What are you currently reading ?

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

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kipt


kipt

Finished "Dixie Victorious: An Alternate History Of The Civil War", edited by Peter G. Tsouras.

Rather than one story, this has 10 different "what ifs", from an Anglo-french intervention, to AA Johnston vs US Grant, to Lincoln getting killed when Early confronts Ft Washington in 1864.

Some I liked, some not so much, but the authors are well known in most cases: Andrew Uffindell, James Arnold, Edward Longacre, Peter Tsouras and Kevin Kiley among others.

kipt

Reread "The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World by E.S. Creasy.  Probably first read it 5 decades ago.

Good history in between and leading up to the battles.  Creasy wrote for and educated audience as there are many Greek and Latin passages, untranslated.  I had forgotten that.  The French I can read but  the other is Greek to me ( :)).

This volume was printed 1851 and Creasy is extolling the long peace between and among the nations he considered important - Europe (Britain, France and Russia) as well as the US, though he does allude to the Mexican American War.  And this being just prior to the Crimean War.  He doesn't consider warfare against the native troops to be an issue.

But, well written.

Steve J

Operation sea Lion by Peter Fleming. A few chapters in and so far a good read, written in a nice style that flows nicely. Also Never Mind The Billhooks wargame rules which look to give a nice game.

kipt

Finished "The Civil War Up Close: Thousand of Curious, Obscure, and Fascinating Facts about the Civil War America Could Never Win" by Donald Chartwell.

Strange title but some interesting stuff, and also factual errors.  For example he says Albert Sidney Johnston was killed at Shiloh leading a cavalry charge.  And a few others like that.

So So.

kipt

Finished volume 84, No. 2 of "The Journal of Military History".  Published 4 times per year.

Articles include:
There Will Still Remain Heroes and Patriots: The Politics of Resignation in the Early American Navy, 1794-1815,
Ingenuity, Excess, Incompetence, and Luck: Air-Resupply Anecdotes in Military History
(side note - the Spanish dropped basket laden turkeys over cut off troops in the SCW; picture the turkeys madly flapping their wings...)
Rescuing a General: General Haywood "Possum" Hansell and the Burden of Command

Others plus many book reviews also.

kipt

Finished "Gettysburg: An Alternate History" by Peter Tsouras.  This book is great for the combat and what ifs.  Seems more in depth than other alternate history I have read and captures ACW combat as I think it happened.

Alternate history, but the South does not win.  Stuart arrives a day early which enables Lee to listen to Longstreet about maneuvering around the Union left flank.  Lots of interesting tie-ins to actual historical statements.

Extremely well done and recommended for ACW aficionados.  I am madly painting ACW troops for Regimental Fire and Fury so this whets the appetite.

steve_holmes_11

Finished with all the computer textbooks, now reading:

The Infantry Attacks - Erwin Rommel.


So far, an excellent read, well presented, and very accessible.
Quite a contrast to other stuff I've read by German authors that tends to be quite heavy going.
I don't know whether that's a problem for the authors or translators.

Chad

Just started 'Neither Up Nor Down. The British Army and the Flanders Campaign 1793-95'
Long ignored period of history noe receiving increasing coverage.

Steve J

Irregular Wars: Conflict at the World's End wargames rules. They look to be good and simple but effective game mechanics. The only downside is there are som many very tempting army lists at the back of the book. Which ones to go for is the question!

kipt

Finished "Trafalgar: Napoleon's Naval Waterloo" by Rene Maine, translated by Rita Eldon and BW Robinson.  Printed 1957 but a good read.

Details the travels of Nelson and his Naples/Sicily sojourn. All in all well done from the French viewpoint.

(And I still haven't received my Bazaine.) :'(

steve_holmes_11

Quote from: Steve J on 19 September 2020, 09:31:22 PM
Irregular Wars: Conflict at the World's End wargames rules. They look to be good and simple but effective game mechanics. The only downside is there are som many very tempting army lists at the back of the book. Which ones to go for is the question!

There's another thread "Requests" I think  where I mentioned the rules.
The thread continues with interesting suggestions for 10mm figures for various armies.

After a lot of list Mangling, I found the world split into 3 main areas.
Europe (A bit dotted about with elements of the British Isles and Lands to the East of Germany.
Americas (A very comprehensive set of lists).
The Rest (Known as the Portuguese Hemisphere during the age of exploration).

You can spend many long hours enjoying the lists.
A handy tip is to either select an area that interests you, then investigate the native forces and the likely colonists).
Otherwise pick a colonial power, and sift through their likely colonial targets.

My own area of interest is the Indian Ocean in the 16th century.
It includes South and East Africans, Egyption Ottomans, Arabs, Persians, Al the Indians and East Indies).
The colonists are the Portuguese and Dutch.

PLenty to keep you busy.


Steve J

Thanks for the info Steve. Currently looking at Elizabethan English, which gives me options for Plantation conflicts or fighting against Reivers etc. They can then also explore West Africa which gives me a chance to have a game or two in Nigeria, where I used to live.

Ithoriel

Now finished "Hellenistic And Roman Naval Warfare 336 BC - 31 BC."

If you are interested in naval warfare and naval strategy in the period, I recommend it as an excellent, readable, comprehensive account.

If you want details of boat-building and tactics (beyond ram vs board) this is not the book you are looking for, move along. :)

Just started "EARLY SHIPS AND SEAFARING: Water Transport Beyond Europe" which feels more detailed and more scholarly. I now know when to sail to and return from the Land of Punt if I'm an Egyptian trader in the last two or three millennia BCE and why that matters.  :)
There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

DaveH

Sun Tzu The Art of War - Samuel Griffith translation. Very interesting to finally read this even though it has been sat on my shelf for ages.