January-December 1955.

Including: 'How red is Congress', Luthuli replies; Regina 'Linda Malinga' Brooks; Israel Alexander; Mopeli-Paulus continued; Western Areas removals; 'The Suitcase' short story; New faces in Congress; labour conditions on Snyman's Farm; DRUM staff at the office; Enoch Nhlapo; Salot family; Torch gang; King Masinga and South African radio; 'The Departure' by Peter Clarke, winner of the 3rd DRUM Short Story contest; Capricorn movement; 'How yellow is Congress', Tambo replies; South Africa's colour bar in sports; GMM Pemba; SM Mofokeng, first African PhD at University of Witwatersrand; Chief Buthelezi in Johannesburg; Bantu Education Act; Fort Hare University; Chops No. 1; Seretse Khama; Chetty murder; Congress of the People at Kliptown; Don Mtimkulu; John Shembe; Coloureds race classification; Canada Lee; Elifasi "Axe-killer" Msomi; bare fist fights; Isaac Makau; Father Trevor Huddleston (December); Peter Abrahams; ANC Bloemfontein conference.

January-December 1959 (February and March missing).

Including: All-African People's Conference; Basuto self-rule; Alan Paton; story of Ezekiel "King Kong" Dhlamini, heavy weight boxer from Durban, who inspired the musical 'King Kong' later in the year; SA Cricket West Indies tour; Beer halls; Josias Madzunya, with photos by Peter Magubane, winning the Best South African Pictures of the Year Exhibition (April); Payroll robbers; Jomo Kenyatta; Robert Sobukwe; photo of boy at piano, by Peter Magubane, winning third place in the Feature Section of the Best South African Pictures award; Chief Luthuli visiting Cape Town, and banned on his farm; Durban unemployed; death of Fort Hare University Colleage; Witchcraft; African church leaders conference, Vereeniging; The Fort prison, Johannesburg; Coloured People's Organisation, and Coloured people; Joas 'Kangaroo' Maoto vs. Enoch Nhlapo; typhoid epidemic; series about history of Indians in South Africa; riots in Cato Manor; theater play 'Shebeen'; Mahatma Gandhi; Hastings Banda; Seretse Khama; Tribute to DDT Jabavu; Coronation of Chief Edward Patric Lebone Molotlegi of the Bafokeng; Nyasaland prison camp; John Mehegan in South Africa; Miriam Makeba; musical 'King Kong'; Sophiatown forced removals; 'My idea of Africa in 1973' by Mangaliso Sobukwe; women of Ixopo; banishment; Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim); Professor ZK Matthews; series about SA Indian personalities.

January-December 1960 (February, June, November missing).

Including: Man of Africa 1959; Phatha-Phatha; the Spoilers vs. the Msomis; Coalbrook disaster; Cato Manor killings; Steve Kalamazoo Mokone; soccer; Ben Baartman banished; Unity Movement; Coloured political parties; Basuto Royal family; the Africanists, Potlako Leballo, Mangaliso Sobukwe; series about Miriam Makeba's life story; Soorabjee Rustomjee; Reg September, Ebrahim Desai; David Pratt shooting Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd; Sharpeville funerals, with main report in October issue; musical 'Mkhumbane'; child labour; political refugees in Basutoland; Pondoland; wages; Congo Independence Day; series about Indian women; Bantustans; people in showbiz; John Dunn; Katanga; Patrice Lumumba; Joas 'Kangaroo' Maoto; Louis Armstrong in Kenya; Joshua Nkomo.

The main body of this collection consists of the original DRUM magazine, including its first number in March 1951, up to 1962.

The publication was started as "The African Drum" by Jim Bailey and Bob Crisp, and soon after only called DRUM. Its prime time were the 1950s under the successive editorship of Antony Sampson, Sylvester Stein and Tom Hopkinson. The staff of Black journalists, known as the "DRUM boys" included writers like Henry Nxumalo ('Mr DRUM'), Can Themba, Lewis Nkosi, Todd Matshikiza, Nat Nakasa, William Modisane, Arthur Maimane, Casey Motsisi and Bessie Head, as well as Es'kia Mphahlele, who was fictor editor and Dolly Rathebe. The photographers working for DRUM at the time included Jürgen Schadeberg, Bob Gosani, Peter Magubane, Ernest Cole and Alf Khumalo.

DRUM's golden era came to an end towards the end of 1950s, after the Sophiatown removals and many of its writers going into exile overseas or having died tragically, like Henry Nxumalo who was murdered in Johannesburg in 1957.

DRUM covered topics ranging from news from the African continent and politics to sport, scouting, crime, culture, art, music and fashion, including fiction writing and photography, as well as extensive advertising.

The DRUM magazine was distributed in different regions throughout Africa, and this collection includes issues published for its readership in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana (West Africa) and East Africa.

January-December 1952, changing from "The African Drum" in the logo of the African map until August, to DRUM and the logo of the roaring lion from September onwards.

Including: Phokeng Centenary village; AC Jordan; continuation of 'Cry the beloved country; District Six; African National Congres vs all-African Convention; Bethal farms; Gerard Sekoto; AB Xuma on Western Areas removals and Christ the King Sophiatown; ritual murder; Dr J Moroka; Proclamation of Queen Elizabeth II; Manilal Gandhi, son of Mahatma Gandhi; The Russians gang; the tot system; Clements Kadalie; Peter Abrahams on Congress; Dr Vilakazi; playing white; Prof ZK MAtthews; "We Defy" Statement by Nelson Mandela (September) and the Defiance campaign; dagga; Fahfee; horse betting; Sheriff Khan; AW Champion; Supreme Council of Bantu Federation; shebeens; Mau Mau uprising.

Issues of the magazine 'Africa! Drum's younger sister'. Included are the following numbers: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 13, 14, 16, 17, covering the years 1954-1955.

Distributed by Inkululeko Publishers, London. Included No. 66 1976; No. 70 1977; No. 75 1978; 1982-1987 incomplete.