How Can Man Die Better
The Secrets of Isandlwana Revealed
Lt Col. Mike Snook
Found in: Boer/Zulu War Books
British History Books,
Military Biography,
All Frontline Books
Paperback 288 pages
ISBN: 9781848325814
Published: 31 May 2010
was £12.99
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Wednesday 22 January 1879 was one of the most dramatic days in the long and distinguished history of the British Army. At noon a massive Zulu host attacked the 24th Regiment in its encampment at the foot of the mountain of Isandlwana, a distinctive feature that bore an eerie resemblance to the Sphinx badge of the outnumbered redcoats. Disaster ensued. Later that afternoon the victorious Zulus would strike the tiny British garrison at Rorke’s Drift.
How Can Man Die Better is a unique analysis of Isandlwana – of the weapons, tactics, ground, and the intriguing characters who made the key military decisions. Because the fatal loss was so high on the British side there is still much that is unknown about the battle.
This is a work of unparalleled depth, which eschews the commonly held perception that the British collapse was sudden and that the 24th Regiment was quickly overwhelmed. Rather, there was a protracted and heroic defence against a determined and equally heroic foe. The author reconstructs the final phase of the battle in a way that has never been attempted before. It was to become the stuff of legend, which brings to life so vividly the fear and smell the blood.
Mike Snook is a serving officer of the Royal Regiment of Wales (formerly the 24th). He is also the author of Like Wolves on the Fold (Greenhill Books).
How Can Man Die Better is a unique analysis of Isandlwana – of the weapons, tactics, ground, and the intriguing characters who made the key military decisions. Because the fatal loss was so high on the British side there is still much that is unknown about the battle.
This is a work of unparalleled depth, which eschews the commonly held perception that the British collapse was sudden and that the 24th Regiment was quickly overwhelmed. Rather, there was a protracted and heroic defence against a determined and equally heroic foe. The author reconstructs the final phase of the battle in a way that has never been attempted before. It was to become the stuff of legend, which brings to life so vividly the fear and smell the blood.
Mike Snook is a serving officer of the Royal Regiment of Wales (formerly the 24th). He is also the author of Like Wolves on the Fold (Greenhill Books).
Product Reviews
This excellent book repays careful reading. One to commend very highly to the military historian, a unique study of a battle that need never have happened, and whose results were far reaching for the victors and losers both. Not to be missed…
Randles Reviews
This book is a wonderful tribute to the courage and professionalism of our Army, and to 'the majesty with which the British soldier fights.' I highly commend it, and await with great interest the promised successor book about Rorke's Drift.
Guards Magazine
Is this a recommendation to add this title to your bookshelves? Most definitely yes.
The British Army Review
A riveting, exhaustively researched, and highly convincing new account that overturns longstanding theories while clearing much fertile ground for further new investigation, How Can Man Die Better is a triumph of the military historian’s art and a fitting tribute to the brave fighting men of both the British Empire and Zulu Nation. As Lt. Col. Snook eloquently remarks in the prologue to this extraordinary book, “so long as courage and self-sacrifice are held in high regard, men will tell this story.”
History Book Club
This is probably the definitive and irrefutable work on Isandlwana and is highly recommended for the infantryman's eye, the detailed and scholarly research, the annotated photographs of the terrain, the extensive picture gallery of personalities involved, the orders of battle, the escapers and the glossary. This reviewer looks forward to Colonel Snook's next book Like wolves on the fold, which is about Rorke's Drift.
Military Historical Society of Australia
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About Lt Col. Mike Snook
Born in Monmouthshire, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Snook is a lifelong professional soldier. After graduating successively from Leicester University and Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Wales in 1984. Since then he has served all around the world, including active service in regimental and staff appointments in Afghanistan, Bosnia, South Armagh and Belfast.
His newest work, Into the Jaws of Death: British Military Blunders 1879-1900, analyzes notable military disasters of the Victorian era. A graduate of the Army Staff College at Camberley, in recent years he has worked as a British military adviser in South Africa and as the Chief Instructor of the Tactical Intelligence Branch at the Defence College of Intelligence.
Presently on the HQ staff at the Defence Academy, he is utilizing his spare time to read for a PhD.
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