We received the following press release.--RL

On the jacket flap of Digby Smith's GREENHILL NAPOLEONIC WARS DATA BOOK we mention the fact that Digby Smith used to write under the nom de plume of Otto von Pivka. The linkage needs a little explanation and this can now be provided as Digby has sent us Otto's biography and the interesting history of his use of that name.

In 1972, Digby's first book, THE BLACK BRUNSWICKERS in the Osprey Men at Arms Series, was about to come out. As Digby was then a major in the British Army it was appropriate to have a nom de plume because he was serving in Germany and working on German subjects, he settled upon Otto von Pivka. Otto was based upon a Prussian drum major (Piefka) who to the Austrians had typified all that was hateful and overbearing about Prussia. Digby then gave Otto a fictional, tongue-in-cheek biography, which he developed over several books, keeping Otto's age and war record deliberately vague, to keep people off the scent of the linkage with a serving officer of the British Army.

A comparison of the colour photo on the jacket flap of the GREENHILL NAPOLEONIC WARS DATA BOOK with that on the flap of NAPOLEONIC ARMIES (David and Charles, 1979) shows that Otto and Digby are one and the same person.

Now Digby has retired from the military, Otto is no longer needed and has since been pensioned off. Digby is now using his real name and will continue to do so.

The GREENHILL NAPOLEONIC WARS DATA BOOK will be released soon. The book has been handsomely manufactured in South East Asia and the consignments are due to dock in Britain and the United States within the next several days. It then usually takes about ten days for the books to reach the respective distribution facilities and for despatches to be made. First copies, received in advance by courier, show this to be a handsome, monumental work and we know that a lot of people out there are waiting for it.

Greenhill Books
Park House
1 Russell Gardens
London NW11 9NN
Tel: 0181 458 6314
Fax: 0181 905 5245
E-mail: LionelLeventhal@compuserve.com

US distribution by:
Stackpole Boooks
5067 Ritter Road
Mechanicsburg PA 17055
Tel: 717 796 0411
Fax: 717 796 0412
E-mail: sales@stackpolebooks.com

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