History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)

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Check and see
Suprise! Suprise!
Prescient St Augustine?
Something of a disappointment
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy..

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Anatoly T Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621066

Product Description

`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.

The Balkans: Nationalism, War & the Great Powers, 1804-1999

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The history that we have been waiting for on the Balkans
Peripheral Vision
A Detailed History of a Troubled Region
Excellent history book!
Easy to read book makes a difficult subject simple enough

The Balkans: Nationalism, War & the Great Powers, 1804-1999
Misha Glenny
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140233776
Release Date: 2001-08-28

Amazon.com

The history of the Balkan states, like that of so much of the world, has for centuries been marked by ethnocidal fracases, savage wars of conquest, and periods of eerie calm. The mountainous region's shifting alliances and divisions have long puzzled outside observers, writes journalist Misha Glenny, the author of The Fall of Yugoslavia: "For many decades, Westerners gazed on these lands as if [they were] an ill-charted zone separating Europe's well-ordered civilization from the chaos of the Orient."

Those outsiders, Glenny suggests, have been the source of much of the Balkans' misery. In only the last two centuries, the territory has been contested by the Ottoman and Hapsburg empires, the Third Reich, and the Allies, all of whom exploited and exacerbated existing ethnic conflict. (The Nazi occupiers of Croatia, he writes, even had to rein in the fascist Ustase militia for fear that their campaign against Serbs and Muslims would only strengthen resistance to their puppet government.) And, he continues, attempts to quell the recent conflict in Bosnia have created problems of their own. He argues that war will break out anew the moment international troops are withdrawn and that the Dayton Agreement is too "full of anomalies and frictions" to stand. The intervention in Kosovo has been no better, he adds, and the Allies' misguided efforts are sure to yield only further bloodshed if the only objective is to remove Slobodan Milosevic from power. "Should the West fail to address the effects, not merely of a three-month air war in 1999, but of 120 years of miscalculation and indifference since the Congress of Berlin, then there will be little to distinguish NATO's actions from any of its great-power predecessors," Glenny concludes.

Glenny's provocative book sheds much light on recent Balkan history--and on the region's likely future. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

"The first comprehensive history of the relationship in the modern era between the great powers and the various Balkan peoples." (San Francisco Chronicle)

This unique and lively history of Balkan geopolitics since the early nineteenth century gives readers the essential historical background to recent events in this war-torn area. No other book covers the entire region, or offers such profound insights into the roots of Balkan violence, or explains so vividly the origins of modern Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Albania. Misha Glenny presents a lucid and fair-minded account of each national group in the Balkans and its struggle for statehood. The narrative is studded with sharply observed portraits of kings, guerrillas, bandits, generals, and politicians. Glenny also explores the often-catastrophic relationship between the Balkans and the Great Powers, raising some disturbing questions about Western intervention.

Customer Reviews:

The history that we have been waiting for on the Balkans.......2006-12-16

If you only read one book on the Balkans this is the one you should read. Glenny takes us through the rise of the Balkans following their separation from the Ottoman Empire through the present day break up of Yugoslavia. The fall of communism is well illustrated as is the struggle between Russia and Austria for mastery of the region. The establishment of Bulgaria as the "super power" of the Balkans by the Russians is illustrated in the comical light that it was at the time. This book does an excellent job of thoroughly covering the salient points in the region and doing so with wonderful prose. This is an incredibly troubled area and understanding that this area was created out of conflict is essential for studying the region today. This is great for an expert or a beginner. Regardless of how much you've looked at the Balkans this is a must have for any European history library.

Peripheral Vision.......2006-07-29

As the subtitle of his work indicated, Mischa Glenny's work concentrated on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He arranged his material chronologi-cally, with geographical subdivisions within the chunks of time. He offered narra-tive history of the various times and places, focusing almost exclusively on political and military subjects, although there are biographical sketches included occasionally. Throughout the book, Glenny drew from a wide array of primary sources.

Two themes permeate _The Balkans_. Glenny believed that the great pow-ers unduly interfered in Balkan affairs and that the majority of misery and suffer-ing which occurred there resulted either directly or indirectly from one or more of these external meddlings. He raised this idea in his introduction and he ham-mered it home in his subsequent chapters. Glenny's other principal theme was that Balkan people are nothing more nor less than individuals with their own dreams and aspirations. They are not more genetically predisposed towards racial hatred, nor ethnic biases than any other people. Glenny hoped to show that whatever problems and enmity that may exist in the Balkans can be explained in terms of recent events without resorting to "ancient hatreds". Each of these themes is a manifestation of Glenny's general premise that the West does not understand the Balkans.

A Detailed History of a Troubled Region.......2006-07-03

I found this book to be informative of the tensions that plague the Balkans. Unlike many other commentators, Glenny does not ascribe those tensions to the "inherent nature" of the combatants. Instead, he takes great pains to show how Balkan actors have been rather dynamic in their alliances and their agendas.

In addition, Glenny uses a writing style that allows his coverage of events to coherently flow from one major incident to the next. He divides the books into numerous chapters, each based on a broad theme. He then supports each theme with historical accounts from specific Balkan nations.

