What are you currently reading ?

Started by goat major, 03 November 2012, 06:40:05 PM

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Steve J

Re-started 'The English Civil War' by Diane Purkiss. Full of lots of useful detail for the forthcoming 'The Pikemen's Lament' rules, which is the main reason I bought it. Can be a bit tough going at times, but glad I picked it up again.

Subedai

Neil Thomas's One-Hour Wargames book. Can't say too much as I've only got to the bit about ancient cavalry. Others rate them though so I thought I'd give them a go.

MickS
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Westmarcher

Recently finished re-reading* Battle of Britain: The Hardest Day by Alfred Price. Fast moving, detailed and very dramatic account of the 3 major air assaults against targets in southern England on 18 August 1940 by Luftwaffe Air Fleets 2 & 3.  Highly readable and full of human interest. As well as describing the events of that 24 hour period when 100 German and 136 British aircraft were destroyed or damaged in the air or on the ground, the book includes OOBs, details of individual combat losses  (times, crews, locations) and some great photos including those taken by one crewman of 9th Staffel (Bomber Geschwader 76)'s as it approached Kenley for its low level attack. My edition was first published in 1979, nor do I know enough about the period to say if subsequent authors have discovered any new or revelatory information since then to challenge Price's book. Nevertheless, I found it a very enjoyable read.

*(last read it some 25 years ago?)
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

Steve J

Wargames through the Ages Vol 2 1420 - 1783 by D F Featherstone.

Just flicked through this as have not read it since 1983 when my good friend, classmate and wargaming chum lent it to me at University. Bit of a trip down memory lane really. Full of plenty of information that will prove very useful I'm sure for wargaming some of the more obscure periods in the future. Given the period of time it covers and the fact that it cost just over £20 inc p&p, I think it's a steal.

FierceKitty

Quote from: Steve J on 22 June 2016, 12:55:19 PM
Wargames through the Ages Vol 2 1420 - 1783 by D F Featherstone.

Just flicked through this as have not read it since 1983 when my good friend, classmate and wargaming chum lent it to me at University. Bit of a trip down memory lane really. Full of plenty of information that will prove very useful I'm sure for wargaming some of the more obscure periods in the future. Given the period of time it covers and the fact that it cost just over £20 inc p&p, I think it's a steal.

Have to agree about the stealing. Given the quality of much of his info, you were robbed.
I don't drink coffee to wake up. I wake up to drink coffee.

Duke Speedy of Leighton

On a school residential, taken Mary Beard's S.P.Q.R.
She's not as revolutionary about Cataline as I thought she would be, but very well written first 60 pages! :D
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Ithoriel

Having spent literally months reading all 460-odd pages of "Warfare in the Ancient Near East to 1600 BC: Holy Warriors at the Dawn of History" by William Hamblin I've moved on to something a little lighter.

The Hamblin book was fascinating but I could only read a few pages before I needed to stop and let my brain sort out the Eannatums from the Ennanatums and the Antifis from the Antefs :)

I've moved on to Andrzej Sapkowski's "Witcher" series. "Sword of Destiny" is proving a faster read, though it turns out to have almost as many odd names in it!
There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

fsn

I'm much taken with the YouTube channel "Forgotten Weapons". Although it's basically a promo for an auction house, Ian the presenter is knowledgeable and engaging. Looks at the history and mechanics of various weapons of all ages.


Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

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Westmarcher

Some interesting videos there, Nobby.
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

Westmarcher

Currently reading Swords for Hire by James Miller. This is about Scots in the 16th and 17th centuries who left Scotland to earn a living fighting in mainland Europe. Some sought fame and fortune while others were fleeing justice and hardship. Its a fascinating read touching on many battles, sieges, incidents and small actions, most of which I've never heard of before and with new personalities surfacing in almost every page, the book certainly gives the impression it is very well-researched. I'm still reading my way through the book so but so far it's quite good.

P.S. Interestingly, in one chapter, we are told that the south eastern shore of the Baltic, especially Poland and Prussia, became the destination of choice for 16th Century Scots emigrants and workers. In Danzig, for example, over 120 Scots became city burgesses with one of its suburbs known as Stary Szkoty (Old Scotland). Indeed, the Scots were so ubiquitous around the whole region that this prompted someone to assert during a Westminster parliamentary debate in 1606 on the possibility of a union with Scotland, that "If we admit them .... we shall be overrun with them ... witness the multiplicities of the Scots in Polonia."   Sound familiar?
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

fsn

Quote from: Westmarcher on 25 June 2016, 08:27:14 PM
Some interesting videos there, Nobby.
Thank you. It's an odd little channel, but quite engrossing when you get into it.

There's one on a Dutch police revolver. It had five cylinders. First contained a blank, to act as a warning shot, the second had a tear gas round and the last three had proper bullets.

Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

Oik of the Year 2013, 2014; Prize for originality and 'having a go, bless him', 2015
3 votes in the 2016 Painting Competition!; 2017-2019 The Wilderness years
Oik of the Year 2020; 7 votes in the 2021 Painting Competition
11 votes in the 2022 Painting Competition (Double figures!)
2023 - the year of Gerald:
2024 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

nikharwood

Quote from: fsn on 25 June 2016, 10:07:42 PM

There's one on a Dutch police revolver. It had five cylinders. First contained a blank, to act as a warning shot, the second had a tear gas round and the last three had proper bullets.



Nice... first, scare the criminal. Then make him / her cry. Then double-tap 'em. And one for luck, presumably... ;D


Leman

Entertaining myself with a reread of Bruce Weigle's 1866. Lots of info for smaller scale games for my 10mm armies. Might well use the rules for the quarter and half scale games and BBB for the bigger Bohemian/Italian scraps.
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Roy

Nowt.

Currently going through all my old wargames magazines and cutting out all the best bits and recycling the rest.
Funny how I keep spotting articles written by people I've know met, either in person or via the Internet. Just found Bodvoc's 1066 rules, for instance.  
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Bodvoc

Hope you enjoyed reading them Roy.

QuoteJust found Bodvoc's 1066 rules,

Now re-written and tweaked slightly for 10mm figures on 6x3cm bases :)

If anyone fancies a copy, PM and I can email you a copy. The rules cater for Normans, Anglo-Danes and Vikings at the moment but Picts (and other earlier armies such as Arthurians/Sub-Roman British) will be added when I get round to painting them. These are simple, quick play rules I wrote for my own amusement and games. I even started a fantasy version but then Warband came out and I played that instead.
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