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Harry Smith's Last Throw
Keith Smith


Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Posts: 540
Location: Northern NSW, Australia
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Gentlemen

May I give a short plug to the publication of my new book, Harry Smith's Last Throw: The Eighth Frontier War 1850-1853. The book is to be published by Frontline Books (a subsidiary of Pen and Sword) about 15 March. The 'blurb' giving a brief description of the contents is a follows:

'This book tells the often harrowing story of the Eighth Frontier War against the Xhosa people of the Eastern Cape, often from the viewpoint of those actually doing the fighting. It was the longest of those wars and it was to be followed by the Ninth, and last, in 1877-1878. By that time there remained little of the Xhosa lands which they had once called their own, the extent of which had been eroded after almost every war.

'The Xhosa had previously fought with some chivalry, refusing to make war on white women and children, just as they had in their own internecine wars. This war changed all that and chivalry was cast aside by both sides. It is often a gritty story, with atrocities committed by both white and black, but it is also leavened with the dry, mordant humour that only a serving British soldier can provide.

'The "Harry Smith" of the title is the famous 19th century British soldier, Sir Henry George Wakelyn Smith, who served at the Cape of Good Hope on two occasions. The first was in the years 1828-1835, during which he was second-in-command to Sir Benjamin D�Urban. This ended with Smith departing the Cape under a cloud after his involvement in the murder of the Xhosa paramount chief Hintsa.

'His second period of service, between 1847 and 1853, was as Sir Harry Smith, baronet, the hero of Aliwal. His appointment there was as Governor and High Commissioner. Although Smith claimed to have ended the Seventh Frontier War in 1847, shortly after his arrival, his greater claim to fame was his management of the Eighth War, which he himself did much to foster. In particular, the book endeavours to evaluate Smith�s role as one of the prime causes of the war.'

KIS
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Sawubona


Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 1179
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I'm looking forward to getting and reading my copy, Kieth. The man certainly had a colorful and uneven history in South Africa-- the stuff of legend, or at least of books one might say. The Xhosa "recovered" from the "Scramble for Africa" with an awful lot more "baggage" than the Zulu did, that's for certain-thanks in no small part to the machinations of Sir Harry.
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Justin Young


Joined: 04 Sep 2005
Posts: 49
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Fantastic news Keith, really looking forward to reading this. So little has been written on the earlier Campaigns in SA in recent years (The Wedding Feast War excepted) so great to see you've written a book purely on the 1850-3 War Very Happy

Justin
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Keith Smith


Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Posts: 540
Location: Northern NSW, Australia
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Just a quick note to let you know that Harry Smith's Last Throw is to be released on 15 March.

KIS
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Paul Bryant-Quinn


Joined: 14 Oct 2007
Posts: 551
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Can we get it through the Museum at Brecon?
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Peter Ewart


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 1797
Location: Near Canterbury, Kent, England.
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My copy has arrived and a "proper job" it looks too. Well done Keith, and also Frontline Books/Pen & Sword.

Although you set the scene in some considerable detail in The Wedding Feast War and again, briefly, in this work, Ian Knight's excellent foreword provides an appropriate introduction to the whole settler incursion into Xhosa life in the years before the 8th Frontier War. The maps have come out well, Keith, and I'm impressed with the photographs - including yours. As usual, your bibliography illustrates the considerable extent of your research and I think readers are really going to enjoy your account of this war.

I like the Thomas Baines work for the superb dust jacket! Where did you get that from?

Peter
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Keith Smith


Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Posts: 540
Location: Northern NSW, Australia
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Peter
Thanks for the encouragement and enjoy! The dustjacket image was provided by Frontline.

Paul
The book is available in the UK from the usual suspects: WH Smith and Blackstone, as well as Frontline direct. US purchasers will see at it Barnes & Noble. Not sure about elsewhere but if all else fails, buy it online at Amazon.co.uk or amazon.com. You should check to see if Brecon is going to stock it.

Thanks all

KIS
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AMB


Joined: 07 Oct 2005
Posts: 921
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Keith,

My copy is sitting with the remainder of my [boxed up] library in a barn in UK. I'm greatly looking fwd to reading it on my rtn to civilisation (four months to go...).

As an aside, Peter, there are a number of Baines' paintings in the castle in Cape Town; worth a look if you're ever down that way. Not sure where the greatest depository is of Baines' work - a wonderful artist.

