by Kurt Hamilton Cox ISBN 1-85367-358-7, trade paperback, 1999, 72 pages, $12 or £ 7.50

Let me preface any review by noting that this is the first time I've seen the G.I. Series, although I have another G.I. series book: Uncle Sam's Little Wars: The Spanish-American War, Philippine Insurrection, and Boxer Rebellion 1898-1902.

Just as Osprey books follow a familiar format, apparently, so do these-a short 4-page introduction, and 68 pages of photographs and captions.

The photographs represent the core of the book. They are top quality and quite amazing. No doubt the more you know about a topic and presumably the more books you have on a topic, the less the photos will amaze you. It would be interesting to compare an Osprey side-by-side. But for cracking open one of these with little knowledge-absolutely amazing.

As for Custer, the book holds 114 color and black and white photos, primarily black and white period shots of Custer, his officers, and his men through his career. There are also some color photos of museum and private collections of artifacts, as well as the occasional painting. The captions provide concise descriptions and observations of the photos, including identification of most people, extensive comments on uniforms and additional thoughts on equipment. If there's one observation I can make, it's that the "Pony Wars" era in the US West featured a hodge-podge of "uniforms." Of particular interest are the photos of his 7th Cavalry company officers who accompanied him to the Little Bighorn.

The four-page text offers a terse overview of Custer's military life, from his West Point graduation as "goat" (ranked last), through his Civil War exploits, to his role as commander of the 7th Cavalry and his eventual death at Little Bighorn.

I'm quite impressed with the G.I. series as a quick introduction to the uniforms of "the American Soldier." The photographs are plentiful and varied, the captions informative, and the presentation effective. If Custer is your topic, this volume needs to be added to your library.

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