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Geoffrey Klass (1948 – 2025) passed away unexpectedly on Thu, Feb 27 after a brief illness. As heritage author and researcher Katherine Munro notes, his death marks the end of an era in Joburg. Below, read a bit about Collectors Treasury and what Munro, friends of The Heritage Portal, and members of the Johannesburg In Your Pocket community had to say in tribute to this singular man and his life's work. Collectors Treasury will continue to operate under Geoffrey Klass's sister-in-law Jenny and brother Jonathan Klass – we encourage your support of this fabulous space now, and ever forward.
Munificent (and magnificent) chaos: Visiting Collectors Treasury
Collectors Treasury began its life in 1974 in a 300 square meter shop at 44 Stanley Avenue (before it was the vibrant lifestyle district it is today), and multiple moves saw it to its now-home at 224 Commissioner Street in the City Centre. Here, its book collection has grown ever more numerous, heaped up across eight storeys, since 1991.
Mike Alfred sums it up wonderfully for The Heritage Portal in January 2020: "To enter Collectors Treasury [...] is to enter a world of munificent chaos: piled cartons of books clog the entranceway stairs and the narrow passage leading to the main display room. This contains a great profusion of rarities: glass, porcelain plates, vases and figurines, pictures and other desirable objects crowd walls, cabinets, shelves and floors. The Treasury occupies a 2,000 square metre, seven storey building. Books, including rare Africana, swamp the basement shelves. One floor is almost entirely devoted to vinyl records. If they were all played at once you might conceivably hear the sound on the moon. Seekers could find almost anything at the Treasury, that is, if they were prepared to spend days in the search; but what a delight that would be. The Treasury is a comforting anchor resisting the overwhelming tides of contemporary culture."
Geoffrey Klass, legend and lover of books
Commemorating Klass, her long-time friend of 50 years, Katherine Munro writes the following for The Heritage Portal (quoted with permission). Read her piece in full here.
"Geoff and his brother Jonathan founded Collectors Treasury. This was truly a treasure house of books and antiques. Over five decades, the shop rapidly became a Johannesburg institution – an important fixture in our city’s landscape. Geoff knew everyone of importance in the city. He had an intimate and lived history of our strange mining city. The city shaped his career and being a Johannesburg man defined him.
Geoff was one of the most brilliant people I have ever met. He was encyclopaedic in his knowledge and his reach across disciplines. He should have been a professor of the philosophy science or the history of medicines. He matriculated at Parktown Boys High and went on to read for a BSc at Wits University graduating in 1972. His next degree was a B Phil degree, and his interests then focused on medical history; but the academic trajectory was too narrow for his exploding mind. He was often scathing about the confines of university disciplines. He declined the opportunity to study on a fellowship, for a PhD in Chicago. It was a grave loss for the academic world.
His career choice was to start Collectors Treasury in 1974 together with his mother Maisie and brother Jonathan at 44 Stanley Avenue in a small suburb called Braamfontein Werf. The old Atlas Bakery, John Orr High School, and the Gas Works are nearby. [...] This shop rapidly became an emporium of second-hand antiquarian nonfiction books, matched by a medley of collectables – porcelain, glass, jewellery, art works, etc. (The antique Lalique glassware had me drooling over the quality of the finely chosen pieces).
For Geoff, every serious book mattered seriously, and he was always ready to give freely of his knowledge to his customers. He loved sharing his erudition and wide reading on editions, authors and the byways of books. He could tell you about any author in any and every field.
This was the only bookshop where a visit became an adventure, involving some risk taking. The books had a life of their own – they filled shelves, lined walls in piles, bulged from windows, and sat perilously on the steps of narrowed stairways. There was that avalanche of books likely to cascade down on your head as one tried to winkle out an enticing title sixth from the bottom of the pile. Geoff shook his head ruefully when a novice customer enthused: "Have you read every book in your shop?" Geoff’s only possible answer to that question was: "No, but I do know what each book is about!"
[Geoff's] passing marks the end of an era and I shall miss him. My regret was that Geoff never published his memoirs, nor did he capture all that knowledge set in his prodigious brain on paper.
Geoff is survived by his brother Jonathan and sister-in-law Jenny, and by his beloved partner, Gundi Weinick, who was the widow of another special Johannesburg book dealer, Wolf Weinick. Gundi strangely has her own bookshop nestled in the new 44 Stanley Avenue complex. We wish Jonathan and Jenny every success in continuing the Collectors Treasury bookshop. Continuity in the book life will be the most important memorial for Geoffrey. May memories serve as our strength."
Remembering Geoffrey Klass
We reached out to a few members of the Johannesburg In Your Pocket community for their stories, anecdotes, and reflections on Geoffrey Klass and Collectors Treasury, and share more from a tribute piece published by The Heritage Portal – read it here.
"I knew Geoffrey through my love of Johannesburg and art books and we periodically bumped into each other at Charity Shops and book sales. He would always have me in awe of his knowledge and the fact that he was able to tell you where to look in that mountain of a collection at Collectors Treasury for a book one was looking for. He will certainly be missed." – Gail Scott Wilson (@dizzylexa)
"I was so sad to hear of the passing of Geoff Klass, a true Joburg legend with a mind more full than his bookstore! I often used to pop in to Collectors Treasury, especially when writing my latest travel article. I would go in and see what he had in his shop that related to what I was writing about. He helped me on many occasions. In particular, I remember when I was writing about the Royal Hotels of South Africa – Geoff had a book about the Durban Royal Hotel that gave me immense insight. He also helped me with a book on the lighthouses of South Africa and a general SA travel book, Discovering Southern Africa, from a run dated 1980! I still use this book to research any local destination I travel to – it is way better than a Google search!
On my first visit to his shop many years ago, I purchased the book in the image above, Jocks and Nerds, Men's Style in the Twentieth Century. It still stands proudly on my coffee table at home and is often a source of pleasant inspiration when I am at home with some time on my hands. – Journalist and photographer Ryan Enslin (@my_lime_boots)
"I was with Geoffrey on Tue, Feb 25. We talked about life and the starting of Collectors Treasury. I am very shocked. What an incredible human being. May his soul rest in peace." – Tour guide Kennedy Tembo (@microadventuretours)
"Certainly, one of Joburg’s characters. Sadly, I hadn’t seen Geoffrey in years. I didn’t venture into Collectors Treasury – too great the temptation." – Flo Bird, founder of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation
"Geoff was a mentor to me for the 28 years that I have been in the trade. His passing is a very sad occasion. My condolences to his family." – James Findlay, collectable book and map dealer (@jamesfindlaycollectables)
"I was a relative latecomer to the Collectors Treasury. My first visit was in 2019, but it soon became a regular haunt based on their amazing, if somewhat chaotic selection, coupled with Geoff's encyclopaedic knowledge of books (and what he had in stock, and where to find it amongst the wobbly skyscrapers of books – which is a feat in itself if you've ever visited the building). Once he knew where your interest lay, it became impossible to leave the store without buying a book you didn't know you needed, or even existed. On payment of said book, one could easily spend another half-an-hour discussing various topics which would invariably result in him selling you another book." – Marc Latilla (@johannesburg1912)
Our thanks to Katherine Munro for permission to re-publish her words. Visit Collectors Treasury at 224 Commissioner Street, Johannesburg.
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