Conway Maritime Press have been busy with a new and impressive project. They have begun to publish a major series entitled Conway's History of the Ship, with two volumes having been produced so far. This will he the start of a comprehensive and authoritative reference work to describe every significant ship type from the dawn of seafaring to the present day. There will be twelve volumes produced over the next three years.

The first, The Eclipse of the Big Gun: The Warship 1906-45, was closely followed by one of interest to readers of this journal, namely, The Line of Battle: The Sailing Warship 1650-1840, edited by Bria havery. This is THE reference work on the subject, and covers every type of ship in use during the period. If you want to find out about Ships of the Line, Frigates, Sloops, Corvettes, Brigs, Fireships, plus all the support vessels essential to maintain a fleet, then this book will provide you with the information you need. There are sections on the design, construction and rigging of the vessels, guns and gunnery, and seamanship (useful for wargamers), all of which are sumptuously illustrated with maps, plans and engravings. The price is £28, which is not expensive when you consider the amount of information acquired for this money.

Greenhill have published Napoleon's Last Campaign in Germany, 1813 by F. Loraine Petre, price £19.95. This is a reprint of the classic work first published in 1912. Petre wrote a series of studies on Napoleon's campaigns, and this particular volume looks at the Grande Armee of 1813, the Allied Armies ranged against the French, Napoleon's strategy and manoeuvres, and the battles of Lutzen, Bautsen, Dresden and Leipzig, to name but a few of the major actions. The book contains maps and plans of the campaign, with a fold-out map of the general theatre of the war. It is a fascinating and detailed study of what has been described as one of Napoleon's more brilliant campaigns against overwhelming odds. If you have not already got Petre's volumes in your library, then Greenhill are doing you a service by making them available once more. They have already published Napoleon's Campaign in Poland 1806-07 (reprinting in Spring 1993) and Napoleon and the Archduke Charles.

Greenhill have also published Wellington in the Peninsula by Jac Weller, with the third volume of this trilogy Wellington in India coming out next Spring. 

They also send me details of a forthcoming project for 1993. They inform that `...we are starting to reissue Oman's History of the Peninsula War. We are not undertaking it as a seven volume set but instead treating it as we had Fortescue's History of the British Army in creating a `new' book (The Campaign of Waterloo) for the Napoleonic Library. What the Oman estate has kindly agreed is that we can produce `stand alone' books on the different Peninsular Campaigns (such as Talavera and Salamanca), each book containing everything that pertains to that particular event, and being an independent volume. Thus readers can obtain the volumes of particular interest to them, some or all, and they will be reissued over a period of time.

Leo Cooper have produced two interesting offerings for the Napoleonic enthusiast. Wellington's Peninsular War, written by Julian Paget price £17.95, was first published in 1990. This is a book that has been written not so much for the armchair historian as for the visitor to the battlefields of the Peninsula. In that respect it is a practical hook. It contains a general history of the war year by year, followed by an account of each of the battles, with detailed guides to these sites as they are today. Included in the text are maps and useful orders of battle for the opposing forces. It covers the period from Rolica in 1808 to the sortie from Bayonne in 1814, and is an indispensable guide to the Peninsula battlefields. If you go on a tour to the Peninsular battle sites then this voltime should be an essential part of your luggage. Recommended.

Julian Paget and Derek Saundcrs have written Hougoumont: The Key to Victory published by Leo Cooper price £13.95 At first sight it looks rather expensive for the size of the volume. I read this one it an evening. However, it is an interesting concept to examine one part of a famous battle. The defence of Hougoumont was crucial to the final victory of Waterloo, and this tome looks at the battle around the Chateau. There is a brief history and description of the building as it was in 1815, with an account of the events leading tip to the engagement. We learn of the various French attacks on the Chateau (seven in all); the famous incident of the closing of the gates; details of the troops involved (both Guards and allies); and there are some useful tables detailing the sequence of events at Hougoumont and the personalities involved. This is a useful book if you are interested in the Waterloo campaign, and particularly so if you wish to wargame this part of the battle.

As I say, an interesting concept to examine part of a battle. Perhaps the actions around La Have Sainte and Plancenoit could be given the same treatment? The book is an interesting (but relatively short) read.

Cromwell Productions have produced the first in a series of historical videos. Napoleon 1812: The Road to Moscow, price £14.99. This is the first of a series of films that will cover battles and campaigns from throughout history. Waterloo, also out, is available exclusivley from W H SMITHS.

The film represents very good value for money. It covers the reasons for the campaign, the opposing armies, the battles, the French occupation of Moscow, and the retreat during the terrible Russian winter. The story is narrated by Robert Powell, and utilises film footage from the Russian version of War and Peace, prints and paintings of the campaign, computer graphics to explain the strategy, interviews with David Chandler, and an actor playing the part of Sergeant Bourgogne.

The latter is a superb addition to the story, telling it through the eyes (and words) of a French soldier who took part in the campaign, both on the advance and retreat. The film finishes when Napoleon deserts the remnants of his Army and heads for Paris. The video comes complete with a small book (published by Partizan Press) about the campaign.

This is a video that I enjoyed watching. It presents a slice of the Napoleonic period in a very clear and concise way. The combination of presentation techniques ensures that the attention of the viewer is kept throughout the one hour running time. I look forward to the next in the series. 

The Dusty Archive

Napoleonic Assn Autumn Conference 1992
In Search of Nelson's Men
Study Days
Courses
Museum Report
Books and Videos
Town of Nottingham Alarming Affrays