(#147073) PEN PICTURES OF THE WAR BY MEN AT THE FRONT. VOLUME I. THE CAMPAIGN IN NATAL TO THE BATTLE OF COLENSO. By Men at the Front, anonymously compiled.

PEN PICTURES OF THE WAR BY MEN AT THE FRONT. VOLUME I. THE CAMPAIGN IN NATAL TO THE BATTLE OF COLENSO. London: Horace Marshall & Son, 1900. Octavo, pp. [1-8] [1] 2-271 [271a] 272-343 [344-345 (i.e. 346): blank] [note: mispaginated by the publisher], Frontispiece by Stanley Wood, ten maps and plans, original pictorial tan cloth, front and spine panels stamped in red, white, blue, green, orange and black. First edition. The "war" in question is the Boer War (1899-1902), still ongoing at the time of the book's publication. About half of the text is quoted from letters written home by British soldiers of both high and low rank. The anonymous author has stitched these together very professionally to form a fascinating yet impartial narrative, and one that was largely at odds with accounts in British newspapers, whose dispatches from the front were heavily censored and in some cases deliberately distorted for propagandistic purposes. The book presents a unique treasure of primary source material. With a gift inscription dated 1901 by the author on the front free endpaper. Apparently, this first volume was the only one published; we could not locate any mention of a subsequent volume, nor is a second volume of this title recorded in any library. Iink stain to a small area of spine and rear panel, one leaf pair opened roughly, inner hinges strengthened, overall a good copy of a rare book. (#147073).

Price: $250.00

Printing identification statement for this book:
No statement of printing.