New Sudan Book (1 Viewer)

[PolarBear]

I recently joined the Victorian Wars Forum and Lt. Col. Mike Snook who is a member has a new book due out this summer that will be a must have for collectors of the Anglo-Sudan War:

In the next post there is more info about the book and how to order it. Perhaps Treefrog might consider picking up some copies to sell

 

[PolarBear]

Here is more info on the book as posted by the author, Mike Snook on the Victorian Wars Forum


‪Go Strong into the Desert‬
by ‪mike snook » 13 Mar 2010 06:40
Hello folks

With Mark's blessing I am now able to provide some information on one of two Sudan books I have been working on over the past two years. We'll come to the second one in due course (which is a mainstream publishing production and won't be out until early next year), but the first one is finished and being prepared for publication over the course of the summer. As it has been commissioned within a specialist domain, you won't be able to get it in the usual Waterstone's/Amazon type places. More of that in a moment.

It is called 'Go Strong into the Desert - The Mahdist Uprising in Sudan 1881-85. A Military History and Uniform Guide.' The main title is derived from the text of an anonymous telegram sent to Wolseley from London during the Nile expedition. I believe the book will be in what you might call the soft back glossy format. I don't yet know what it will cost - but something between 20 and 30 quid I imagine. It contains a 70,000 word account of the uprising and is copiously illustrated, with a very high prevalence of colour plates of various kinds, of which more in a moment. The main narrative text focusses on the uprising as a military event, with the bulk of it devoted to detailed accounts of the principal battles. The following are well covered; the early and invariably disastrous Egyptian attempts to get after Muhammad Ahmad, the siege of El Obeid, Hicks Pasha and the Senaar and Kordofan expeditions, Osman's attack on Tawfiq Bey at Sinkat, the Tahir Pasha/Moncrieff expedition (the real 'first' El Teb), First El Teb (The Val Baker Disaster), Second El Teb and Tamai, the Siege of Khartoum (including a detailed description of the defences and coverage of the major sorties and setpiece actions around the city), the battles of Abu Klea, Abu Kru, Kirbekan, Hasheen, Tofrek and Giniss. I am told by those who have read it that the text is fast moving but nonetheless packed with intricate military detail along the way - which is nice because that's how I planned it!

In addition to the text there are about 15 extremely detailed tables describing British, Egyptian and Mahdist orders of battle. All the setpiece battles itemized above are covered - unit names (correctly expressed), brigading arrangements, unit strengths, casualties, Mahdist commanders properly transliterated, (you don't see that everyday), commander's names, ranks, initials, decorations etc all individually researched from the Army List. By the way the first name of every officer menioned in the text is also given, and every unit title is correct by the Army List of the date in question - your usual sloppy 'Major Jones's battery' will simply not do for this production! There is a wealth of detail here which you won't find elsewhere - or if you do you'll have to dig bloody hard!

For illustrations we draw extensively on my personal collection of matters Sudan 1881-85:

There are many ILN and Graphic sketches, particularly by those who were first hand witnesses like Melton Prior, Frederic Villiers, G.D. Giles, C.E. Fripp and others, but also the more splendid ones by Richard Caton Woodville who, while he is not to be relied upon as a source for dress, is nonetheless a magnificent war artist.

There are also a good many modern colour photographs from the battlefields taken during my recent service in the Sudan. El Teb, Tokar, Tamanieb, Abu Klea, Abu Kru (or what I believe to be Abu Kru - but that's too long a story for this post), Mernat Island, Wad Habeshi, Hasheen and Suakin Island all feature.

Even more splendidly, there are 35 or so full colour uniform plates by a quite excellent artist/sculptor/designer and chum of mine called Michael Perry. These cover not just the British Army's orders of dress, that we know about, but many interesting early Egyptian and Sudanese uniforms, as well of course as the Mahdist forces. There are also rather nice personality portraits of Val Baker and Fred Burnaby. We waste nothing on ceremonial uniforms - these are all plates of what people wore in battle. Michael provided the skill and imagination and I provided the good history underpinning the plates. The plates themselves are real beauties - Michael has really done the subjct proud.

Michael Perry is best known as one of the fomidably talented 'Perry Twins', Michael and Alan, who are probably the best sculptors of wargames figures working in the world today. By day they work for the Games Workshop empire, but by night they do their own thing for 'Perry Miniatures'. It is Perry Miniatures that will publish the book. While the book will be highly attractive and useful to wargamers, modellers, re-enactors and other military hobbyists, it is a history book first and foremost, so will be equally if not more attractive to VWF members with a historical fascination in the Sudan campaigns. I don't yet have a publication date but will publicize it here when known - June/July-ish perhaps. To acquire a copy you will have to order it from the Perry Miniatures website which, at some point in the not too distant future, will offer it for pre-order. I'll let you know when it is up. There are likely only to be a couple of thousand copies to begin with, so there'll be the quick and the dead, though when the first lot go there will be more - but doubtless an interval too.

Hope that fairly describes what's on offer - I detect that this will appeal to a goodly number of VWF members, so I thought I'd best tip you off in advance. I hope those who buy it, like it and am quietly confident you will!! Now it's time to sleep....for about a week!!

Regards as ever

‪Re: Go Strong into the Desert‬
by ‪mike snook » 20 Jun 2010 05:06

Mike
Morning all,

I now have a few more details on the publication of Go Strong into the Desert. It will be out at the end of August. 216 pages, 40 original colour plates and 200+ other illustrations including some of my photography from the battlefields. It will cost £25 plus p & p (UK and BFPO £3, Europe £5 and rest of the World £9). A Perry Miniatures publication available from:

‪www.perry-miniatures.com

Be aware that the pre-order facility is not yet up.