Finally, Glenny does not show undue sympathy or hostility to the various actors on the Balkan stage. I think that this is vital as so many other commentators have adopted particular Balkan nations or groups as cause celebre. In my view, the latter approach has interfered with meaningful discussion of this important but troubled region.

Excellent history book!.......2006-05-08

The Balkans: Nationalism, War & The Great Powers, 1804-1999 of Misha Glenny is an excellent history book. It opens the eyes for the circumstances that stay hidden in traditional history books. The European history education is entirey focussed on Western and Southern countries, while the Balkan was extremely important in the development of Europe and the position of communism. Thanks to Misha Glenny we can take notice of this and chance our view on European history.

Drs. M.W.J. van Hout
The Netherlands

Easy to read book makes a difficult subject simple enough.......2006-02-02

Great work by Mr Glenny. Altough it is a difficult story to tell i think the author did a very good job.I enjoyed the fact that the author stuck to the main points and discussed them with clarity and good knowledge.His account of how the Great Powers tried to solve the problems in the Balkans is excellent and very insightful as well as pragmatic since the author concedes, with reason, that we havent heard the last word of this subject. Great book for a tough subject.

How Can Man Die Better: The Secrets of Isandlwana Revealed

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The new standard for Isandlwana
Great Battle Anlaysis
From a Soldier's Practiced Eye
WOW!
Solid analysis from a military professional

How Can Man Die Better: The Secrets of Isandlwana Revealed
Colonel Mike Snook
Manufacturer: Greenhill Books
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 185367656X

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Wednesday 22 January 1879 was one of the most dramatic days in the long and distinguished history of the British Army. At noon a massive Zulu host attacked the 24th Regiment in its encampment at the foot of the mountain of Isandlwana, a distinctive feature that bore an eerie resemblance to the Sphinx badge of the outnumbered redcoats. Disaster ensued. Later that afternoon the victorious Zulus would strike the tiny British garrison at Rorke's Drift. How Can Man Die Better is a unique analysis of Isandlwana v of the weapons, tactics, ground, and the intriguing characters who made the key military decisions. Because the fatal loss was so high on the British side there is still much that is unknown about the battle v until now. Mike Snook is the first military professional to scrutinize the battle in print since 1879. He has an unparalleled grasp of the nuances of the ground at Isandlwana and of their implications in practical military terms. Most compellingly he has an instinctive feel for the characters who forged this supremely dramatic history, for this is µfamily' history v the battle was fought by soldiers of the author's own regiment. This is a work of unparalleled depth, which eschews the commonly held perception that the British collapse was sudden and that the 24th Regiment was quickly overwhelmed. Rather, there was a protracted and heroic defence against a determined and equally heroic foe. The author reconstructs the final phase of the battle in a way that has never been attempted before. It was to become the stuff of legend, which the author brings to life so vividly that one can almost sense the fear and smell the blood. How Can Man Die Better is essential reading for anyone interested in Isandlwana, the wider Anglo-Zulu War or the Victorian Army.

Customer Reviews:

The new standard for Isandlwana.......2007-08-24

Been reading about this battle since the 70s. Starting with Morris and moving through Knight, we have evolved to this highly detailed and scholarly analysis based on evidence and professional insight. I was sorry when the book ended! Savor every word. This will be hard to top.

Great Battle Anlaysis.......2006-11-12

This is the best battle analysis of Isandlwana I have ever read! I have been a long time student of the Zulu War, in particular Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana. I was lucky enough last year to visit both battlefields and spent hours walking the field. I am a West Point graduate and former armor officer, so I do understand the nuiances of terrain and the disposition of troops. Lt Col Snook gets it right. Many of the histories I have read fall apart when you're on the battlefield. Why did Pulleine push his companies so far out, because he had to in order to see over the intervisibility lines present. Otherwise, he couldn't see into or shoot into the dead space on the other sides. I've always questioned the theories that the camp was simply overrun by sheer force of numbers. Men, no matter how aggressive, simply cannot charge into the face of disciplined fire and survive. Lt Col Snook's narrative agrees well with my own and follows a basic understanding of human bahavior, terrain analysis, and 19th century British doctrine. The British failed to laager the camp; that is known. If all #3 Column was in camp during the time of the battle, I believe, as Snook does, that the battle would have turned out differently. As it was, the camp had only half the numbers it needed to defend the frontages it had and was ultimately defeated in a double envelopement.

Based on this book, I am now looking forward to read Snook's book on Rorke's Drift.

From a Soldier's Practiced Eye.......2006-10-11

Col. Snook provides an in depth view of the battle at Isandlwana largely from a British/European perspective and does it masterfully. I am adding my review to others on Amazon and will not belabor the points well made by other reviewers. If you are interested in the Zulu wars from a tactical perspective (thus from a soldier's perspective), THIS IS THE BOOK TO BUY. I know Donald Morris and respect his work, THE WASHING OF THE SPEARS. Donald is not perfect and he made mistakes in his account of the battle and his drum has been beaten by others in their accounts. Col. Snook sets things straight. I attribute this to Col. Snook's soldier's eye for terrain and logical battlefield progressions. Col. Snook was a soldier and Donald Morris was a member of the American Intelligence Community. It's telling in their writings. ---oh, just buy the book!

