Newsletter

Books, Rules and
Other Publications

by Jim Purky


4. Essays On the British Soldier in North America during the Seven Years War: Barton J. Redmon has released a collection of his essays on the equipment, supply, conditions, and much more of the British soldier during the French & Indian War. The work includes 9 separate essays written between 1994 and 1997 and comprises about 100 pages. The senes costs $20.00 plus $3.00 shipping and is limited to 50 copies. Each subscriber will have access to supplements that become available at future dates. Send cash, check or money order to Bart Redmon at 4222 State Route 350, Lebanon, OH 45036.

5. Color Theory and Application: this is a great paperback (Osprey-sized) book illustrated with lots of color pictures that give you the basics of figure painting. Topics include color basics and complementary colors, shading and highlighting, mixing your own colors, skin tones, greys and basic uniform colors. While it is geared more towards the use of oils, I nevertheless have found many helpful painting tips and hints in this book. Cost is $20.00 and is available from R&K Productions, 6080 Sunnycrest Drive, Agoura, CA 91301. Phone: (818) 991-9044; Fax: (818) 991-9585; email: rkprod@mindspring.com

6. Armies of the Ottoman Empire 1775-1820, Osprey Men-at-Arms Senes No. 314. While this is slightly outside our period, the discussions of tactics, organization, etc. are of use to anyone with an interest in the Ottoman army of the 18th Century. The usual color plates by Angus McBride are also helpful in painting your Ottoman Army. Price is $12.95 and available from the usual sources including Emperors HQ and Article of War.

7. Louis XV's Army (5) Colonial and Naval Troops, Osprey Men-at-Arms Series NO. 313: the fifth and final book in the Osprey series on the French army of the SYW period is now available at the usual sources. This covers the French in India North America and the West Indies and has lots of useful color plates, including one of French Sepoys in India that is very interesting.

8. La Gloire Magazine: Old Glory has been publishing its own magazine over the past year that features lots of color pictures of Old G1ory products. The articles are wargame-oriented, not too deep, but helpful in starting a new period. The color pictures are very well done. Most articles appear to include orders of battle and sufficient information to build wargame armies for a given period. Issue No. 3 features a short article on the Hanoverian Army of the SYW to kick off Old Glory's release of 5 bags of 15mm Hanoverians. Subscriptions covering 4 issues per year are $25.00 US funds or $34.00 Canadian funds or $40.00 US funds outside North America. Send payment to Black Falcon Publications, 41 Greengate Road, Toronto, Ontario M3B 1E7, Canada.

9. Terence Wise Bookseller, Pantiles, Garth Lane, Knighton, Powys LD7 1HH, United KingdomThis is a good source for new and used books on military history. The March 1998 catalog included copies of Duffy's Army of Maria Theresa and Russia's Military Way to the West, both for £ 27.50 (both are out of print), which seems to be good value considering that I've seen both priced at over $100.00 at a store in the US. Terry Wise accepts Visa and Mastercharge which is helpful for North American shoppers.

10. Uniform Plates from Germany, Including Menzel and Knotel and others: a few months ago I received a large packet of prints and brochures from LTR-Verlag (Publishers), Haidbarg 4 d, D-21244 Buchholz, Germany. This company's offerings include the complete three volume set of 436 Menzel lithographs pertaining to the Army of Frederick the Great. A great many of these plates will be familiar to the SYW historian, as they grace many a book including those of Christopher Duffy, etc. The Menzel set costs DM 607 for airmail and DM 563 for surface mail. Visa and Mastercard are accepted as well as check. Other listings include 1758, The Campaign for the Liberation of Saxony (by Artur Brabant) translated and edited by our own Neil Cogswell and Alister Sharman. The US price is $152.00 airmail and $137.00 surface mail for the two-volume set that focuses mainly on the Reichsarmee's campaigns in Saxony.

Next on the list are the Richard Knotel plates, all 1,060 that cover the German states in the 18th and 19th Century. lhe set includes all 18 volumes. Write or call for prices as these are expensive, but well worth it if you have some spare change.

I also received a sample color plate for Fanfaro: A History of the Prussian Hussars Part I 1721 to 1806/07. The complete collection of 224 color plates costs DM 1,950 or you can purchase 16 plates per month at a mon~ly cost of DM143.

