Your favourite book

If you had to chose one, which Zulu War book would you pick as the best read and why.

1/ I would be interested to know your thoughts on this
2/ there may be some choices of book I will look at adding to my own collection if you rate them.

So come on chaps, what do you think.

Zulu Victory.
This book gives an excellent overview of the Zulu Tatics. And raises a lot of questions, most of which have been discussed on this forum.

As a beginner to the subject I found Laband's The rise and Fall of the Zulu Nation - to be an awesome and thought provoking read. My favourite however, has to be Ron Lock's - Blood on the Painted Mountain.

How the Welsh won the battle of Rorks Drift by Stanley Baker, forword by Martin Cooper........... Brilliant read especially the Welsh Language edition "Bugger y Saesneg"

Cheers

'Zulu Rising', I don't think there is anything better out there on the subject, but I guess that depends on what your looking for. I think Neil Oliver said it best when he said 'full of fresh thinking, new ideas and new wisdom'. Its a must.

Regards

Waterloo

Frank

You are a wicked man!

When Ian Knight was asked, on this forum, which of his books he enjoyed writing the most he said "The Zulu War then and Now". It can often still be obtained second hand at a very reasonable price. It is in the usual vein of the "After the Battle" books, is chock full of photographs, and is unlike any other AZW offering. Well worth having.

Steve

You sure I thought Ian Knight said, "With his face to the foe"

That's an interesting choice Steve, its a book I look at on a regular basis but never think of recommending.

Cheers

CTSG
Ive just looked back, your right.

Cheers

Ian Knight said:

Questions; John.
Of all the books you have written on the Anglo-Zulu War, which book did you most enjoy writing and why?

That’s a difficult one! I’m very fond of The Zulu War; Then & Now which Ian Castle and I wrote back in the early 90s. It was a great adventure to be able to travel around Zululand with a file of old photos, sketches and engravings and try to match up the sites today - it was a revelation to find just how well so many of them lined up, and how recognisable the features are. We tend to take the topography in the newspaper engravings, particularly, for granted, but in fact there was often a very real attempt by those who produced the sketches on the spot to get it right, and it can often still be recognised in the published picture - despite the intervention of the engraver in the process! It was a nice time, too - apartheid had kept visitors away from some of the more obscure sites (in the 1980s, for example, as a white person I had had to obtain a permit to get access to designated ‘black homeland’ areas) and there was a real sense of the country opening up. Many of the sites were relatively undamaged then - although the process of change has accelerated a good deal since then, sadly in some cases. Otherwise, I’m proudest of my Anatomy of the Zulu Army, my book on the Prince Imperial, With His Face to the Foe, and Fearful Hard Times, which I also wrote with Ian Castle, and which remains the only full-length study of the Eshowe campaign. My Companion To The Anglo-Zulu War gave me the chance to explore all sorts of quirky elements in the story, which was fun - although nobody much seems to have bought it! But above all I’d have to say Zulu Rising, which in many ways is the book I’ve been trying all my life to write.

Steve

Frank Allewell wrote:

How the Welsh won the battle of Rorks Drift by Stanley Baker, forword by Martin Cooper........... Brilliant read especially the Welsh Language edition "Bugger y Saesneg"

Cheers

LOL!

Stinker, stinker, absolute stinker.

I will wait my time Springy then ambush you

Then you will be fowit


We had a teacher who could not pronounce things properly, when threatening us with reporting us to the head he always said you will be 'fowit' instead of you will be for it, very comical to hear him at times, but he was a good chap.

Frank, I'd really like to get a copy of the book you recommended by Stanley Baker. If you happen on a copy grab it for me !! Sorry Martin, but I hear you wrote the foreword.

On a serious note I, for one, fell for the film hook, line and sinker. The average joe would never research it and would believe it was a Welsh affair. I have always had the greatest respect for the British Serviseman as I have for ours. They just do the dirty work for governments.
Nitro450.

Nitro450.

That is exactly my point, how many 'average joe's' are out there that watch the film, fall for it hook line and sinker, and believe that what they have just watched is fact. Like you say, they would never research it and would believe it was an all welsh affair (which is just what Baker wanted people to believe). Through having an anti English chip on his shoulder, Baker has deliberately discredited, abused and dishonoured the mainly Englishmen and their regiment the 24th (2nd Warwickshire) regiment, and stolen their glory in an effort to alter history, which in my book is a very shameful thing to do. In my opinion the film should be remade to correct this shameful dishonour done to the men and their regiment by Baker. The new film should include a narrative at the start, telling the public of the deliberate hoax done by Baker to create the myth that the men and the regiment were welsh in an effort to alter history. I would personally be very pleased to offer my service doing this narrative at the start of the film, and also doing the narrative at the end of the film (which Burton did), only this time giving the public the REAL name of the regiment, ie; the 24th (2nd Warwickshire) regiment.

Favourite books? hmmmm, I have a few, however, Zulu Rising, Hill of the Sphinx and Zulu Victory are among those that I refer to mostly, that's if I can find them after the Shifter has been on the prowl.