WOW!.......2006-07-28

This is everything a military history book should be. This fantastic book, written by a serving British officer, Lt. Col. Mike Snook, tells the story of the battle of Islandlwana. Col. Snook calls on a plethora of sources, including his own training and experience, to tell the story of the opening battle in the Zulu war where the British lost 1200 men in an utter defeat.
The battle is laid out in great detail based on original sources, with some interpretation & re-interpretation from Col. Snook, until the point at which all the possible witnesses, except Zulu warriors, are gone. From that point on, Col. Snook goes into a forensic military mode, determining movements & positions of units from their origin points to the place where their corpses were found. This leads to a more thorough and complete story, founded on evidence if not eye witness testimony, that tells a lost portion of the battle. He also pops hoary old myths like the quartermaster who won't distribute ammunition or the ammo boxes no one can open as well as others.
It makes for a fantastic read. I can't wait to get on to "Like Wolves On The Fold", the second book by Col. Snook, which tells the story of Rorke's Drift. I hope we'll see lots more books from Col. Snook. His first is destined to become a classic.

Solid analysis from a military professional.......2006-01-30

Lt. Col. Mike Snook's account of Isandlwana stands as a solidly researched, solidly written reconstruction of one of the most famous battles of the Victorian British Army. "The Secrets of Isaldlwana Revealed" subtitle is perhaps a publisher's effort to generate cover interest, as Snook's book really does not say much startlingly new about the battle. It might be called a Post-Revisionist history, rejecting those works of recent years that questioned the courage and competence of the British soldiers who fought and died at Isandlwana (Snook is particularly disdainful of those writers who challenge the appropriateness of the award of the Victoria Cross to Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill for their effort to save the battalion colors.) Although Snook certainly gives the Zulus credit for their bravery and skill, he assigns chief blame for the disaster to Lord Chelmsford (for setting up the whole situation) and to Lt. Col. Durnford (for tactical errors and poor leadership). It might be argued that Snook's service in the successor regiment to the 24th has led him to give a "free pass" to Col. Pulleine, as the author seems to find nothing remiss in that officer's handling of the battle, and in fact Snook vigorously defends Pulleine's actions. And Snook has nothing but praise for the men and officers of the 24th and the way they fought.

Although "How Can Man Die Better" may be too much a professional military man's book to fully engage the general reader, I certainly think highly enough of it to look forward to the publication of Snook's companion volume about Rorke's Drift.

The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires, and Republics in the Great Lakes Region, 1650-1815 (Studies in North American Indian History)

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Top five
A professional work
The Middle Ground and Victim Baiting
Breaking new ground
Influential beyond its scope

The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires, and Republics in the Great Lakes Region, 1650-1815 (Studies in North American Indian History)
Richard White
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521424607

Book Description

This book seeks to step outside the simple stories of Indian/white relations--stories of conquest and assimilation and stories of cultural persistence. It is, instead, about a search for accommodation and common meaning. It tells how Europeans and Indians met, regarding each other as alien, as virtually nonhuman, and how between 1650 and 1815 they constructed a common, mutually comprehensible world in the region around the Great Lakes that the French called the "Pays d'en haut". Here the older worlds of the Algonquins and various Europeans overlapped, and their mixture created new systems of meaning and of exchange. Finally, the book tells of the breakdown of accommodation and common meanings and the recreation of the Indians as alien and exotic. The process of accommodation described in this book takes place in a middle ground, a place in between cultures and peoples, and in between empires and non-state villages. On the middle ground people try to persuade others who are different than themselves by appealing to what they perceive to be the values and practices of those others. From the creative misunderstandings that result, there arise shared meanings and new practices.

Customer Reviews:

Top five.......2006-03-20

This belongs on any list of the five best books of American Indian history, or of North American colonial history. Richard White is brilliant. Read this book.

A professional work.......2006-02-04

Richard White managed to write a historical book that combines political, social, and cultural history with a wonderful writing style, which captures the readers' attention from the very beginning.

White indicated in the introduction of his book that he "seeks to step outside the simple stories of Indian/white relations- stories of conquest and assimilation and stories of cultural pesistence." The book is about a search of accommodation and common meaning, according to the author.

Richard White maintains that in the Middle ground of the Great Lakes, many different cultures met and accommodated their differences to be able to live together. This Middle ground of overlapping cultures and lifestyles brought mutual understanding, changes in all societies and influence on one another, not assimialtion. The big colonial wars, however, concludes White, led to sudden ruptures of accommodation and common meanings between Europeans and Indians.

The Middle Ground and Victim Baiting.......2005-09-15

A CRITICAL REVIEW OF RICHARD WHITE'S
THE MIDDLE GROUND

By Jeff Hendricks

Richard White. The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires, and Republics in the Great Lakes Region, 1650-1815. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991.

Richard White's The Middle Ground is a detailed and extensive study of the inter-relationships between various European colonists and the Native American tribes they encountered in the Great Lakes reigon of the current United States from 1650 to 1815. The study traces the development of what Richard White argues was a "middle ground" of cultural accomodation that was created as a result of these encounters. The whole of White's book is dedicated to proving his "middle ground" argument.