I have just seen the cover artwork by an artist called Karl Kopinski, which shows hand-to-hand fighting at Abu Klea, and is absolutely brilliant.

Regards

Mike

 

[mestell]

Great info Randy on what looks like a very informative book. The Sudan collectors will really appreciate this. I see you also posted the same info on the WB section - good for you. I must say that I really like the looks of the uniforms of the British army for this period, their use of camels, etc. If I wasn't so involved in the ACW and SOHK/China Marines/Sand Pebble sailors this era would have tempted me.
Mike

 

[aujj65]

Randy, thanks for that! As you say a must have book

Jeff

 

[PolarBear]

Col. Burnaby seen in the illustration to the book shown in the 1st post

Colonel Frederick Gustavus Burnaby (March 3, 1842 – January 17, 1885) was an English traveller and soldier. He was born in Bedford, the son of the Rev. Gustavus Andrew Burnaby of Somersby Hall, Leicestershire, and canon of Middleham in Yorkshire († 15 July 1872), by Harriet, sister of Mr. Henry Villebois of Marham House, Norfolk († 1883). He was educated at Bedford School, Harrow and Oswestry School and in Germany. He entered the Royal Horse Guards in 1859. Finding no chance for active service, his spirit of adventure sought outlets in balloon-ascents and in travels through Spain and Russia. In the summer of 1874 he accompanied the Carlist forces as correspondent of The Times, but before the end of the war he was transferred to Africa to report on Gordon's expedition to the Sudan. This took Burnaby as far as Khartoum. Returning to England in March 1875, he matured his plans for a journey on horseback to the Khanate of Khiva through Russian Asia, which had just been closed to travellers. His accomplishment of this task, in the winter of 1875-1876, described in his book A Ride to Khiva, brought him immediate fame. His next leave of absence was spent in another adventurous journey on horseback, through Asia Minor, from Scutari to Erzerum, with the object of observing the Russian frontier, an account of which he afterwards published. In the Russo-Turkish War of 1877, Burnaby (who soon afterwards became lieutenant-colonel) acted as travelling agent to the Stafford House (Red Cross) Committee, but had to return to England before the campaign was over.
In 1879 he married Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed, who had inherited her father's lands at Greystones, Ireland. The previously-named Hawkins-Whitshed estate at Greystones is known as The Burnaby to this day. At this point began his active interest in politics, and in 1880 he unsuccessfully contested a seat at Birmingham in the Tory-Democrat interest. In 1882 he crossed the English Channel in a hot air balloon. Having been disappointed in his hope of seeing active service in the Egyptian Campaign of 1882, he participated in the Suakin campaign of 1884 without official leave, and was wounded at El Teb when acting as an intelligence officer under General Valentine Baker. This did not deter him from a similar course when a fresh expedition started up the Nile. He was given a post by Lord Wolseley, and met his death in the hand-to-hand fighting of the Battle of Abu Klea. Henry Newbolt's poem "Vitat Lampada" is often quoted as referring to Burnaby's death at Abu Klea; "The Gatling's jammed and the Colonel's dead"...although it was a Gardiner machine gun which jammed.

 

[marco55]

They said Burnaby was a giant of a man and absolutly fearless which was a common trait of many British officers in those days IMO.
Mark

 

[Louis Badolato]

Burnaby's book, "Across Asia Minor on Horseback" is, along with "Chitral, the Story of a Minor Seige", among the best non-fiction accounts I have ever read. It is an entertaining narrative, written as if Burnaby was chatting with the reader, and paints a fascinating picture of life in 19th Century Asia Minor.

The real tragedy of Burnaby's death at Abu Klea (he was stabbed in the groin by a spear) was that according to many accounts, he was named by the commander of the collumn to take over command were the commander killed. Sadly they were both killed, and an inexperienced staff officer took command. This staff officer sat, dithering, for several days, before finally driving on toward Khartoum. He arrived only a day after Gordon's death. If an officer of the drive and strength of character of Frederick Burnaby had taken command as intended, there might have been a much happier movie about Gordon at Khartoum.

 

[PolarBear]

Information on the author of Go Strong into the Desert

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.

 

[Combat]

This looks like a great book. It's interesting how certain campaigns appear to rise in popularity from time to time. There seem to be several toy soldier companies doing up the Sudan now. It's not something that I would have ever guessed would be popular outside the UK.

 

[PolarBear]

Mike Snook's summary of his 2 new Sudan books


Go Strong into the Desert: The Mahdist Uprising 1881-85 . This you could characterise as a heavily illustrated concise history of the whole Mahdist episode (with uniform guide/notes) from the first clash at Aba Island to the repulse of the Mahdists from Southern Egypt at Giniss. This is designed to serve not just people with an interest in the history but also hobbyists with an interest in what the partcipants actually looked like.

Beyond the Reach of Empire: The Gordon Relief Expedition is if you like a 'mainstream' history book of the Nile expedition and its particular highlight will be the fighting in the Bayuda. This is where you will find the most comprehensive accounts of Abu Klea and Abu Kru ever published. If I get it right it should supersede Julian Symons England's Pride (now approaching 45-ish years old would you believe) as the standard account of the relief expedition. There will also be a lot more analysis of why the expedition failed than has ever really been covered before. So.....I'd better get on with it!!