As the co-author of THEY DIED FOR GLORY, I occasionally get letters from gamers who want to know what books they can use as painting guides for this war. I've put together a list of books and other references that I have collected over the years. I hope that some of my MWAN brethren find the list useful.

Osprey has four books on that cover the Franco-Prussian War:

The French Army 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War (1) Imperial Troops
The French Army 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War (2) Republican Troops
The Army of the German Empire 1870-1888 (OP)
Gravelotte-St Privat 1870

What more can I say, they're Ospreys.

To the best of my knowledge, the book on the German Army is out of print. Used bookstores and wargame convention flea markets are probably the best chance for finding a copy.

Wargames Foundry has a Franco-Prussian painting guide that consists of two color plates (showing French and Prussian troops and a Bavarian infantryman) and three black and white pages with descriptions of Bavarian, Saxon, and Wurttemberg troops. I purchased my copy several years ago but the painting guide may still be available.

Nigel Smith has published two excellent books on the Franco-Prussian War (he also wrote the Historical Summary in THEY DIED FOR GLORY). Book One is on the French Army and Book Two is on the German Armies. Both books contain uniform information, as well as a brief history of the war, the organization of the armies and orders of battle. These books are available in the US from Andy Preziosi, 11017 SW 125th Ave, Miami, FL 33186. If you can only find one set of books for the FrancoPrussian War, make sure these are the ones.

C.A. Sapherson, who has published several books on the armies of the 17th and 19th centuries, has a book on the Franco-Prussian War entitled "Armies of 1870". It contains excellent uniform information. It is available from Caliver Books, 26 Cliffsea Grove, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex SS9 1NQ, United Kingdom.

Mark Strachan has a booklet entitled "The Uniforms and Organizations of the Armies of The Franco-Prussian War". It contains uniform information along with organizational information and orders of battle. It is available from Table Top Games, 29 Beresford Avenue, Skegness, Lincolnshire PE25 3JF, United Kingdom, and from Caliver Books, 26 Cliffsea Grove, Leigh-on- Sea, Essex SS9 1 NQ, United Kingdom.

The Funken book, "Arms and Uniforms, 18th Century to the Present Day", has bw and color plates depicting French infantry and cavalry, and one plate on the various German states. However, the plate showing French Cavalry mistakenly shows the French Dragoon in the older green uniform rather than the newer blue uniform that most (if not all) of the French Dragoons wore during the Franco-Prussian War. However, the Guard Dragoon regiment still wore a green uniform, which may explain the confusion.

Last, but not least (although the most expensive) is "L'Armee Francaise", by Edouard Detaille. This book covers the French Army of the 19th century and contains several illustrations from the Franco-Prussian war (including The Pause, which was used for the cover of THEY DIED FOR GLORY). The book is available from Quantum Publishing.

For those gamers interested in the Franco-Prussian War, there are two other booklets that are worth picking up, even though they do not contain any uniform information. They are "The Franco-Prussian War - A Guide" by Steve Shann, and "Franco Prussian War" by Frontier Miniatures (which is now out of print as far as I know). The Shann booklet is available from Anschluss Publishing, Rivendell, Wathen Way, Marsham, nr Buxton, Norfolk, NR10 5PZ, United Kingdom. Wargame convention fin markets are your best chance for finding the Frontier booklet.

Gamers interested in obtaining any of these books should contact the dealers listed above to verify the price and availability of the books, as well as shipping costs.