At the beginning of White's study, he creates a category that lumps together the Native Americans of the Great Lakes region, known as the pays d'en haut, into a grouping that he refers to as the Algonquins. The Algonquins were an assortment of tribes from various areas surrounding the pays d'en haut who had been forced together into the region due to warfare in the east. White's study begins with descriptions of the brutal and murderous situation taking place in the pays d'en haut as the various factions of the Algonquins engaged in inter-village warfare amongst themselves, as well as war against the Iroquoi federation, which had been attacking the region from the east. In addition to these inter-tribal wars, the Algonquins living in the region were also forced to deal with the French colonists, who had begun to enter the pays d'en haut in order to profit from the fur trade. The entrance of the French traders into the region set in motion the events that would eventually lead to the formation of White's "middle ground."

White argues that the middle ground begins to form slowly, as the French colonists insert themselves into the day to day happenings of the pays d'en haut and work to achieve a position in the area that will allow them to carry on trade with the Algonquins. White shows how, in order to achieve a profitable trade situation, the French quickly realize that they need to bring the inter-tribal warfare to a hault - or at the least reduce it enough to permit trade to occur. In their attempts at building a trading realtionship with the Algonquins, the French realized that the Algonquins' social system differed greatly from their own. The French were products of a hierarchal society, and from that society they had been conditioned to see obedience and respect as things that were gained through force. When the French tried to impose their own notions of social order on the Algonquins, who lived in a collective based non-hierarchal society, they soon realized that they would have to accommodate and negotiate with the Algonquins to form a profitable trade relationship with them. Simply brutalizing the Algonquins into submission was not going to work. For the Algonquins, brutality did not breed submission - it bred resistance.

Another obstacle that the French encountered in their trade with the Algonquins was the differentiation between their respective economic systems. To put it simply, Algonquin economics were based on need, whereas French economics were based on excess accumulation and profit. The Algonquins were not accustomed to exploitative economic relations and thus resisted any type of trade that they did not view as meeting the needs of both parties involved. The French, on the other hand, could not understand an economic system based on mutual aid and cooperation. In order to push past this cultural/economic barrier to relations, the French had to create a system of trade that the Algonquins could view as a mutual exchange of gifts rather than a purely economic exchange of material for private profit.

The story of the formation of the "middle ground" was based on these and other mutual agreements and accomodations that were developed between the French and the Algonquins. To facilitate trade, the French singled out individuals from various factions of Algonquins to mold into trade emissaries, whom they referred to as "Cheifs." The French instituted a system in which they bestowed gifts to these Algonquin Cheifs, who in turn would distribute the gifts amongst their own village population. In time, these Algonquin Cheifs developed a degree of authority within their villages due to their distribution of goods, as well as their ability to communicate with the French. The European goods that the Cheifs distributed to members of their village soon became objects of status in the Algonquin world. As the Algonquins developed a want of these European goods, they began to spend some of their excess time hunting fur animals for the French which they could then trade in exhange for items such as rum, guns, knives, cloth, and various metalic utensils. Soon this system became cemented, enabling trade to take place in a somewhat peaceful manner.

Once the French had created Cheifs within the villages who could weild some degree of authority amongst their own people, they began to use their economic control of these Cheifs to press them to pacify the warriors of their respective villages. In this way, the French were able to help bring about the cessation of hostilities amongst many of the villages of the pays d'en haut. Soon, according to White, the various Algonquin peoples came to view their relation to the French as one of a child to its father. The French became the only people who could bring about an end to the bloody fighting amongst the various tribes that was occuring in the area. With this positon of negotiated power, the French were able to pacify the pays d'en haut long enough to build a profitable fur trade.

By 1701, the French had managed to help negotiate a peace between the Algonquins and the Iroquoi federation and thus had succeded in creating an atmosphere that would be favorable to their own economic exploitition of the region. A period of relatively peaceful French / Algonquin interaction existed on the "middle ground" for the next few decades as the French and Algonquins engaged in trading relations. However by the 1720s, the English had begun to inch in on French economic turf and by 1728 warfare had broken out between the English and the French/Algonquin alliance. Although White continues with his "middle ground" hypothesis throughout the remainder of his book, the war of 1728 was, in reality, the beginning of the decline of the "middle ground." Shortly after the French/Algonquin alliance succeded in driving back the British, the Algonquins broke apart into pro and anti French groupings. By the 1740s, many of the Algonquins had turned against their French-made village cheifs, who preached peace and conciliation, and joined a republic comprised of various Indian nations whose purpose was to disengage from the "middle ground" and regain their traditional pre-European lifestyles. As it became increasingly apparent to the Indian villagers that the the French and English were engaged in their own imperial struggle and were only really interested in using the villages as pawns towards their own ends, the middle ground laid down on its death bed.

