HISTORY OF THE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA 1899-1902

4 volumes of  text - each with an accompanying volume of maps, together 8 volumes, 93 folding maps, 23 folding sketches, original blue cloth gilt, top edges gilt. The edges of the map volumes were made too thin and the cardboard has collapsed under pressure. Overall a very good set.

The official British history of the war in South in South Africa. It is exhaustive, based on access to all official government and military documents, including despatches, reports, telegrams, and private papers. It is a monument of military historiography for its factual basis and documentation, but it must be read with the understanding that it is a British official account, reflecting the strategic and political sensitivities of the period following a deeply divisive war. For instance, the history is notably restrained (or silent) on controversial issues, particularly the full extent of the farm-burning campaign and the devastating conditions and high mortality rates in the concentration camps and of the involvement of the African population in the war.