Last, but not least, this vendor offers reproduction color prints of poster size of some of the famous paintings of the SYW. Included in this group of items is a stirring picture of "Frederick the Great with his Staff" by Wilhelm Camphausen (1871) at DM198; Carl Rochling's painting of "Frederick the Great at Zorndorf" where he grabs the flag of one of the regiments and leads the anny forward on foot (this one is really great looking), "The Attack-Kunersdorf" which depicts Austrian and Prussian cavaky in melee in front of the burning village of Kunersdorf (1860); Frederick receiving battle trophies from the Bayreuth Dragoons at Hohenfriedberg, by Camphausen (1861); a three-part triptych by Richard Knotel depicting the battle of Krefeld,

The Duke of Brunswick at Krefeld, another panorama of Zorndorf; von Seydlitz rearing up on his horse in a heroic pose; and Fritz leading the Brown Hussars at Reichenbach 1762. As you can see, the offerings are limitless. This appears to be a company similar to Cranston Fine Arts in the UK, which also offers re-prints of classic military paintings. The difference being that all of these items are related to the SYW. Many of these paintings would look good framed, gracing the walls of your game room.

See address above; phone: 0049-181-6775; fax: 0049- 4181291372. Add the appropriate international country code for Germany. Editionen Friese & Lacina, Haidbarg 4 d, D-21244, Buchholz, Germany. Happy hunting!

11. Uniforms of the Spanish Army 1739-1748 SYWA member Stephen Manley sent me a copy of his newest uniform guide for the War of the Austrian Succession. This one, covering the Spanish army, follows the format used for earlier volumes that cover the French, Bntish and Dutch armies of the WAS. A4 size paper with card cover and 28 pages of text, uniform information in tabular format, and black and white drawings of the uniforms by Giancarlo Boeri, which are well-rendered. Also includes background information about the various troop types including organization and unit strengths. Also includes bibliography, sources for miniatures and flags. Cost is £ 4.50 plus 92p postage international from the UK. Write to "Potsdam Flags ~ Publications" 16 Buckminster Close, Oakwood, Derby DE21 2EA, United Kingdom or phone (+ 44) (1322) 833-126. US orders can be placed through "On Military Matters" 55 Taylor Terrace, Hopewell, NJ 08525. Phone (609) 466- 2329. Contact Dennis Shorthouse at the latter address for fast and friendly service, from my own personal experience.

12. Potsdam Flags Flagsheets for the SYW: Stephen Manley also sent some samples of l5mm flag sheets for Britain, Hanover, Modena, Spain and Prussia Sheets cost 50p for l5mm, 60p for 2025mm and 70p for 30mm. Each sheet contains 4 color flags of very high quality. Same address as above.

13. Lancashire Games Figures and Flags: UK member Mike Kirby was kind enough to send me some samples of Swedish and Reichsarmee flagsheets in 15mm. You get 16 color flags per sheet and the quality is very high, based on the samples I received. After the recent issue covering Sweden in the SYW, I have been getting lots of inquiries about Swedish flag information, and this is the place to start, in my humble opinion. Cost per sheet is between £ 1.20 and £ 1.60 for 15mm and 25mm flags. The 15mm figures cover the Jacobite Rebellion, SYW and AWI. Packs contain 10 infantry or 4 cavalry for £ 1.10 and appear to be compatible in size and style with Old Glory 15mm figures and are a tad larger than Essex. Both flags and figures can be purchased from "Wargames Emporium", Craft Workshop 8, Orchard Square, Sheffield S1 2FB, UK. Phone number is (01 14) 2754826.

14. The Last Square: those of you who attended the recent SYWA convention in South Bend probably had a chance to see the many nice military prints including Knotel, RocMing, Wollen, Rowlands, Phillipoteaux and more as well as the Cranston Fine Arts range of pictures. Books include Frederick's Instructions to His Generals, the Dorn and Engelmann books on the infantry and cavalry regiments of Frederick the Great and much more. Also sell Old Glory, Essex and Heroic & Ros figures. Write to the Last Square at 5944 Odana Road, Madison, W1 53719. Phone: 1-800-750-4401. See ad in this issue for e-mail address, fax number, etc.