From this point on, many tribes, including the Iroquoi, developed an understanding of the true imperial nature of both the French and the English and refused to fight on either side. Those tribes/villages who did decide to continue to fight on the side of the French in the Seven Years War (1754-1761) were doing so only as a part of their own strategy to rid the pays d'en haut of all European invaders - once the English had been driven out, the tribes had planned to turn on the French and drive them out as well. Although there were still short lived re-births of "middle ground" relations between the Algonquins and the French, these were not the norm. Concerning the English, there was almost never any middle ground of cultural accomodation between themselves and the Algonquins. After the defeat of French in the Seven Years War, the British occupied French positions in the pays d'en haut (in violation of a promise not to) and as White himself states, "[the British] vision of the pays d'en haut was a simple one: the British were conquerors; the Indians were subjects. It was a view that abolished the middle ground." The problem for the British was the fact that the Algonquins had never actually been conquered - they still retained village cohesion and the ability to resist British incursions with force. As the Algonquins began to resist the British with force, the British cynically tried to bring back a policy of cultural accomodation with the Algonquins in order to normalize trade relations. This transparent attempt to become "fathers" to the Algonquins was quickly scrapped in the face of Algonquin resistance to what they came to realize were British attempts to occupy their lands. By the 1760s, open warfare had once again broken out amongst the Algonquins and against the British. This pattern of short lived peace followed by rebellion and war became the norm in the pays d'en haut for the remainder of White's study, as the various factions of Europeans encroached upon Algonquin lands. By the early 19th century, at the conclusion of the book, the French traders and English traders had, for the most part, been replaced by American frontier squatters who, along with the implicit and explicit support of Washington, embarked on a campaign of removal and extermination.

Thus, a major flaw with White's analysis is the fact that the "middle ground" of cultural accomodation, which White describes throughout the book as being of central importance to the relations between the tribes of the pays d'en haut and the European invaders, was in fact already dead before White had even progressed halfway through his study. Although White's descriptions of the various ways that the French and English developed methods to facilitate cultural understanding with the Algonquins were interesting and insightfull, it really should not have been the central theme around which the book was written. The over-the-top focus on the "middle ground" argument found throughout White's book also leads one to question what political effect White had intended his study to have on the previous and current historiography on the subject.

White's book has been described by many historians and reviewers as a refreshing and intelligent attempt to tell the story of Native Americans in a way that it has never been told before. Colin G. Calloway, upon reviewing, The Middle Ground, stated that he believed it to be a success because it altered from the established norm: "most studies of Indian-White relations [are] too simplistic in their story of conquest and assimilation or of cultural persistence in the face of tremendous odds." This speaks to what seems to be an attempt by White to frame his study as the real story - a story that attempts to avoid taking sides, either by resorting to romanticization of the Algonquins or slander of the Europeans. However, the overall attempt at fairness and objectivity with which White seems to cloak his study in seems transparent at many points.

A major symptom of this problem lies with White's research materials and his interpretation of them. White's study relies very heavily on documentation produced by the colonizers themselves. This reliance may be a result of objective circumstance, as the Algonquins did not leave written documentation of their own activities, however when one is forced to rely on one-sided documentation to make a historical argument, it should be common sense to understand that documents cannot always be accepted as factual interpretations of past events. White runs into deep trouble when he incorporates, sometimes word for word, the writings of those Europeans whose economic and religious intrests rested with the demonization and slander of native populations.

In the case of European/Native American interactions, historians such as David Stannard in his book American Holocaust, have shown that many of the European accounts of interaction with Native Americans were deliberate exaggerations, if not outright fabrications. Stannard has shown that it was common for European Army officers or Priests to exaggerate accounts concerning violence, spirituality, and sexuality in order to justify to themselves and their superiors that their conquests and conversions were of necessity. Continually throughout his book, White relays descriptions from military officers and priests that portrayed the Algonquins as savage, brutal, cannibalistic, drunken savages. Attacks committed by Algonquins against Europeans are continually described in bloody detail while European attacks against Alqonquins are most often only stated as dry numerical fact.

There are other problamatic factors with White's choice of event descriptions in his study. Granted, no historian can include everything in one historical study, White makes a few profound ommissions of historical occurances that would have had great impact on the overall cause and effect cycle of his study. As was stated earlier, White begins his study in the midst of a brutal war beging waged against the Algonquin refugees by the Iroquoi federation. White takes great time reprinting the descriptions of this warfare written by French colonists such as Allouez and Priests such as Nicolas Perrott. Page after page, White allows descriptions of extreme, bloody and canibalistic brutality being waged by the Iroquoi Federation against the Algonquins to enter his narritive without so much as a single remark about the possibility of exaggeration on the part of the colonizers. The worst offense of these opening pages is the fact that White fails to even mention at all the fact that the Iroquoi were only in the pays d'en haut because they had been pushed west into Algonquin lands by the British.

White's opening pages paint a picture of the Iroquoi as brutal imperialistic invaders out to steal land and kill off animals for profit - White calls the Iroquoi Federation "an engine of destruction." All of this in the first few pages really begs the obvious question: what then were the Europeans? White shows his carelessness, or possibly his sympathy for European conquest, when he continually describes effects without refrence to their origin. Why were the Iroquoi fighting with the Algonquins? Why had Indian on Indian violence become endemic within the pays d'en haut region? Why were Native American village structures falling apart? Why was there rampant alcohol abuse? Why did some of the Native Americans succumb to killing animals for profit? White is only providing the symptoms while ignoring the root of the problem.

