The Zulus (Elite) by Ian Knight

Osprey Elite #21

by Ian Knight

'A very remarkable people, the Zulu', the British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, said on hearing of a fresh disaster in the war of 1879, 'They defeat our generals; they convert our bishops; they have settled the fate of a great European dynasty'. Remarkable indeed, to have taken on the full might of the British Empire at its height, and won, if not the war, at least some of the battles. This book explains who the Zulus were, and how they achieved the fame as warriors which they enjoy to this day.

Genres: Military History, History, Nonfiction, Africa, 19th Century, War, Reference

Paperback

First published January 26, 1989

About the author

Ian Knight, BA, FRGS is a historian, author, battlefield guide and artifacts specialist internationally regarded as a leading authority on the nineteenth-century history of the Zulu kingdom, and in particular the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. He has a degree in Afro-Caribbean Studies from the University of Kent and has been researching and writing for more than thirty years. He has published over forty books and monographs, the majority of them on Zulu history and the rest on other nineteenth-century British colonial campaigns. He has appeared on-screen in a number of television documentaries. He is an Honorary Research Associate of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum in Pietermaritzburg.

Reviews

[Dimitri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ian Knight's first Osprey knocks the Brit out of the ballpark. While the main notions of Zulu warfare under Shaka's reforms are necessarily retold in every book on the 1879, here they are placed firmly within the context of dynastic struggle and demographic pressure on grazing lands over three generations.

The two rebellions, one under the last scion of the royal house in the 1880s and a romantic one against the taxation by the South African Union in 1906, are not ignored here; they occured soon enough for veterans of the British invasion to wash their spears again.

There is more room for photos of full battle dress and while Angus McBride's artwork of the disembowled corpses at Islandwana is a double, the other plates are fittingly Afrocentric.

[Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

A consiste and surprisingly informative overview of Zulu nation’s brief rise to regional dominance and the equally quick demise of their ‘empire’. As long as one keeps in mind that the purpose of Osprey publications is to be an introduction to the topic, this volume should not disappoint.

The narrative is a pretty straight-forward chronological tale of a tribe which thanks to a variety of events and circumstances gains first local and then regional dominance, based mainly on its military capabilities. The limited space of the publication format forces the author to stick to the ‘bare bones’, but nevertheless, he manages to squeeze a lot of information in the space available to him. The graphics material - consisting of plates by Agnus McBride, contemporary drawings and black and white photographs - complements the narrative superbly.

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise, yet thorough, overview of the political and military rise and fall of the Zulu nation.

[chvang · Rating 1 out of 5]

Doesn't actually offer much in the way of insights into Zulu history, organization, economics, or society. Aside from the descriptions of equipment, regalia, and appearances of the Zulu warriors (which were full of Zulu words and not paired with pictures, meaning they just go right over your head), it actually covers less than a Wikipedia article. Hell, you'll do better with a children's book--it'll give you the same depth of information without the dullness.

Two stars for the really pretty color plates.

This book, like many of Osprey's offerings, is a waste of your time. Unless it's a really really obscure military subject, you'll be better of just googling it.

[Pablo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buen libro que cuenta el nacimiento , auge y caída del reino de los Zulues , sus luchas internas contra los Boers y contra los ingleses
obviamente al ser de Osprey ,esta dedicado al tema militar