15. Reichenberg and Malleschitz 1757: Neil Cogswell has added a third book based on the diaries and letters of Horace St. Paul, an English volunteer saving in the Austrian army, who records the events of the 1757 Prussian invasion of Bohemia, leading up to the Battle of Prague (Malleschitz). 147 pages paperback with glossy card cover and numerous hand-drawn maps. (42 plates to be exact). I was particularly interested in the accounts of the Battle of Reichenberg, a small action that does not get much mention in the history books, so I want to thank Neil for uncovering this little gem in his transalation. The cost of the book is £ 15.00 in the UK or $30.00 in the US. I believe that Old Battlefields Press, EHQ and On Military Matters all carry this interesting book. I think that there is good value in this work for it provides us with a lot of first hand narrative of the events in the 1757 campaign. Write to Neil Cogswell at Gralene Books, PO Box 22, Guisborough TS14 ODD, UK.

16. Old Battlefields Press: Books and Maps Jim Mitchell sent me some samples of his latest endeavor, which is to take original 18th Century battlefield maps, and colorize and modify them for greater clarity and visual appeal. The sample received was for the Battle of Sandershausen July 23, 1758. Each French and Allied regiment is well marked on the map, which has a 3-D appearance . The map also depicts second and third phases of the battle. The reverse side includes a complete order of battle for both forces as well as a narrative of the battle. The cost is only $3.00 and provides the gamer or historian with a tremendous amount of value for the money.

Jim also reports that he has a similar map for Mehr and has Lobositz and Bergen in the works. Other maps available include Killiecrankie 1689 (and The Boyne is in preparation) for the Jacobite Rebellions; and a vast assortment of American Revolution maps including Camden, Hobkirks Hill, Cowpens, Kings Mountain, Guilford CH, Yorktown, Charleston, Savannah, Eutaw Springs and Stono Ferry.

On the book front, Old Battlefields Press has just published 3 journals from the Louisburg expedition of 1745. The first booklet is Pepperel's Journal of the Campaign (32 pages, $8.00), the second book1et is the diary of Dudley Bradstreet ($8.00) who served in the campaign, and Ships of the New England Navy in 1745 ($8.00). You can buy all three booklets at once for $20.00, thereby saving $4.00 off of the cover price. To order, write to Old Battlefields Press, at 5 East, 600 North, Valparaiso, IN 46383.

17. Brother Against Brother Skirmish Rules: Herb Gundt of HG Walls sent me a copy of his new skinnish rules for 18th and 19th Century wargaming. Although originally designed for the ACW, the rules work equally as well for the 18th Century, evidenced by the popularity of the F&I War games that Herb ran at the recent SYWA Convention in South Bend, IN. Herb reports that the simplicity of the rules makes it easy for gamers to modify the rules to suit their personal tastes or opinions on 18th Century skirmish wargaming. The basis unit is a squad of up to 12 figures, so these rules provide an easy and inexpensive way to get into 25mm skirmish gaming. Match these rules with the wonderful Guernsey Foundry 25mm SYW figures, and you have a show-stopping game, in my humble opinion.

The rules are 44 pages (A4 size) on quality glossy paper with lots of excellent color photographs of ACW action taken by Duncan MacFarlane of Wargames Illustrated fame; so you know that the quality of the presentation is very high. Cost is $15.95 plus postage in the US. Order directly from Herb Gundt at HG Walls, 3028 Springbrook Drive, South Bend, IN 46614 or phone (219) 2990352 (Visa and Mastercard accepted).

18. On Military Matters (Bookseller): I recently received a catalog from proprietor Dennis Shorthouse featuring new and used books pertaining to military history. Offerings include the complete line of Pengel and Hurt Uniform Guides, Osprey Books,assorted Charles Grant and Featherstone books on wargaming,and a good assortment of books on the F&I War, SYW, WAS, and the American Revolution. Write to the company at 55 Taylor Terrace, Hopewell, NJ 08525. Phone: (609) 466-2329; Fax: (609) 466-4174. Visa, MC or Discover cards are accepted as are personal checks in the US.

19. Age of Reason, Second Edition: Emperors Press recently released an updated version of these best-selling rules for 1 8th Century wargaming. Some of the typos and errors in the first edition are corrected, and there is some slight tinkering with the army lists. New battle maps for the Sport of Kings campaign battles, plus an index of terms and topics that makes it easier to look up a particular aspect of the rules. On the whole, there do not appear to be too many changes to what was already a fine set of rules.

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© Copyright 1998 by James E. Purky

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