The debate over victimization and agency is one that is needed and correct for historians to involve themselves in and this debate is especially important when writing histories that deal with the European invasion of the Americas. However, White's The Middle Ground has vastly over-emphasized the agency at the expense of the tragic victimization of the Native American peoples of the pays d'en haut. White and his supporters are correct in appluading the fact that White's work has moved away from a Turnerian paradigm in which the Native Americans were marginal and inconsequential barriers to progress which were quickly overrun by Manifest Destiny. To its credit, White's book is an execellent resource for researchers, and his extensive documentation of dates, places and names makes his book important as an encyclopedic refrence. However, the analysis and arguments contained within The Middle Ground cannot lead to a realistic interpretation of how the events of the pays d'en haut actually played out.

Native American historians such as David Stannard, Ward Churchill, and others of the victimization with agency school, come much closer to a realistic portrayal of what the cirumstances were when it came to the interactions between the European invaders and Native American Tribes. Their success stems from the fact that they make a concerted effort to get at the Native American perspective on the colonization of the Americas wheras White makes absolutley none.

Although in many ways White's book moves away from the classic Turnerian framework, it remains fully within it in at the same time. White fails to move away from basing his analysis on primary sources written by the colonists themselves and in doing so he has produced yet another one-sided account, in line with the Turnerian framework. White's book may not be Eurocentric, as it does involve the Algonquins as central players in the narrative, but it still remains entrenched in European bias and, because of this, it fails in its attempts to make a legitimate argument or to provide a realistic view of the actual events that occurred in the pays d'en haut from 1650-1812.

Jeff Hendricks
www.tiamatpublications.com

Breaking new ground.......2005-02-03

Richard White should be awfully proud of himself. Using a close examination of a particular time in a particular place, he manages to open one's eyes to an entirely new way of thinking about the long term dynamics of human interaction that we call "history". Works like these are the fruit of all the painstaking hard work that American historians have been contributing over the last one or two generations. The studies of gender, environment, disease and race might seem like annoying "political correctness" to the close-minded, but when divorced from ideological polemics (pro or con) they have proven to be goldmines of fresh perspective. This book is an elegant example of what can be achieved when the primary evidence is reassessed in the light of this new spirit of inquiry.

Amply supported by a wide selection of primary sources, White plunges into a detailed dissection of the course of history in what the French called the "Pays d'en haut"--the roughly triangular territory bounded by the Mississippi, the Ohio and the Great Lakes--from the establishment of French hegemony to the defeat of Tecumseh at the hands of the United States. Characters, landscape and events are vividly drawn, but underlying it all is White's astonishing theoretical angle: that the various participants--traders, chiefs, colonial officials, missionaries, prophets, warriors and women--were forced to continually construct the rules of a common game that their respective cultures and traditions were inadequate to navigate by themselves. Of course, neither Europeans or natives discarded their cultural baggage wholesale--rather, they raided each other's ideologies and practices for tools they could use for their own purposes, refashioning them into novel combinations and thus a new "culture". Under White's sharp lens, activities and categories which might seem unambiguous--"murder", "trade", "prostitute", "father", "metal tool"--are shown to actually be embedded in a kaleidoscopically shifting galaxy of symbols, mutually forged, mutually apprehended (and misapprehended) by the resourceful women and men of the "middle ground". White carefully traces the strategies of exploitation and survival mediated by French, Algonquin, British and Iroquois participation in this new world--scenes of sickening brutality, unexpected mercy and clever dealing merge with those of day-to-day business and coexistence in a vast mural that rings as true as any history I've yet encountered. I am eager to see how this brand of method and insight will be employed in other histories.

Influential beyond its scope.......1999-08-20

Anyone who has attended an academic history conference in the last five or so years already realizes the impact that this densely-written, but provocatively argued book by an historian of the American west has had on the study of American history. For both good and ill, White's central thesis -- that Indians and Europeans in the Great Lakes region created together and sustained an elaborate system of cultural and political contact that endured for centuries based not on mutual understandings, but mutual MISunderstandings, often deliberate ones -- has come to set the tone for the most recent studies of cultural encounter and creolization in the New World. Indeed, White's "middle ground" bids fair to assume the blanket hegemony exercised over the American historical imagination a decade or more back by the idea of "republicanism." And, not without cause: White's book is in many respects a stupendous achievement -- exhaustively researched, laser-subtle analyses, and ambitious in scope. What weakens the book is White's tendency to often assert the existence of a so-called cultural "middle ground" between Indians and others in advance of the evidence he presents. The "middle ground" is too often presented as a given, one that can act as the explanation, rather than as the hypothetical that it actually is, the actual subject that should be under investigation. This said, the influence of this book will be felt for years to come.

