• Author: Ian Knight Ian Castle
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing
• ISBN: 1841768588
• Price: £19.99

Review By : Elizabeth Hogan

Osprey Publishing are best known for their slim, highly illustrated paperbacks, and in fact this impressive 224-page hardback is actually a compilation of three Osprey titles previously published separately – ‘British Forces in Zululand 1879’, written by Ian Knight and illustrated by Richard Scollins, ‘Zulu War; Twilight of a Warrior Nation’ written by Ian Knight and Ian Castle, and ‘The Zulus’, written by Ian Knight and illustrated by Angus McBride. It is probably fair to say that if you already have these titles, then you don’t need this edition; however, if you don’t, this combination provides an excellent place to start an exploration of the war in the field. The three titles sit well together, looking at, between them, the organisation, dress and weapons of both the British and Zulu forces, giving a brief history of the Zulu kingdom from King Shaka to Bambatha, and considering the two defining battles of the 1879 campaign, Isandlwana and Khambula.

As usual with Osprey, there are lashings of colour plates depicting uniform types, dozens of black-and-white illustrations, maps and ‘bird’s-eye’ battlefield views. The only minor disappointment is the spurious addition of a some artwork from one of the earliest Osprey Zulu War titles that is rather dated and contains some inaccuracies. Nevertheless, this remains a colourful and appealing book, particularly for anyone keen to find out more about the armies of both sides.

Thursday 12th of January 2006 08:50:31 PM