Like Lions They Fought: The Zulu War and the Last Black Empire in South Africa [Hardcover]

Robert B. Edgerton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Names like Rorke's Drift and Isandlwana are not only synonymous with valor, vaingloriousness, and the Victoria Cross, but they are also important to both British imperial and African history. Many good books, such as Rupert Furneaux's Zulu War (1963) and D.R. Morris's Washing of the Spears (1965), abound on the Anglo-Zulu struggle. Rather than adding to British imperial history or Eurocentric views of the conflict, this new work expands our perspective of Zulu views with what might be called military psychoanalysis. This novel approach offers exciting reading and titillates the senses. Controversial and recommended. James A. Casada, Winthrop Coll. Rock Hill, S.C.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 244 pages
• Publisher: The Free Press, Macmillan; 1st edition (May 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0029089107
• ISBN-13: 978-0029089101
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,293,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A balanced, well-researched account of the war, September 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Like Lions they Fought: The Zulu War and the Last Black Empire in South Africa (Paperback)

This is one of those rare books which attempts not only to explain the causes underlying a conflict, but also explores the psychology and culture of the participants. This book is well illustrated and easy to read. A good introduction to the topic, to be followed by Morrison's Washing of the Spears and all of Ian Knight's books.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They ALL fought like Lions, August 29, 2008

By 

General Pete (SC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Like Lions they Fought: The Zulu War and the Last Black Empire in South Africa (Paperback)

Of all of the books of 19th century South African History that I have read this provides the most fair and balanced account of the Zulu Wars. In spite of almost a century and 1/2 of ethnocentric historical research the author manages to lay out the facts in a fairly convincing manner. Both sides came from a culture with a long military tradition and both fought as best they could for reasons we can understand today.

The Zulus were about protecting the homeland and keeping what they had and gaining a little more if they were lucky the British were about expanding their borders and gaining access to new resources. The Zulu were not black savages and the Redcoats were not all stand-ins for Rudyard Kipling. The truth as is often the case with history lies somewhere in the middle of the two extremes.