AMB
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Keith Smith


Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Posts: 540
Location: Northern NSW, Australia
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Andrew

I'm not sure if you know, but Thomas Baines kept an extensive journal of his travels, which, incidentally, included Australia. (Two volumes published by the Van Riebeeck Society, Cape Town.) Quotations from his time as a 'war artist' in the Eighth War have been used quite extensively, which are often very illuminating.

KIS
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AMB


Joined: 07 Oct 2005
Posts: 921
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Keith,

I look fwd to reading your book. (I do have Carruther's fine book on Baines and his Gold Fields Diaries in my library).

Yes, was aware of 'Bainesland'(!) but wasn't about the Van Riebeeck Soc vols. TY, I'll add them to my shelves.

AMB
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Sawubona


Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 1179
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And for our American listeners... I ordered HSLT last night from Amazon (US) , an online site more convenient for me in spite of the fact that from there it was about $4 more than from the Barnes and Noble site, and just received notice that, as it was a "pre-publication", order I can expect delivery in the first week of June ! Perhaps the lower power grid voltages here in The States cause the American English version printing presses to operate more slowly than the UK English version printing presses? I would have thought that those superfluous "u"'s included over there in words like "color" would marginally delay the release of books on your side of The Pond.
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Keith Smith


Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Posts: 540
Location: Northern NSW, Australia
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Saw

If you have not yet ordered, try Amazon.co.uk - you might even get it cheaper! BTW, you really must familiarise yourself with the Brit expressions U and non-U. Nancy Mitford refers.

KIS
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Sawubona


Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 1179
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Once again, this site has been an invaluable source of continuing enlightenment! Wikipedia actually has an entry entitled "U and non-U English", which I have assiduously read with ever-widening eyes. Can such things be?

Now I'm suffering from severe cognitive dissonance since my own vocabulary is decidedly of the "U" persuasion yet I have no money and therefore must be a non-U exhibiting "reverse snobbery". Or perhaps I am indeed a "U" having no money and simply practicing a reverse reverse snobbery. Am I, like Lazarus in Tropic Thunder, nothing more than "just a dude playing a dude pretending to be another dude?" My brain hurts!
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Peter Ewart


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 1797
Location: Near Canterbury, Kent, England.
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Keith, glad that Frontline used such a good painting for the dj - I had assumed you'd chosen it. (Perhaps you did, or had a hand in it?) By the way, did you mean to say Blackstone - or Waterstone?

Andrew - good to know there are others out there appreciative of Baines' work!

Saw - couldn't help laughing aloud! "Can such things be?" You'd be surprised - even after all these years! Don't worry about your U or Non-U status. Coming from over the pond, you'd be excused (and, as such, probably denied membership of either group anyway) although I see the Wiki piece did mention New England being caught up in it all in the '50s. Language problems are such fun! I'm sure you never dreamt your mention of the presence or absence of the letter "u" on either side of the Atlantic would open up such a can of worms!

For my part, I always find myself raising an eyebrow at the expression "American English." Even allowing for the continuous organic development of the language through the years and the inevitable effects of "globalisation" (what a word!) I still find myself bridling at such a term. Is it an invention of Bill Gates or does the expression pre-date his whizz-kiddery with computers? I know you chaps have always had your own ideas of how to use our language, but I've always dismissed these little shortcomings under the headings of slang, abuse or murder, content in the certain knowledge that eventually you'll all learn to speak and spell it properly one day, given time. Is this now not to be the case? Is there now a move to codify (almost officially, as it were?) a separate version of the real thing? But why? Surely it would be a lot easier just to import a few million copies of the Oxford English Dictionary, which is the oracle and final arbiter on all these matters (although I have always preferred Chambers' Etymological). I'm not sure we agreed to all this in 1776, you know...

I think Keith uses Collins English Dictionary and over the years we have had some fascinating discussions on the use of English. We both agree I am nearer the neolithic end of the scale, although I am a strong admirer of his written style. Keith, don't tell me there is such a thing as (even half officially) "Australian English"?

Peter
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Keith Smith


Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Posts: 540
Location: Northern NSW, Australia
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Peter E

Mea culpa - it should be Waterstone, of course!

I don't think you should be discussing my personal preference for dictionaries publicly but since you mentioned it, I do, in fact, use the OED. Confused

I'm sure most of the world is quite unaware of the existence of the Macquarie Australian Dictionary (published by Sydney's Macquarie University, my alma mater). It is replete with all those wonderful Aussie words such as cobber, dinkum etc. Which is, of course why I eschew it!

KIS
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Harry Smith's Last Throw
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