The Boxer Rebellion China, 1900: The Artists' Perspective
The Boxer Rebellion as Described by Participants in Letters, Diaries and Photographs

edited by Frederic Sharf and Peter Harrington.

These two are a magnificent set and well worth adding to your small collection of titles concerning the rebellion. I got both of these from Helion books in the UK, I emailed the order, got a quick response that the books were available and virtually in the mail. I then received them within ten days, good service.

The Artists Perspective includes 37 American and British pieces and 12 Japanese, each with an excellent caption that includes all the information you want as well as a discussion of each drawing describing the action. All the drawings are well chosen, not a stinker in the lot for gaming purposes, more than sufficient to give you some great ideas. There are also two photographs and a map of Tientsin drawn by Herbert Hoover who was working in China as an engineer during the rebellion. The photo of the Hoover home will give an idea of Western architecture in China at the time. The photo of Mrs. Hoover next to one of the guns is great as is her letter to Evelyn Wright about being besieged in Tientsin. Herbert was no shrinking violet before and during the siege as he directed the construction of the defenses and he led foreys outside the defenses to the city water plant to boil water for the besieged city. He also aided the allied advances with his knowledge of the countryside. There are two personal observations from artists Sydney Adamson and Fred Whiting, the better of the two is by Whiting as he joined allied forces on the way to Peking just after liberation and was present for punitive actions after the victory parades in later August and September.

There are several nice photographs taken during the siege and a great drawing of the British compound all very helpful. Overall, I would highly recommend this book, I found it well worth the price.

As for China, 1900: The Eyewitnesses Speak there are 18 accounts taken from reports, journals and letters. Some are not as detailed as others but all are good reads. The most important for gamers are those by officers. I thought the accounts by the German and Japanese Naval Officers to be most interesting with very good information. The American and British accounts are by no means useless but the Anglo-American viewpoints are available, well not necessarily these, elsewhere. The Japanese and German accounts are, as some others, full of valuable information on numbers of troops, ammo carried, time of various actions taking place, casualties and numerous other bits of information that are useful for our rules and OBs. Overall these two books from Greenhill Press are Highly Recommended, not just for Boxer Rebellion gaming warfare or research but because they give a good insight into what other than Anglo-American officers' experiences were.