1) The Zouave, 20578 Alliance-Sebring Road, Alliance, OH 44601. $16 a year subscription. While I know most of you could care less about the ACW there are articles here worth reading. One in particular stands out by Andrew Birtle "Infantry Squares in the Civil War". Birtle uses official documents and primary sources to briefly describe the use of squares in combat. Best of all he writes "that some officers regarded the square as a useful rallying formation... a safe, stable formation that permitted broken units... to retreat through them without undue risk that the retreating units would sweep the reserve along with them." This is worth stealing for your home rules. Also worth a good look before stealing the ideas is the Johnny Reb III Quick Reference Chart. This double sided sheet has almost everything to play a game using these rules (well done).

2) Games Workshop, 1-800-394-GAME. Has a short catalog out for modeling scenery. It has some great stuff that's hard to find like chests, tables and best of all columns. The column of skulls is my favorite, column 2 has a decidedly Indian / oriental flavor (both of which I plan on ordering). They are not exactly cheap but you don't need thousands. They also have a nice selection of paints, but with strange names like skull white and rotting flesh. The paints are pretty good, the best of the lot are the ink like washes they have, ten different colors that are worth using.

Finally, in White Dwarf Number 199, there is a notice of a book How to Make Wargames Terrain. I have not seen it yet, but if it is anything like the scenery articles in White Dwarf it might be worth your while to check it out. See mini-review in #98, item #13.

They had an article some months ago on building Orc huts, well the huts look close enough to a variety of African huts that I made eight and they look great and right to scale (large 25mm).

3) Caliver Books, 817-818 London Road, Leigh on Sea, Essex, SS9 3NH England, sent their latest catalog (T) and it includes about 125 books on the colonial period, 25 wargames and rules, 35+ on l9th century Europe, 20 on the Franco-Prussian War and too many to count on American Wars. They have a number of titles that are outstanding. Send them three $1 bills for their catalog. They also sent the latest Osprey list. Campaign 45, Majuba 1881 by Ian Castle available in October; Men at Arms, The Boer War (1) 1836-98 by lan Knight available in November.

4) Barnes and Nobles, 1-800-THE BOOK, as always there is lots to choose from especially if you are into the medieval period. Several period books may still be available: Frontier, The Epic of South Africa's Creation and the Tragedy of the Xhosa People by N. Mostert $4.98; The Boer War, by E. Belfield $5.98;Revolt in the Desert by T E Lawrence $3.98; The Reason Why by C WoodhamSmith $7.98; The Indian Army of the Empress by A Harfield $ 19.98; andThe Washing Of the Spears by D R Morris $7.98.

5) Victorian Military Society, Soldiers of the Queen issue 85, Mr Ralph Moore-Morris, 3 Franks Road, Guilford, Surrey, GU2 6NT, England. While there are eight articles this issue the best of the lot is "Turkish Uniforms of the Crimean War as depicted by General Vanson" by C A Norman. The article contains 19 drawings and descriptions of many more more.

6) Lone Warrior, Solo Wargamers Association, 1707 Ridge Road Leavenworth, KS 66048 $20 for US sub. Two good article, not that the others are bad, just not our period. A set of rules by Paul Grace "From Mahdist to Martian...or There and Back Again." Interesting set of simple rules that can easily be converted to the colonial period by a change of words. And, by George Arnold "ACW Campaigning 'Resolving the Little Encounters." And, ingenious idea for resolving encounters between scouting units and larger bodies of troops in a map campaign situation.

7) Scholars Bookshelf, 110 Melrich Rd., Cranbury, NJ 08512. There are several books in their Military History and History Catalog but I am sure you can get them less expensively elsewhere, i.e. Barnes and Nobles. However, for you VA Stuart fans of Hazard they have the entire eight book set in hard cover at $19.95 to $21.95 each or $135 for the set which is a considerable savings. This is the first time I have seen the last three titles anywhere (Hazard in Circassia, Shannon's Brigade and Sailors on Horseback), however they may be an English reprint with English titles. If anyone can shed some light I would appreciate it.

8) Wargames Illustrated, #105. Available through Wargames, Box 278, Route 40 East, Triadelphia, WV 26059-0278. A set of wild west rules "The Rules With No Name ... Triggernometry rules that don't need a higher mathematics degree," by Bryan Ansell. I have played these rules seveml times and they are lots of fun and quick. So get out your old Marx 54mm figures, better yet get some of Guernsey Foundry's, Dixon's or Pass of the North western figures and play a game.