Like Wolves on the Fold: The Defence of Rorke's Drift

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A great book on a great tale ...
You Mean They Didn't Really Sing 'Men of Harlech'?
a nice follow-up....
Excellent book...highly recommended
Not for the general reader

Like Wolves on the Fold: The Defence of Rorke's Drift

Manufacturer: Greenhill Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1853676594

Book Description

Wednesday 22 January 1879 was one of the most dramatic days in the annals of military history. In the morning, a modern British army was swept aside by the onset of a seemingly unstoppable Zulu host at Isandlwana. Nearby, at a remote border outpost on the Buffalo River, a single company of the 24th Regiment and a few dozen recuperating hospital patients were passing another hot, monotonous day. News of the disaster across the river came like a bolt from the blue. Retreat was not an option. It seemed certain that the Rorke's Drift detachment would share the terrible fate of their comrades. Following on from How Can Man Die Better, Colonel Snook brings the insights of a military professional to bear in this strikingly original account. It is an extraordinary tale a victory largely achieved by the sheer bloody-mindedness in adversity of the British infantryman, fighting at the remarkable odds of over thirty to one. The heroics of all eleven VC winners are recounted in detail, and we are offered new insights into how the Zulu attack unfolded and how 150 men achieved their improbable victory. The author describes the remainder of the war, from the recovery of the lost Queen's Colour of the 24th to the climactic charge of the 17th Lancers at Ulundi. We return to Isandlwana to consider culpability, and learn of the often tragic fates of many of the war's participants. Like Wolves is a remarkable work, and the author's unbridled respect for the fighting qualities of British soldier and his abiding affection for the Zulu people shines through.

Customer Reviews:

A great book on a great tale ..........2007-10-15

I can't really say more than what has already been said. The book is just a wonderful text to read through. It's easy to read, and the author is great with giving details and weaving them into the story without losing the reader attention. Very much recommended.

You Mean They Didn't Really Sing 'Men of Harlech'?.......2007-08-08

Rorke's Drift was a heroically fought but pointless battle in a savagely waged but peripheral war, the ill-conceived invasion in 1879 of Zululand by a small British Army under Lord Chelmsford, known to history as the Anglo-Zulu War. Snook, a serving officer in the modern regiment descended from the 1st / 24th regiment that defended Rorke's Drift, provides an exhaustive and detailed monograph on the battle.

Though as a general reader I would not know if Snook made factual or interpretive errors, his study seems impressively and meticulously researched and he writes well, sometimes stirringly. Indeed, the middle third of the book, which tells the almost incredible story of how a group of 139+ British soldiers, a quarter of them sick, successfully fought off repeated attacks by approximately 3,000 - 4,500 Zulus, makes for compelling and absorbing reading. Although writing exclusively from the British viewpoint (there are no Zulu written sources, after all), he tells a little about the Zulu command structure and commanders and shows admiration for the fighting qualities of Zulu warriors. I also liked that he decries war rather than glorifies it: ultimately, this tribute to the bravery of the heroes of Rorke's Drift concludes by making the timely point that their story 'epitomise[s] the folly of waging war except as a genuine measure of last resort.' I agree.

The book has lovely color plates, and good maps of the Rorke's Drift mission itself. One other great feature of the book is its extensive appendices, which include rosters of the soldiers who fought at Rorke's Drift and some firsthand accounts, as well as Chard's report to Queen Victoria, and an analysis of the battlefield. Good stuff for the research historian.

The main reason I even knew anything, prior to reading this book, about Rorke's Drift was Stanley Baker's great 1964 movie about it, which of course contains numerous instances of artistic license (e.g., sadly there was no inspiring rendition of 'Men of Harlech,' no 'saluting of fellow braves,' etc.); indeed I was surprised to learn that the movie gets a few things quite wrong (Harry Hook was not a dissolute malingerer, but a clean-living teetotaler, for instance). In contrast to the film which depicts mass charges of Zulu impis wielding assegais and cowhide shields, Snook shows that many of the Zulus had muskets, though they didn't know how to sight them well, and jumped from cover to cover. In addition, the movie shows the British soldiers often using mass volleys of rifle fire, which Snook argues was ahistorical.

Why not 5 stars? I found it a little irritating that, despite the subtitle, much of the book focuses on the Battle of Isandlwana, the disaster that took place earlier on Jan.22 of which Rorke's Drift was the aftermath. Snook even devotes much of his post-mortem discussion to allocating blame for the Isandlwana debacle.

I also found the discussion of blame somewhat beside the point: Chelmsford was not even at Isandlwana, and the subsequent imperial government inquiry that fixed blame on him obviously needed a scapegoat for the disaster. Ultimately, Chelmsford's error was to have a mindset -- underestimating the Zulus' fighting abilities -- that was probably shared by much of the British leadership. Moreover, Chelmsford was the victor at the battle (Ulundi) that ended the war, and neither his peers nor Snook give him much credit for this achievement. Steeped as he is in the ethos of the British military establishment, Snook agrees with the verdict of the government inquiry. I think there is some room at least for disagreement.

I made the mistake of tackling this book without reading Snook's earlier volume on Isandlwana, How Can Men Die Better, and consequently found the substantial portion of this book that treats Isandlwana and its aftermath difficult to follow. I believe I would have enjoyed and understood more if I had read that volume first, so I would recommend doing that before reading this book if you are not already knowledgeable about the Battle of Isandlwana.

Overall, though, there is no denying that Snook has written an essential book for anyone who wants to understand this sanguinary episode in the history of British arms. Snook's study is probably destined to be a definitive treatment of Rorke's Drift.

a nice follow-up...........2007-07-04

This book proves to be a nice follow-up to Snook's previous effort, How Can Man Die Better which covers the Battle of Isandlwana. This book covers the Defense of Rorke's Defense where a single company of the 24th Regiment held off the Zulu forces many times their strength.

