these would make an excellent background primer" was eagerly latched onto by the publisher!
I have recently received another release of four titles (I note that there are an additional four titles I have yet to review on the History Press webpage - I'm sure the series editor could see to sending those additional titles along for review - it's the top 4 on the website!). More importantly I noticed that the books are now available on Kindles and via iTunes - well done The History Press!
To Buy These from Amazon Click here
To buy these from The History Press Click here
Some of my original observations are still extant - I still believe some colour plates would be very welcome when considering maps of the battles. I understand this is probably a budgetary constraint but I would be happy with just a couple of colour pages in the centre of the book for reference. Equally my observation that specific short battles worked better than long drawn out engagements due to the 150 page limitation seems to have been listened to - or at least others have succeeded in persuading the editor in this direction - the four titles reviewed here all took place over a relatively short period of time (or at least in a relatively compact area of real estate which has the same effect).
For similar reasons to before, I will consider all four titles in this one review:
Waterloo 1815 - Gregory Fremont-Barnes
I have probably read more books on this battle than any other battle so I approached this tome with a little trepidation. What would it lose in its brevity when you consider the usual length of past treatises on the same subject? I have to say I was very impressed - GF-B summarises the lead up to the battle well and, more importantly, succintly. The battle benefits from taking place on a small battlefield over the course of a single day - but GF-B manages to flit around the individual engagements without confusing and you come away with a good overview. Out of all these books, this one really does fit the bill of 'battlefield tour primer' as an easy to read way of bluffing your way as a military history buff!
Rorke's Drift 1879 - Edmund Yorke
Having reviewed a book about Isandlwana in the last batch of Battle Story series books, I was looking forward to this book. Embarrassingly my previous knowledge of this battle was entirely reliant on watching 'Zulu' every Christmas throughout my youth. An ideal counterpoint to Isandlwana; Rorke's Drift shows how vital all round defence is! This book had a good balance of narrative, maps and diagrams which left a warm feeling that one now understood the battle.
Tobruk 1941 - Pier Paolo Battistelli
PPB is an Italian (really!) who is an expert in the Western Desert campaign - indeed he wrote 'El Alamein 1942', as reviewed previously. This book does suffer a little from having quite a wide remit but that is not the author's fault - indeed he manages to convey the changing tides of fortune well as the war swept back and forth across North Africa.
Iwo Jima 1945 - Andrew Rawson
AR is a previous Battle Story author; although in his case, the two battles are not linked. Like his previous book on the 'Battle of the Bulge', this book was a very good introduction to a battle I didn't know well. Iwo Jima is known for the iconic image of the American soldiers raising the Stars and Stripes on the summit of Mount Suribachi - an iconic image that was produced for PR purposes, a smaller flag having been raised on the same site a little while before. AR manages the size of the invasion well - one doesn't get lost in endless streams of battalion and combat team titles.
Overall, I think these 4 titles are an excellent addition to the Battle Story series. Lessons have clearly been learnt from the first release and these read better and confuse less. Certainly worth getting if you're about to embark on a battlefield study or have been directed to write an essay on the subject, again these not only serve as a good primer but also provide a useful bibliography that can direct further research.
4 Mushroom Heads
Captain_Crusty
The History Press
To Buy These from Amazon Click here
To buy these from The History Press Click here
I have recently received another release of four titles (I note that there are an additional four titles I have yet to review on the History Press webpage - I'm sure the series editor could see to sending those additional titles along for review - it's the top 4 on the website!). More importantly I noticed that the books are now available on Kindles and via iTunes - well done The History Press!
- Waterloo 1815
- Rorke's Drift 1879
- Tobruk 1941
- Iwo Jima 1945
To Buy These from Amazon Click here
To buy these from The History Press Click here
Some of my original observations are still extant - I still believe some colour plates would be very welcome when considering maps of the battles. I understand this is probably a budgetary constraint but I would be happy with just a couple of colour pages in the centre of the book for reference. Equally my observation that specific short battles worked better than long drawn out engagements due to the 150 page limitation seems to have been listened to - or at least others have succeeded in persuading the editor in this direction - the four titles reviewed here all took place over a relatively short period of time (or at least in a relatively compact area of real estate which has the same effect).
For similar reasons to before, I will consider all four titles in this one review:
Waterloo 1815 - Gregory Fremont-Barnes
I have probably read more books on this battle than any other battle so I approached this tome with a little trepidation. What would it lose in its brevity when you consider the usual length of past treatises on the same subject? I have to say I was very impressed - GF-B summarises the lead up to the battle well and, more importantly, succintly. The battle benefits from taking place on a small battlefield over the course of a single day - but GF-B manages to flit around the individual engagements without confusing and you come away with a good overview. Out of all these books, this one really does fit the bill of 'battlefield tour primer' as an easy to read way of bluffing your way as a military history buff!
Rorke's Drift 1879 - Edmund Yorke
Having reviewed a book about Isandlwana in the last batch of Battle Story series books, I was looking forward to this book. Embarrassingly my previous knowledge of this battle was entirely reliant on watching 'Zulu' every Christmas throughout my youth. An ideal counterpoint to Isandlwana; Rorke's Drift shows how vital all round defence is! This book had a good balance of narrative, maps and diagrams which left a warm feeling that one now understood the battle.
Tobruk 1941 - Pier Paolo Battistelli
PPB is an Italian (really!) who is an expert in the Western Desert campaign - indeed he wrote 'El Alamein 1942', as reviewed previously. This book does suffer a little from having quite a wide remit but that is not the author's fault - indeed he manages to convey the changing tides of fortune well as the war swept back and forth across North Africa.
Iwo Jima 1945 - Andrew Rawson
AR is a previous Battle Story author; although in his case, the two battles are not linked. Like his previous book on the 'Battle of the Bulge', this book was a very good introduction to a battle I didn't know well. Iwo Jima is known for the iconic image of the American soldiers raising the Stars and Stripes on the summit of Mount Suribachi - an iconic image that was produced for PR purposes, a smaller flag having been raised on the same site a little while before. AR manages the size of the invasion well - one doesn't get lost in endless streams of battalion and combat team titles.
Overall, I think these 4 titles are an excellent addition to the Battle Story series. Lessons have clearly been learnt from the first release and these read better and confuse less. Certainly worth getting if you're about to embark on a battlefield study or have been directed to write an essay on the subject, again these not only serve as a good primer but also provide a useful bibliography that can direct further research.
4 Mushroom Heads
Captain_Crusty
The History Press
- Waterloo 1815
- Rorke's Drift 1879
- Tobruk 1941
- Iwo Jima 1945
To Buy These from Amazon Click here
To buy these from The History Press Click here
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