Books that may be of interest to wargamers besides rules.
1. "War Game" by Anthony Price, paperback, published by Grafton, £4.99, ISBN 0586 21715 0. An ECW recreation is over but a real corpse is in the battlefield brook! Seventeenth century secrets mixed with espionage. Quite a lot of good stuff on seventeenth century battles in this, and a good "whodunnit".
2. "The Candlemass Road" by George MacDonald Fraser, pub Harvill/Harper Collins. ISBN 0 00 271362 4, £12.99, hardback. From the author of "Flashman", a book about the Border Reivers by the same man who wrote the classic Anglo-Scottish border history "The Steel Bonnets". 400 years ago on the Borders, your home was your castle - or you'd be dead and everything you owned would be travelling back North - or South! If you had a sword or lance, that was the law. Good detail and historical accuracy - suspense and action.
3. "The War in New Zealand" by Captain Pasley, pub Pallas Armata and obtainable from Garreth Simon, 98 Priory Road, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 2BP. A more obvious book for wargamers. Some of PA's books are for members of certain societies only, Pike and Shot for instance. If you don't know of these series of reprints, you are missing out something big. The paperback is a print of a lecture given on Monday, March 17th, 1862 by the Capt. of the Royal Engineers. As you would expect, there are some maps and sketches of Maori rifle pits. I've converted quite a few WF figures to Maoris (their Indians), got some Lyzards Grin figs from USA and also a couple of moulds from Joel Haas on the other side of the water. Guernsey Foundry may do some Maoris at some time in the future.
John Stiton writes: "Death to the French" by C.S. Forester tells the story of Rifleman Matthew Dodd of the 95th who was cut off when the British retreated to the lines of Torres Verdas. The story covers his adventures and includes some possible scenarios for wargaming, some of which are: Pursuit of a lone rifleman by the French, 'Ambush' by guerillas (accidental ambush, let it be said, in one case), Ambush of a supply train and an attempt to burn bridging equipment (pontoons, etc.) If members are into Napoleonics, this is a small book that covers an aspect not usually associated with set piece battles and is a good read.
Bob Walker writes: I recently bought Raimondo Luraghi's "A History of the Confederate Navy." I wondered if you would like details of it. Title: A History of the Confederate Navy. ISBN 1 86176 021 3. Author: Raimondo Luraghi. Publisher: Chatham Publishing. RRP: £30.00. The result of nearly thirty years of research by the author, this book presents the first coherent historical narrative of the operations of the Confederate States Navy to see publication. Concentrating on the strategy of the naval war and the way in which its ships were built, the book succeeds in conveying a good impression of the nature of the conflict without swamping the reader with the detail of the individual actions. The work dispels many common misconceptions and, by supplying a bibliography and source notes which occupy almost a third of the book, it provides an excellent starting point for any serious student of this aspect of the American Civil War. The price is, however, a high one, and those with a casual interest in wargaming the period would probably find better inspiration in J. Thomas Scharf's "History of the Confederate States Navy", ISBN 0-517-239132.
"The War of 1812" A Wargamer's Guide, Pt II: The Uniforms of the King's Army. by Charles Glenn & Stephen Manley, Pub Potsdam Flags & Publications.
Available form Geneva, 16 Buckminster Close, Oakwood, Derby, DE21 2EA, UK. Reviewed by David Barnes
This booklet is part of an excellent series, some of which I have reviewed before. Richard V. Barbuto (member of SWA and Editor of LW USA) has written Part I on the US Army of 1812, which is being printed as I write. Part II is not claimed as final and definitive on the military dress in N. America 1812-1815, but it is offered as an improvement. What was available previously seemed to have been, after 1970, a recycling of what was available then. There is quite an amount of more original research in this booklet.
It is well presented with a plastic ringbound spine and transparent plastic cover to the front cover. The illustrations are excellent, being for the most part clear, well executed line drawings in black and white. After a short introduction, a concise background to the war is given, and the main classes of forces available to the crown. It is the stated aim of the booklet to offer a description of what the troops actually looked like, "for the benefit particularly of wargamers".
Part I deals with the British Regular Infantry; Part II with British Regular Cavalry; Part III Canadian Fencibles; Part IV Canadian Provincial Infantry; Part V Canadian Provincial Cavalry; Part VI Canadian Militia; Part VII Artillery and services. Appendix 1 gives examples of extracts of General Orders. Finally "General Notes" including wargames figure availability (Wargames Foundry's range is unaccountably missed), flags for wargamers, and painted/second hand armies. There is a long select Bibliography. This booklet keeps up the excellent standards set by the previous ones. I recommend it to you.
Pallas Armata Newsletter. Gives details of photocopied A5 booklets from rare military histories and period memoirs for all wargamers. For details contact Garreth Simon, 98 Priory Road, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 2BP or for USA; Andrew Preziosi, 11017 SW 125th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33186 - email (lower case) at d015349c@dcfreenet.seflin.us. Kenn
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