The Washing of the Spears: a History of the Rise of the Zulu Nation under Shaka, and Its Fall in the Zulu War of 1879

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1965. First Edition. Cloth. Very good +/very good. A very good plus first edition, as stated, in a very good dust jacket, Brown cloth boards with brown warrior motif on front cover and brown title stamping. Map endpapers. Previous owners bookstamp on first leaf. Illustrated with black and white photos (all present), Mull just starting to show on page 655. Dust jacket has been tape-repaired and shows loss to crown and top edge, and red wash to front inner flap. Closed tears less than 3/4" to rear jacket. See photos for other jacket wear. Jacket now proetcted in clear archival mylar. 655 pp. including index. Octavo. This definitive account of the rise of the Zulu nation under the great ruler Shaka and its fall under Cetshwayo has been acclaimed for its scholarship...In 1879, armed only with their spears, their rawhide shields, and their incredible courage, the Zulus challenged the might of Victorian England and, initially, inflicted on the British the worst defeat a modern army has ever suffered at the hands of men without guns. This definitive account of the rise of the Zulu nation under the great ruler Shaka and its fall under Cetshwayo has been acclaimed for its scholarship, its monumental range, and its spellbinding readability. The story is studded with tales of drama and heroism: the Battle of Isandhlwana, where the Zulu army wiped out the major British column; and Rorke's Drift, where a handful of British troops beat off thousands of Zulu warriors and won eleven Victoria Crosses".