The People Behind Rare Collections

Christo Snyman

Books and Science
I’ve pretty much been a lifelong bibliophile, devouring books from a young age. Much of my youth was spend lost in the world of speculative fiction, with Edgar Rice Burroughs, Arthur C Clarke, Tolkien, Raymond E Feist, Douglas Adams just being a few of my favourites. Science and the natural world has always been a core interest, growing up I was obsessed by all things space-related or any show by Sir Richard Attenborough or the natural world. Eventually this translated into my studies, where I moved into Zoology and Entomology and spent many years in post graduate research into the social evolution of mammals.

Passions and Interests
My life has always been guided by passions and interests; and while I was initially set on a career in academics I by chance became an entrepreneur. At age 26 I found Adventure Inc indulging in another passion for the outdoors, which turned into a business supplying premium brands and products for outdoor sporting pursuits to the South African market. Later another passion, born from living in one of the most beautiful wine producing areas of the world, turned into another venture, The Wine Room. This time working with my lovely and talented wife to design and build beautiful wine spaces for clients all around the world.

Collectors and Enthusiasts
As with all previous projects, Rare Collections is born from passion. In this case, it is a project undertaken with my sister Brenda Snyman to indulge in our love of books. The focus is more on the enjoyment of books, while the commercial side is there to fund more books and also to connect with fellow collectors and enthusiasts. If I’ve learned one thing in 20 years of business, small beginnings born from passions often grow to bigger things. I hope our social media projects and books will bring some joy to other collectors and I’m looking forward to sharing this passion with many of you.

Neurodiversity and Family
I’m very fortunate in having a wonderful family who supports my interest and passions, as well as amazing business partners and staff across all of the various companies. I’m a passionate advocate for the neurodiverse community, diagnosed late in life myself. I also have two wonderful and amazing autistic boys and together we all enjoy books and I have no doubt they will join in our adventures with books.

Brenda Snyman

Books and Psychology
I grew up in a household of readers. My choice of books came from the collections of my older 4 family members. However, I quickly started preferring my brother’s collection of Speculative Fiction above the others. I devoured all his books and by age 9 I was reading books such as ‘Lord of the Rings’ eagerly. The series that firmly established my appreciation of the genre though was Jean M Auel’s Earth Children. I was completely drawn into the pre-historic world of Ayla. I loved that the main character was a strong and empathetic female. Furthermore, I could, and still do, get lost in Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and Neil Gaiman’s fantastical worlds and hilarious characters too.
 
I enjoy studying characters in books and people in real life. I feel deeply for people’s experiences, and I’ve always felt an intense need to help. As a child I would walk around with a self-made first aid kit, much like Ayla, looking for anyone that might need care. This interest eventually led me to my studies in Education and Psychology. I’m an avid supporter for better mental health care and awareness and I believe we can change the world by how we treat children.  
 
Passions and Interests
This interest in people also drew me towards photography, I enjoy taking candid shots of people, capturing their emotions in the moment. As with many photographers, the world comes into perfect focus for me through a camera lens. I started my photography journey as a hobby capturing the essence of another passion of mine, domestic rats. I’ve been documenting the unique personalities and beauty of these often-misunderstood creatures on Instagram (@luvtinytoes) where it quickly found an appreciative and meaningful audience.
 
Neurodiversity and Family
I’m incredibly privileged to have my small community of family and friends who have helped me grow from my traumatic past and flourish within my skillsets and passions. I’m also a neurodivergent mother to an amazing autistic child who shares in my special interest in books. We often read together or discuss topics from our current reading material. I stand with the neurodivergent community and hope to aid in dispelling stereotypes about us.

An inside look at Rare Collections' Personal Library