria do providea necessary starting-point for the examination of old buildings.The remainder of the book divides the city into areas Š the Kopje, ManicaRoad, the Central Business Area, the Avenues and the Suburbs Š and thenidentifies selected buildings within each. The relatively clear, but unsealed,location maps allow one to actually visit the buildings to identify the featuresdescribed. There is a mixture of old and new photographs, all of a high standardand very well reproduced although, unfortunately, all in black and white (recentphotographs are by Neils Lassen).For each building, details of the architects, clients, builder and the criteria forselection are presented.There is then a detailed description of the architecturalfeatures, many of which can be identified on the photographs but which alsocreate a desire to visit the buildings, thus successfully achieving the first of thebook's objectives. This section forms the bulk of the book and is suitable fordipping into, rather than reading straight through.BOOK REVIEWSIn conclusion, this is a timely contribution to the effort to conserve Harare'sold buildings, yet it also provides a fascinating insight in to a style and way of lifenow past but leaving its imprint all around us. It is encouraging to see this heritagerecognized.University of ZimbabweSioux D. HARVEYBusiness Law In Zimbabwe By R. H. Christie. Cape Town, Juta, 1985, lvii,575 pp., R85.00, ISBN 0-7021-1573-8.As the author states, this book is a successor to his Rhodesian Commercial Law,1 avolume which he admitted was obsolete almost as soon as it was prioted. One ofthe primary purposes of that work was to provide a commercial law text coveringall three territories of the Federation. The new work is confined to the presentZimbabwean law but is no less ambitious in its attempt to provide acomprehensive coverage of the legal aspects of business in Zimbabwe.The work is clearly intended as a simple exposition of the main areas of lawlikely to be encountered by the average businessman, accountant, charteredsecretary or non-legal professional in the conduct of his day-to-day businessaffairs. For the practising lawyer it will be a useful primer; however, the coverageof most topics is superficial and there is a lack of'in depth' coverage of the issues atthe 'cutting edge' of legal development. While this is accepted as a necessity in abook of this nature (otherwise it would run to four or five volumes), it becomesvery easy for the layman or student of business law to slip into the typical layassumption that law is static, whereas in a society such as present day Zimbabweit is dynamic.As is inevitable with a legal text, certain aspects of the book are already out ofdate, for example the chapter on Employment which will require amendmentpursuant to the passing of the Labour Relations Act (No. 16 of 1985). Theseperennial problems for the legal writer, of instant obsolence by the addition oflegislation, could be mitigated by reference in the introduction to each section ofpossible new directions which might be followed, given the socialist aspirations ofGovernment. The author has never professed to be anything other than a 'blackletter' lawyer, but a little social context, particularly for the business-orientedreader, would help the layman to understand the function and purpose of thevarious branches of the law. An example of this can be seen in the perfunctorytreatment of co-operative companies and co-operative societies in the chapter onthe options available when starting a business (p. 139). At least some mentioncould have been made of the major efforts by Government to promote co-operatives as a development technique. It is important not only for the emergentco-operatives themselves to know of their options but also for other businessenterprises or ancillary organizations such as insurance companies and banks toknow the nature (even if only postulated) of the type of organizations they are, orare likely to be, dealing with.Similarly, in the chapter on Sale, I could find no reference to either thelR. H. Christie, Rhodesian Commercial Law (Cape Town, Juta, 1961).