Commando by Deneys Reitz (Vintage 1993 PB, First SA Ed) - Boer War Journal

Item Properties:

• Condition: Used / Good Vintage Condition

• Format: Paperback

• Author: Deneys Reitz

• Publisher: Southern Book Publishers (Pty) Ltd

• ISBN-10: 1868124177

• ISBN-13: 9781868124176

• Edition: First South African Edition 1992, Second Impression 1993

  
  

  Commando is a literary phenomenon. Written by Deneys Reitz while in exile, it is the unfiltered, exhilarating true story of a 17-year-old boy who thrust himself into the front lines of the Anglo-Boer War. This is not a dry history textbook written from a distant office; it is a pulse-pounding, first-hand journal of life on horseback, survival on a handful of maize, and the raw realities of mobile guerrilla warfare.

  General Jan Smuts justly called this masterpiece "wonderful," and it remains globally revered for its honesty, lack of bitterness, and cinematic pacing. From the terrifying heights of Spioenkop to crossing paths with a captured Winston Churchill, Reitz's memoir places you directly into the saddle.

  Why this copy is a must-have for your library:

  • The Historian's Choice: The inclusion of the introduction by Thomas Pakenham (the definitive authority on the Boer War) adds immense academic and collector value to this specific edition.

  • Proudly South African Heritage: This 1993 printing represents the historic First South African Edition layout, printed locally by Sigma Press in Pretoria (file 20260619_075845.jpg).

  • Superb Preservation: Finding 30-year-old paperbacks with covers this bright and pages this crisp is increasingly rare.