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'Not only a magnum opus, it is a conclusive work ... Enjoyable as well as massively impressive' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Hypnotically readable ... A tremendous feat of research ... this is grand-scale history with heroes and villains ... hot, impassioned work, and I recommend it wholeheartedly' NEWSWEEK 'This is a wonderful book: brilliantly written ... the reader turns each page with increasing fascination and admiration' A.J.P. TAYLOR
Book Description
Reissue of the definitive and highly acclaimed history of The Boer War, first published in 1979
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Packenhams' account of the Boer war is widely regarded as the definitve version. For a work of military history this is a truly exceptional book as it grips the reader like a thriller yet is as full of references as any academic text; betraying the prodigious research conducted by Packenham. Readers unfamiliar with South African geography may wish for a few more maps, and some of the military terminoligy could be better explained, but these are minor points. The Boer war may have been 100 years ago, but the lessons so painfully learnt by both sides are still relevant. They can be seen not just in South Africa, but in modern conflicts - from the blacked-out shiny badges of the British army embarking for the Falklands to the inconspicous uniform of General Powell in the Gulf war. (both to prevent the attention of snipers). Packenham uses war documents, personal letters and the recollections of survivors in his narrative to bring the war to life. If you thought history was boring, this is the book that will change your mind.
55 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At first the 580 or so pages on a rather forgotten subject could dissuade most people from reading it. This was almost the effect it had on me when I first saw the book many years ago but after the first chapter I realised that I was reading a unique and very special book. Pakenham manages to cover every aspect of the conflict without ever getting bogged down in tedium and maintains a lively pace throughout. He describes clearly the political and economic causes of the war from every perspective and the battle scenes are so minutely recounted that the reader feels he is actually present. But Pakenham, more importantly, deals with the unpalatable truths: that the British Government allowed itself to be dragged into a conflict by war mongers like Milne and Rhodes who were motivated by greed and financial gain, the concentration camps which were designed to round up the Afrikaaner families that supposedly supported the Boers were so badly organised that they caused thousands of deaths more through incompetence than by design, how the blacks were actively mistreated by the boers and totally ignored by the British during the conflict and after it in any future political settlement, how the British Army lived up to the old adage of "lions lead by donkeys". Pakenham is also willing to explode a few old myths: that Redvers Buller was solely to blame for the inital failures of the British Army during the beginning of the conflict, that Lord Roberts was the saviour afterwards and that the Boers were expert marksmen. In the end the book succeeds because the author tells the story from a deeply moving human perspective; it reads like a wonderful novel without ever losing sight that it is an historical document. My only criticism is that it could do with more photographs and illustrations (this was, after all, one of the first ever conflicts to be extensively filmed and photographed).
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am a collector of British military medals with a particular interest in the Boer War and the First World War. As a result I have read many books on about these wars and I can honestly say that this book is the best one I have ever read concerning the Boer War of 1899 to 1902.
The author takes an in depth look at the causes of the war in both a detailed and refreshingly modern analytic way not found in previous works. He then moves on and examines the various phases of the war from the large set piece battles to the guerrila war that followed as well as the aftermath.
However, what is really pleasing about this book is the way it is written being more akin to a novel than a history textbook. The result is a highly readble text with very little dry bits that often tire the reader when he or she embarks on reading a book as large as this one.
If you want one good general history of the Boer War then this is the one to buy. It will suit those who wish to learn more about the politics of the war as well as those who have a keen interest in the military tatics used.
In short this really is a first class book which shlould be read by anyone with an interest in this conflict.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Finest History Writing
My 1960s history education , while giving me a sound grounding in nineteenth century British history , somehow allowed the Boer War to fall through a large gap . Read more
Published 28 days ago by Terry J
Boer War History
Thomas Pakenham's history of the Boer War is simply one of the best accounts of military history I have read. Read more
Published 2 months ago by PeteBass
'consummate masterpiece'
'A consummate masterpiece' is the subtitle on the edition I read. 'Blimey' I mused 'this must be a seriously good book'. And indeed it was. Read more
Published 2 months ago by M. Baerends
The Boer War
Thmas Pakenham's Boer War is a very detailed account of that conflict. One of the few complaints is that the book covers too many details of the politics behind the conflict. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Joe Bamford
A Terrific Read
After holidaying (wonderful!) in South Africa last year, I just had to read some of the history and was intrigued by the Boer War. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Ewan
Crazy small print
Unfortunately I have not been able to read this book due to the exceptionally tiny print. I even showed it to a twenty five year old friend who is an airline pilot and he said he... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Paul
This book is like trying to reconstruct an entire society from a phone...
First published 1979. Almost all the evidence was collected from English-speakers, though some Dutch-speaking people helped. Read more
Published on 10 July 2009 by Rerevisionist
A Modern Classic
The first thing that should strike the reader is that the work is over 25 years old yet still has a freshness about its approach to the conflict. Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2008 by JayKay
History alive.
This is the way history should be written. Facts are offered in such an interesting way. Rutland's Guns by Roger Carpenter is a novel about the Boer War based on accurate facts... Read more
Published on 29 May 2007 by Jack Cade
Fantastic!
This was the first book I had ever read on the Boer War and what an introduction! Pakenham not only wields a gripping narrative account of the battles, political intrigue and the... Read more
Published on 5 July 2006 by Mr. A. J. G. Bambury
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