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THE LITERATURE OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR, 1899-1902^ The interest of the general public in the narratives of a cam- paign is unfortunately in inverse ratio to their historical accuracy and value. A few hours after a great action crowds mad with excite- ment are struggling thousands of miles away for successive editions of journals containing the latest bulletins of generals and the tele- grams of war correspondents. Yet both bulletins and telegrams have been written on the field of battle with haste and imperfect knowledge of the facts and are the product of brains too over- wrought for sound judgment. The letters of the correspondents and the personal despatches of the general in command which follow are read by many, but with less avidity than the telegrams. The former are expanded in book form, and become for the majority of the public the Ultima Thule of their studies of the war. The suc- cess of these books depends on their being placed on the market as soon as possible after the events which they record have taken place, and on their being written in graphic style with due regard to popular views and prejudices. The man in the street gets what he wants. If ill fortune has dogged the footsteps of a general, his shortcomings will be exposed with much candor to the indignant public by these rapid makers of history. If on the other hand a leader should be receiving worship as a popular hero, no whisper of the mistakes, which escaped paying a penalty, or of the happy accidents which insured victory will be allowed to appear. Even with the most honest desire to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, the writers of this class of books are foredoomed to fail in presenting any accounts which can in after years be regarded as a serious contribution to history. And this for two reasons : they are too near to the events with which they are dealing to look at them with a true focus ; and the details of the events themselves are still wrapped in a confused tangle, only to be unravelled by strenuous labor and prolonged research. ' A " List of Works in the Library of Congress on the Boer War," compiled under A. P. C. Griffin, is printed in Selected Translations pertaining to the Boer War, published in Washington, 1905. by the Military Information Division of the General Staff, pp. 207-231. The German books on the war are mostly noted under " Kriegsgeschichte " in the Allgemeine Militdr- nnd Sport-Bibliographie, vols. 8 to 12. For other works in various languages see the quarterly List of Military Publications . . . received in the Adjutant-general's OfUce, War Department (Washington). Ed. AM. HIST. REV., VOL. XII. — 20. ( 299 )