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Post by crazycaptain560 on Aug 18, 2017 2:54:54 GMT
Slowly going through "The Glorious Cause". Still one of the most thorough examinations of the American Revolution. Although I am growing tired of late 18th century economics...
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Post by macbeth on Aug 20, 2017 23:25:44 GMT
David I'd be interested in your views on the Mersey book. Cheers, Hi Greg,
the Mersey book was interesting and a nice easy read. I did not learn anything new about the history of the period (but then you've seen my extensive library with numerous books both history and fiction of this particular period and events). However it does give a solid grounding on troops, gives some possible scenarios and most importantly reviews a series of rules sets that could be used, including pointing out a couple of skirmish sets that can be downloaded for free.
The young me just starting out in wargaming would have loved this book. I did enjoy it and think it is worthwhile.
Having finished it on Saturday I have now started "The Indianized States of Southeast Asia" by G. Coedes - a more scholarly work by a French Historian originally written in the 40s - this third edition was updated in the 60s
Cheers
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Post by gregorius on Aug 21, 2017 1:25:24 GMT
Thanks for that David. I noticed that Mersey has a number of wargaming titles in various periods that are of interest to me.
Cheers,
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Post by macbeth on Aug 28, 2017 0:23:06 GMT
I finished "Indianised States of Southeast Asia" last week - it was hard going but enjoyable towards the end. From there picked up "The Last White Rose" by Desmond Seward and made good going through it over the weekend. I have nearly polished it off. The chapter on Lambert Simnel was so interesting that I went through the boneyard and hauled out an element of dismounted knights, another of billmen and finally some discarded Irish 3Ax then set aside the rest of the figures to paint up IV/83c I only had to pick up an element of Galloglaich from Dean at Olympian Games (whilst restocking my bases). Cheers
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Post by macbeth on Aug 29, 2017 0:22:35 GMT
So this morning I finished "The Last White Rose" and really enjoyed this book. I am following it up with Hugh Bicheno's "Battle Royal" a military history of the early period of the Wars of the Roses. The follow up "Blood Royal" is on my Book Depository wishlist.
I am very impressed by the description on the back cover "The Wars of the Roses were a prolonged brawl over an inheritance by a deeply dysfunctional extended family".
Cheers.
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Post by gregorius on Sept 2, 2017 6:01:25 GMT
Yesterday I finished reading God's Wolf by Jeffrey Lee. It's a revisionist look at the life of Reynald de Chatillon. Lee argues that Reynald has received bad press over the centuries that is not totally deserved. Lee certainly makes a convincing case. Presently I'm about a third of the way through the second installment of Harry Sidebottom's Throne of the Caesars series. It covers the 9 day period when the Gordiani attempt to overthrow the emperor Maximinus Thrax. So far so good.
Cheers,
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Post by macbeth on Sept 3, 2017 23:54:11 GMT
I finished "Battle Royal" yesterday whilst waiting for the older of the (not so) little warbands to finish her volleyball duty. This is a great book, I cannot be certain whether I would call it impartial or Lancastrian Partisan. The latter part of the book makes some interesting points about the Lancastrian Army at 2nd St Albans and also brings up the issue of Edward Earl of March (later Edward IV) being illegitimate.
His analysis of the interplay between Richard Duke of York and Edward Earl of March and then later between Edward and Warwick "The Kingmaker" is interesting.
The book ends with Towton and the triumph of York. I can't wait to get my grubby mitts on the next book in the series "Blood Royal"
cheers
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Post by goragrad on Sept 5, 2017 6:25:06 GMT
The Seleucid Army - Organization & Tactics in the Great Campaigns, B. Bar-Kochva, Cambridge Classical Studies, 1976.
Just got into the introduction, based on a quick look at the book and my friends comments, may be a bit of a wade. The friend thought that the portion of most interest was the latter half of the book wherein Bar-Kochva describes the various battles.
It will be of interest to see how his work comports with current thinking.
At last I actually have something besides the old Westerns and SF paperbacks I have been re-reading to post here...
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Post by macbeth on Sept 8, 2017 4:37:20 GMT
I recently took a punt on buying two of Julian Stockwyn's books - "The Silk Tree" and "The Powder of Death" which are lumped into the category of "Moments In History" where he novelises some interesting turning points in History.
