Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2001, $29.95, ISBN: 0-304-35390-6, 224 pgs.

This introduction to the English Civil War provides a good overview of the military activities in the middle 1600s. It reads more like a magazine than a book, with a considerable number of side articles covering commanders, weapons, battles, and the like. In some ways, it subverts the narrative--you constantly have to switch mental gears to halt the narrative to read a short bio. However, in other ways, it adds to the value of the book by pulling out this sort of snapshot info for those flipping through the book.

Although Carruthers' name is on the cover, it seems Stuart Reid--a rather recognizable name--did most of the text. The prose competently retells events and actions from 1639 and effectively uses contemporary accounts from diaries, memoirs, and letters to infuse the narrative with period perceptions.

Of particular interest will be the illustrations--a mixture of contemporary through modern periods-in color and black and white. I find a somewhat uneven production quality. Paintings, portraits, Victorian era engravings and period illustrations are generally clear and easy to see. Some painting reproductions are a little too dark to make out detail (page 178: Gilbert's Battle of Naseby is an example of this--though I must add that the original may very well be virtually black).

Each battle of importance contains several maps outlining how the battle went--a very effective touch. Less effective is the color uniform plate for each battle, picking a pair of musketeer or pikemen or other combatants. All these look like impressionistic watercolors rather than, say, an Osprey-style crisp illustration.

Some re-enactor stills taken from video are equally unfocused. I suppose that you might consider it an artistic view of battle, but given the range of sharp photos in other various re-enactor books and magazines, these images in The English Civil Wars looks like a botched video-to-print operation.

And yet, other illustrations are sharp as can be. The section on flags and standards show the book at its very best--the complementary nature of multiple illustrations, and the prose moves along. For those looking for a comprehensive introduction to the English Civil War, this effort will do quite nicely.

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