Zulu by Rolf Italiaander — a classic popular account of Zulu history and culture, covering the rise of the Zulu kingdom under Shaka and the subsequent Anglo-Zulu War. Readable and sympathetic without being academic.
The Covenant by James Michener — a massive novel tracing centuries of South African history through fictional families of Zulu, Afrikaner, and British descent. The KwaZulu-Natal sections covering the Anglo-Zulu War are the most dramatic in the book, and Michener's research into Zulu military tactics and culture is impressive.
Zulu by David Rattray — a slim, vivid account of the battles of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift told by the legendary battlefield guide David Rattray, drawing on oral testimony from Zulu descendants of the warriors who fought. Rattray's storytelling was extraordinary; this book captures some of it.
Wilbur Smith's The Burning Shore and its sequel Power of the Sword are set partly in Natal and give a melodramatic but evocative sense of the landscape and political tensions of the early twentieth century.
iSimangaliso: A Wonder of the World — photographic essays and text covering the wetland park's ecosystems and wildlife. Useful before or after a visit to the park.