9) Miniature Wargames, #158, Available as above. The only colonial article is part II of "The Sikh Wars" by John Watts. The part covers the Battle of Sobraon, The End of the First Sikh War, The Arrny of the Bengal Presidency and 15 color plates of uniforms and information. Very useful for the period.

10) The Courier, #70, PO Box 1878, Brockton, MA 02403. While there are no colonial articles, it is still worth reading.

11) Tall Ships Books, PO Box 8027, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 52408-8027. I received a catalog and info, if you are interested in American or British naval warfare history or fiction this is the place to go. The prices are very reasonable and the method of business very fair.

12) Articles of War, 8806 Bronx Ave. Skokie, IL 60077- 1896. I received List #6 which ist colonial titles only mostly Africa and some Northwest Frontier. On the front page is there latest offering in the European Wars series of reprints the Russian Campaign in Turkey 1877-78, by Francis Greene, US Army. See review in #97.

Pre-publication price until 20 September of $49.95. According to the flyer, Greene was an Attache with the Russian Army in their campaign in the Balkans against the Turks. The book starts with a 136 page handbook on the Russian Army of the period, and covers strengths, organization, armament, equipment and tactics with 50 plates illustrating Russian arms and equipment.

Following the handbook, Greene chronicles the initial battles in Bulgaria, including the concentration of the Russian armies in Romania and the crossing of the Danube. The battles of Lovtcha, Gorni-Dubnik, the siege of Plevna and the capture of the Turkish army at Shipka Pass. Also studied are the operations in the Caucasus. The final section discusses in detail Russian and Turkish tactics in the defense and assault on fortified places. Call now to reserve your copy 847-674-7445.

13) Military History Camp for Kids, Jim Birdseye (3411 Kerry Place, Augusta GA 30909) conducts two one week summer camps for 6th to 9th graders in Augusta GA. Jim mixes gaming, history, painting, team work and reading together for a very successful camp. If you are a teacher with relatively free summers this might be a good idea for you to try. Some kids come back year after year and he still makes it interesting to them.. Parents have been amazed that their kids have taken an interest in history.

14) On the QT, I have heard from several (2-3) manufacturers of 25mm figures that they plan on producing full lines of colonial figures (i.e. German, French, Spanish, etc.) along with their various enemy troops in the near future. Which I think translates to two to three years to get their sculpters, designs, molds and figures begun. I look forward to see this as the colonial period has become mired in the Zulu War. Although there is fresh air coming from Wargames Foundry with their Sikh War figures.

I think that Ian Knight has done an outstanding job of presenting both the hobby and military historians with information on the Zulu Wars. No criticism on Knights part intended, but I wish there was a scholar out there who would do the same for the Northwest Frontier, the rest of Africa and Southeast Asia. While there is material available in German, French, Spanish and Danish we have no access to it. Heck, then there's South America that we know practically nothing about. Although, Terry Hooker is valiantly trying to educate us through El Dorado and his other publications.

Opinions, Please. Are we just not very observant about these other colonial wars? Don't care about them? Don't see figures for them so we don't care? Figures and books are too expensive to start a new field of gaming? or What? I would like to know from you if you would be interested in other colonial wars or why you are not interested, tell me your opinions.

15) Wargames Foundry and Guernsey Foundry, have sent along their latest offerings figurewise. While I am not an authority on the Imperial Roman Army, Wargames Foundry's figures of the Praetorian Guard (AD40-100) and Personalities (Claudius, Vespasian, Trajan and Paullinus) are outstanding. They must be using a scanning electron microscope to get the detail level correct and good looking. The animation and expresions are very well done. (After a while you start to run out of superlatives to use without going to the dictionary). The Guernsey Foundry figures are from the Seven Years War and begin with Prussian infantry and cavalry with a few Cossacks thrown in. The SYW is my second favorite period, particularly the F&I War but I may have to start a small army for European operations.

These little guys are wow!!! Included in the first group of Prussians are Musketeers, Grenadiers, Fusiliers, Cuirassiers, Freicorps and Officers. Besides typical poses there are casualties and humorous poses. The Cossacks and officers are the best animated figures I've seen in a while outside of the colonial ranges.

16) Finally, this issue has come out a little late due to late afternoon thunder storms when I can't work on the computer. Things are a little crazy at my house right now and a couple of the next issues may be three or four days late also. I have been approached by a fastfood developer to sell my home (sob, sob) to make way for greasey burgers. So over the next nine months while the deal works out we will be in the process of moving to a farm even further into the wilds of SC. When the time comes, read after we sweat our brains out fixing the place up, getting the garden ready, and the cows seen to, also going to the UK on business, I will give you the new address etc.

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