Product Description

Mafeking, Colenso, Ladysmith and Spion Kop, battles won by the Boers against the might of the British Empire, still have a resonance a century on. The Great Boer War (1899-1902) pitted a sturdy, stubborn, hardy pioneer people against the arrogant self-confidence of Britain at the height of her power. It produced in almost equal measure extraordinary feats of personal heroism, unbelievable examples of folly and stupidity, and many incidents of humour and tragedy. It was the last romantic war. Byron Farwell's definitive account of this dramatic conflict explains the origin of the war, and covers the political developments, the bloody battles that the outnumbered Boers almost always won, the sieges, the concentration camps and the men -Kruger, Roberts, Botha, Buller, Smuts, Kitchener and de Wet.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #220619 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Customer Reviews

Easy, pleasant reading on a tough topic
Having tried to read numerous books on the topic, this is by far the easiest to read. The descriptions are clear enough to get the message across and you do not get 'bogged' down in the politics of the time. Being drawn from personal accounts and first hand field reports, the reports do have some credibility.

For the 'Not So Serious' Historian, well worth the read.

The best book on the actual war
No war, least of all a Civil War, is fought in a vacum. The civil war originated in a complex series of interlocking crises, many of which were only temporarily submerged beneath armed conflict. This excellent history concentrates on the military aspects of the English Civil War. The struggle is placed in its context with regard to political events and social development but the book is unencumbered by detailed examination of these other issues. The book also only covers events in Ireland and Scotland to the extent that they impinge directly on the situation in England.

The Civil War itself, at first sight, looks to be a confused and disjointed series of battles, sieges and skirmishes taking place over most of England. It must have been no easy task to combine these events into a form that makes some sort of sense, without employing a rigid framework or relying on lavish use of hindsight.

That the authors have 'made sense out of chaos' is undoubted. This is brilliant piece of work. One of the best military histories I have read.

who writes this rubbish?
I was motivated to write this due to the inane 'official' write up presented herewith... 'Mafeking, Colenso, Ladysmith and Spion Kop, battles won by the Boers' - did the writer of this rubbish actually read the book? Given that the Boers failed to take Mafeking or Ladysmith, I would seriously doubt it. As far as the 'arrogant self-confidence of Britain' goes, perhaps - had the writer of this read the book, he would have learned that it was the Boers who attempted to invade Natal. 'the bloody battles that the outnumbered Boers almost always won' is such a ludicrous statement that it does not deserve comment.
Who writes this rubbish?