Rorke's Drift is one of these battles of which many books have already been written about and this one proves to be quite readable, very well researched and in a typical style of the author, you feel at times that you are in there with the troops. It doesn't say anything truly new here but it does add fresh perception to the battle and the author enjoyed on few occasions to compared the real account with the film account, Zulu, starring Stanley Baker and Michael Caine. The book also gives a great insight into the soldiers who fought with such desperation. The narrative was often "hero oriented" in telling. Zulu side was also present but limited in form. The heart and soul of this book lies in the retelling of the Rorke's Drift from the Anglo-centric point of view. Although the account of the battle proves to be bit on the short side, it was clearly written and easy to follow. Unlike one of the previous reviewers, I thought the author's prose was quite good and passage flows very nicely.

The book come well illustrated with diagrams of Rorke's Drift that reflects very nicely on the battle. There are quite a few photographs and color paintings that also proves to be quite good.

But in all honesty, if I had to choose one book on Rorke's Drift, it probably won't be this one. I would choose Adrian Greaves' Rorke's Drift book which is far more detailed, superior in-depth book on the subject. Snook's book is good and worthy of the four stars but it been done before. I think one of the main weaknesses of the book lies with the fact that Snook didn't spend that much on battle itself. There are considerable amount of material in the book that dealt with Isandlwana, rest of the Zulu Wars and so forth. Personally, I would prefer a book about Rorke's Drift to be about Rorke's Drift.

In conclusion, I would recommended this book to any reader interested in the early stages of the Zulu War even if it may not be the best book on the subject.

Excellent book...highly recommended.......2007-05-16

This book should be required reading for anyone interested in the Anglo-Zulu War. Not only does Lt. Col. Snook explain in great detail the events of the defense of Rorke's Drift in great detail but he also brings to life the men who were involved in this climactic battle. This is a ground breaking book which sheds light on a little known yet amazing occurence in military history. Unlike the other historians who have written on this battle Lt. Col. Snook has researched The Battle of Rorke's Drift in depth and his work over the years shows itself on every page. 'Like Wolves on the Fold' builds upon Snook's other book 'How Can Man Die Better' and both when read one after the other form an excellent and essential history on the AZW. As a military historian I highly recommend them both.

Not for the general reader.......2007-02-17

LWotF is an almost minute-by-minute account of the battle of Rorke's Drift. While militarily insignificant, the story of this small battle was much popularized by the 1964 movie "Zulu" (which is still pretty good, even in light of the special effects of today's big-battle productions).

The extent of the research is impressive but the book is a dry read. I suppose one can only do so much with so narrow a topic. I believe the author is the official historian of the particular British regiment involved, so he has a pretty targeted audience. Personally, I would have prefered a more complete discussion, placing the battle in its wider historical context.

If you're looking to understand the Zulu Wars or British colonial history in Africa, look elsewhere. If, for some reason, you have a particularized interest in this specific historical footnote of an event (or if you're interested in knowing how accurate the movie was), then this is the book for you.

Fodor's Prague and Budapest: The Complete Guide with Great Walks, the Best Dining and Day Trips

Average customer rating:

A Concise Travel Companion

Fodor's Prague and Budapest: The Complete Guide with Great Walks, the Best Dining and Day Trips
Fodor's
Manufacturer: Fodor's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Reference | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0679000968
Release Date: 1999-01-26

Book Description

Experienced and first-time travelers alike rely on Fodor's Gold Guides for rich, reliable coverage the world over. Smart travel tips and important contact info make planning your trip a breeze, and detailed coverage of sights, accommodations, and restaurants give you the info you need to make your experience enriching and hassle-free. If you only have room for one guide, this is the one for you.

The best guide to Prague and Budapest, packed with essentials
Great walking tours to ruined castles and historic squares, along twisting cobblestone streets and magnificent boulevards
Gothic churches, Baroque palaces, Belle Epoque bathhouses, and Cubist Villas
Opera houses, jazz clubs, folk dancing, traditional pubs
Where to stay and eat, no matter what your budget
Sophisticated modern properties, Art Nouveau town houses, simple pensions, and luxurious spa hotels
Rustic taverns, classic city restaurants, the latest café
Fresh, thorough, practical -- off and on the beaten path
Costs, hours, descriptions, and tips by the thousands
All reviews based on visits by savvy writer-residents
15 pages of maps -- and dozens of great features

Important contacts, smart travel tips
Fodor's Choice
What's Where
Pleasures & Pastimes
Festivals
Vocabulary
Further reading
Complete index

Customer Reviews:

A Concise Travel Companion.......2000-04-05

Fodor's "Prague and Budapest" is an intelligent and convenient pairing of travel guides to two cities frequently included on the same itinerary.

"Prague and Budapest" is clearly written and accessible. The author identifies the key landmarks and historic sites and suggests sightseeing priorities based on the length of stay.

More important, the author explains the significance of the various sites concisely and in historical or artistic context. Fodor's "Prague and Budapest" assists the reader in understanding and appreciating the sites visited. The cultural information is presented in a readable and engaging style and will enhance my experience.

Finally, Fodor's "Prague and Budapest" covers the usually lodging, dining, sports and entertainment information, in addition to a great many practical topics such as tipping, various local customs and pitfalls to avoid.