"The Silk Tree" follows two Byzantine Rouges who planned to scam the imperial court pretending to go to China to return with the secret of silk but in the end actually do so. At first the two characters are not easy to like, but then when they reach Constantinople there is a humorous interlude where all of the historical movers and shakers of the court of Justinian get involved (each by abducting and interrogating our heroes). However the rest of the book describes the journey to and then from China (I am in the last 100 pages and they are in Central Asia) but there is little drama in the story.
Cheers
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Post by macbeth on Sept 18, 2017 0:55:29 GMT
After "The Silk Tree" I knocked over the other of Stockwyn's "Moments In History" stories - "The Powder of Death" which follows the story of an English blacksmith who becomes the lead figure in bringing gunpowder and cannons to Europe. This is a better story than "The Silk Tree" but still lacking in drama.
After that I quickly read "Bad Lands" by Stephen Wheeler one of the Lonely Planet founders as he tours the "Axis of Evil" and a few other seldom visited counties, a mix of travel, history and politics. It is 10 years out of date but it was a really good read.
Today I have just started "Samurai, the World of the Warrior" by Stephen Turnbull.
Cheers
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Post by macbeth on Sept 26, 2017 22:33:06 GMT
I finished "Samurai, the World of the Warrior" and from there moved on to "Blood of the Innocent" by Michael Jecks - this was the third book in his "Vintane" trilogy that follows a group of soldiers in the Hundred Years War. It is somewhat warts and all and not a bad read.
I am now reading "Viking Fire" by Justin Hill - a book that was several years in coming out and it is a first person novelisation of Harald Hadrada
Cheers
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Post by goragrad on Sept 27, 2017 11:13:50 GMT
So finished a second go through after the footnotes and appendices of the Bar Kochva. Interesting. Presumably he was the source for the Maccabean phalangites and cavalry.
Of note that he considered hypaspists to probably be more lightly armored (faster) phalangites as needed.
Now on to the Appian.
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Post by paddy649 on Sept 27, 2017 11:32:16 GMT
Just finished Hannibal by Theodore Ayrault Dodge which I unearthed in a charity book store for 25p. Bargain! Good Read!
Now reading The Classical World By Robin Lane Fox which I picked up at Watersone's this week.
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Post by paulhannah on Sept 27, 2017 18:00:46 GMT
Two books are speeding their way to me. - Decline and Fall of the Sasanian Empire, Parvaneh Pourshariati
- The War of Three Gods, Peter Crawford
Both deal with the decline & fall of the Sassanian Empire, so mighty and powerful at the start of the 7th Century that Heraclian Byzantium almost became a vassal of the Persians. Then, in a few short decades the Sassanids were overrun and vanquished by a little-known sect of Arabs. How that happened is the question these books promise to answer. The DBA scenario geek in me is also hoping that there will be good, scenario grist inside. The second book looks to have detailed graphics such as this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_al-Q%C4%81disiyyah#/media/File:Mohammad_adil_rais-day-1-phase-1.PNG <== Notice all that Sassanid infantry. More Hordes??? Very timely too, as NAGS' suggested theme for next week is titled, " Mostly Sunni, with a Chance of Shia".
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Post by timurilank on Sept 27, 2017 18:21:18 GMT
Two books are speeding their way to me. - Decline and Fall of the Sasanian Empire, Parvaneh Pourshariati
- The War of Three Gods, Peter Crawford
Both deal with the decline & fall of the Sassanian Empire, so mighty and powerful at the start of the 7th Century that Heraclian Byzantium almost became a vassal of the Persians. Then, in a few short decades the Sassanids were overrun and vanquished by a little-known sect of Arabs. How that happened is the question these books promise to answer. The DBA scenario geek in me is also hoping that there will be good, scenario grist inside. The second book looks to have detailed graphics such as this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_al-Q%C4%81disiyyah#/media/File:Mohammad_adil_rais-day-1-phase-1.PNG <== Notice all that Sassanid infantry. More Hordes??? Very timely too, as NAGS' suggested theme for next week is titled, " Mostly Sunni, with a Chance of Shia". The Battle of al-Qādisiyyah should be an interesting game, especially if you can duplicate it as a four day battle. There were plenty of other engagements between the Muslims and Persians which took place before the Yarmuk in the West.
These are covered in the TV series Umar (30 episodes).
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