Many members already know the Pallas Armata library of reprinted military histories. For those who do not, this will be the first in a series of occasional reviews of the titles in the collection. Pallas Armata is the creation of Gareth Simon, who runs the enterprise as a hobby, not a business. I called it an enterprise, but a service would be a far better choice of word, as Gareth in this way enables members of the wargaming societies to acquire rare military histories and period memoirs that otherwise only can be found in libraries. And for foreign residents, such as myself, Pallas Armata offers virtually the only way to find these titles.

Pallas Armata publications are photocopied A5 booklets reprinting rare or since long out-of-print books, selected by Gareth. Because of the limits of the photocopying and binding technology, most books from Pallas Armata come in several volumes. Each volume is a booklet of some thirty or forty pages. They accordingly do not fit easily into book shelves, at least not if you wish to find one particular title among many. I have found that it is easiest to store the booklets in boxes.

Inconvenient, true, but an advantage - for those who commute to work, at least - is that it is easier to bring one or two handy booklets to read in the train rather than a bulky book. And the actual photocopying is good. I have not yet noticed any missing sections or pages, and I have read plenty of Pallas Armata titles.

Gareth as a rule does not keep a stock of titles but only prints them as they are ordered. If you want a title, order it. Gareth will then take the master copies down to the copy bureau to fill your order. This procedure may take some time, as, if the bureau is very busy, the master copies may wait for up to six weeks before being printed. Although this may seem long, remember that this is Gareth's hobby and not his occupation. Besides, most commercial publishers take quite some time, too, if you order directly from them.

If you wish to be informed of titles other than those reviewed, send a stamped and addressed envelope (2 International Reply Coupons for European readers, 3 IRCs for further afield) to Gareth Simon, 98 Priory Road, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 2BP, England. When ordering, British readers will be delighted to find that prices include postage and packing. Orders outside the UK should add 15% to cover the higher postage rates. Make cheques, money orders, etc., (in Sterling only) payable to Gareth Simon.Members in the United States can order from Andrew Preziosi, 11017 SW 125th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33186. Write to him for prices in US Dollars. You can email him (in lower case!) at d015349c@dcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us.

Books originally written more than a century ago can obviously not be reviewed in the same manner as a new publication. History has in most cases moved forwards, so it would be grossly unfair to the original author to dismiss his work as merely out of date, when in fact all contemporary works may use his work as a foundation. However, in the following reviews I will point out a few omissions and mistakes. The reader should keep in mind that unless I so advice, a small number of minor errors in no way detracts from the value of the book or booklet as a whole.

It should also be noted that books printed before the 1800s can be of poor quality, not just because of age, but because printing quality was generally bad in those days; also, books printed before the 1800s will have the "long S" - where 's' resembles an 'f'; and those printed about or before 1600 are likely to use a Gothic typeface.And now on to the actual reviews.

More Reviews

The Pallas Armata Library
Numbers in History
The Tyrants of Britain, Gaul and Spain 406-411
The Fall of Visigothic Power in Spain
Strategimaticon and Strategicon

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