This is the fourth book blog, sometimes I wonder how many people actually read this or if it has interest outside the borders of South Africa. For me this blog is a kind of therapy, a chance to dwell a bit longer on a book which will probably soon leave my hands and become the prize possession of some anonymous buyer and collector. It is impossible to read every book that crosses my desk but often I find that a new interest will be awakened in me by a book that passes through my hands.
1). The first book today is Paradise – A History of the Idea that rules the World by Kevin Rushby.
Mankind has always longed for paradise, he has travelled across the globe, created new societies and often done great evil in his quest for an earthly paradise. Will we one day carry that idea out to the stars in some distant future? An interesting book which I am sure will raise more questions than answers.
2}. Alexander of Tunis (Field- Marshall Harold Alexander) as Military Commander by W.G.F. Jackson. A great military leader who played a pivotal role in the in such famous campaigns as, El Alamein, Tunisia, Sicily and Italy. Beloved by his men, a leader that stands out in the dark history of the Second World War.
3). Hawk’s Eye – Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Somerset by D.E. Rivett-Carnac. Eldest son of Lord Charles Somerset, an important figure in South African history. This bit of Africana tells of the frontier wars and the many important personages that cross the book’s pages. Sir Harry Smith, Benjamin D’Urban, Dr. John Philip, the chiefs Gaika, Sandile of the withered leg and many more.
4). The World’s Great Tanks from 1916 to the present day by Roger Ford. A great book for the military enthusiast, well written and illustrated. From the lumbering tanks of the First World War to the incredible German Tiger tanks and right up to the modern technological wonders of today.
5}. Ladysmith by Ruari Chisholm, tells the story of the siege of Ladysmith during the Second Boer War. For six months in 1899 the boers kept 12,000 British soldiers and many civilians under siege, I have been to the town of Ladysmith and visited the local museum when many artefacts are kept. Outside the Royal Hotel, still so named today, is a brass plaque indicating where a boer shell ended one poor civilians life. Outside the city hall stand two howitzers from that war.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about these books as much as I have in writing about them. For further blogs which I hope to write about once a week, follow me, please upvote and resteem if you think this blog was worth it.
