Antiquarian Auctions

Auction #134 begins on 01 Oct 2026

Laband, (John)

ROPE OF SAND

The Rise and Fall of the Zulu Kingdom in the Nineteenth Century

Published: Jonathan Ball, Johannesburg, 1995

Edition: First

Reserve: $40

Approximately:

Estimate: $55

Bidding opens: 1 Oct 16:30 GMT

Bidding closes: 8 Oct 16:30 GMT

Ships from: South Africa

Lot 263 preview

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Hard brown covers, b&w illustrations and photographs, dust jacket, 517 pages. A clean, good copy without any markings or names. 

The Kingdom forged by Shaka was once one of the most powerful and sophisticated black states in Africa.In its mere sixty years of independent existence it weathered rebellions by discontented subjects and ambitious princes, intrusions by traders, missionaries and land-hungry settlers, and a determined invasion of the Voortrekkers. 

It took the British at the height of their imperial power six months and a full military campaign to bring the kingdom down. Thereafter, Zululand was broken up, consigned to bitter civil war, and eventually annexed piecemeal, its land given over to white farmers, in a saga of humiliation and loss. This book gives an account of the dramatic emergence and tragic decline of the Zulu kingdom in the 19th century, based on research fieldwork. It ranges from themes such as Zulu social and political organisation, through analysis of the vivid personalities and complex political manoeuvrings of leading Zulu and their colonial opponents, to descriptions of military campaigns and battles.

  • Jacket Condition: Good
  • Binding Condition: Very good
  • Overall Condition: Good
  • Size: 8vo (240 x 160 mm)


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