I thought this may be an interesting little thread. It seems to me that Waterloo is the battle for which most people will have more than one book. I have 12. The next are D-Day (11) and Arnhem (6).
Any other battles that attract so much attention?
I knows a good idea when I see it - FSN
Sedan/Gravelotte/Sain-Privat/Mars-La-Tours
Followed by waterloo and my Grandad's collection on Trafalger.
The Somme and even more so the first day.
Quote from: mad lemmey on 23 December 2014, 10:56:04 AM
Sedan/Gravelotte/Sain-Privat/Mars-La-Tours
Followed by waterloo and my Grandad's collection on Trafalger.
Why is Mars-La-Tours in red?
Coz it's cool! 8)
No books on particular battles spring to mind though the majority of the military books I own would be on WW1
Waterloo.
Yet I only have 2 books. But, if I may expand the question, I have read who knows how many, both fact and fiction. I used to have others and a Board Game. I still have Dr Peter Turcan's computer game(?) on Waterloo (and Austerlitz) for the Amiga.
Having read so many, I have been unable to raise any enthusiasm to acquire Bernard Cornwell's new book on the subject (sorry, Bernard, but I'm slightly sceptical that you will bring anything new to the table). Probably because I've read so many versions, and I needed a different perspective, my current favourite on the battle is Mark Adkin's Waterloo Companion. Another great thrill was visiting the battlefield itself. 8->
Mars la Tour, Koniggratz and Gettysburg.
Arnhem / Market Garden - by a long way, like Westmarcher I have games as well as books.
Second is probably Normandy - though that is a whole campaign rather than a single battle. But many of the books are very D-Day centric.
Quote from: Westmarcher on 23 December 2014, 12:28:51 PM
Yet I only have 2 books.
Sorry. Does not compute. :-\
I'm not a big one for histories per se. I do, however like the front line memoirs of battles. I prefer books on the organisation, tactics, weaponry and uniforms. von Pivks'a "Armies of the Napoleonic Wars" and Rothenbergs "Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon" being two of my Napoleonic favourites. This is one of the reason I hate commercial wargames rules. A battallion is not 12 stands, it is 600 cold, scared and hungry men.
Quote from: Westmarcher on 23 December 2014, 12:28:51 PM
Yet I only have 2 books.
Nope. Still don't get it. :-/
Quote from: fsn on 23 December 2014, 02:01:44 PM
Nope. Still don't get it. :-/
Maybe you've met your Waterloo ... :)
[TWO books on Waterloo. Deux, zwie, dos, due, dha, twee, twa..... =) =)]
Atlanta
I used to have a book on Pearl Harbor. Will this do instead?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcSMaNlcDPs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcSMaNlcDPs)
:)
Tanks and wwII in general
No particular battles though, but i have a few on market garden so maybe that counts :-\
Arnhem probably pips Waterloo for me but it's a close run thing
Probably the Normandy campaign followed by Arnhem. Most of my books cover WWII, so a lot of cross over of campaigns etc.
Quote from: fsn on 23 December 2014, 10:46:57 AM
Any other battles that attract so much attention?
I knows a good idea when I see it - FSN
After Christmas I have a feeling it might be The Battle of The Bulge.
Quote from: Westmarcher on 23 December 2014, 05:59:29 PM
I used to have a book on Pearl Harbor. Will this do instead?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcSMaNlcDPs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcSMaNlcDPs)
:)
About as historically accurate as the Hollywood version ;)
Quote from: NTM on 23 December 2014, 06:22:55 PM
Arnhem probably pips Waterloo for me but it's a close run thing
;D ;D ;D
I don't have that many books on actual battles -2 each on Waterloo and Edgehill, 1 on Agincourt but I have a fair few on campaigns and specific periods ie 24 on the Mongols, 49 on the Napoleonic Wars including 9 on the 1815 campaign, 20 on the ECW, 7 on the ACW and so on. That is just what I have, over the years I have read a shedload of military books borrowed from the local library.
Hmmmm ... Campaign of Waterloo / Battle of Waterloo - potato/potato, Tony Blair/War criminal.
Books about the "battle "usually contain something of the "campaign". It's like any book about Hastings requires Stamford Bridge and Fulford Gate for context.
The only actual battle I have a book on is Borodino. Other than that it's a small pile of books about WW2 hardware and formations, mainly Eastern Front, and a similar sized pile about Ancient armies equipment and tactics, a still smaller pile of Napoleonics uniform books and odds and ends on the Rennaissance and World War 1.
Shocking admission for an ex-librarian really!
Hi
Almost too embarrassed to admit but I just counted nineteen on Gettysburg (which includes several books on individual days of the battle). Have not counted the rest but probably Waterloo and Arnhem are second and third.
Cheers Paul
Quote from: Westmarcher on 23 December 2014, 12:28:51 PM
Waterloo.
Yet I only have 2 books. But, if I may expand the question, I have read who knows how many, both fact and fiction. I used to have others and a Board Game. I still have Dr Peter Turcan's computer game(?) on Waterloo (and Austerlitz) for the Amiga.
Having read so many, I have been unable to raise any enthusiasm to acquire Bernard Cornwell's new book on the subject (sorry, Bernard, but I'm slightly sceptical that you will bring anything new to the table). Probably because I've read so many versions, and I needed a different perspective, my current favourite on the battle is Mark Adkin's Waterloo Companion. Another great thrill was visiting the battlefield itself. 8->
Now have 3 books on Waterloo (not counting campaigns, wars, London Underground maps, etc. where Waterloo is mentioned). Wife got me ..... Bernard Cornwell's Waterloo for my Christmas! #-o Schadenfreude.
Dien Bien Phu.
Re-read at least one once a year.
Jim.
I have a lot of books on Kohima - something to do with the fact that it was our last year's convention game, I guess.
Got a couple of 2nd hand books from the local charity shops over the holiday period. Putting them on the bookshelves today I realised I do have a very slim volume on Waterloo, a tie-in with the 1970 film. Part of my purchases using the book tokens I got for winning the school History Prize and Poetry Prize. Nostalgia ... it ain't what it used to be :)
I have about 150 books on King Arthur and his battles, does this count? (it was a phase I was going through).
Greetings
Probably Kursk - at least 7.
Regards
Edward
Update:
I now have 29 books on the Mongols,J J Saunders The History of the Mongol Conquests arrived on Christmas Day courtesy of my daughter. (I think I have now exhausted Amazon's Mongol offerings, but I shall check again before Father's Day just in case.) The other 4 were the various Osprey books that I had forgotten about.
Slightly embarrassed to report, now that I have had 45 foot run of book shelves built in for the purpose of concentrating them from 6 sites throughout the house, that 40 feet of the shelves are occupied by ACW books. Of these, about 7 feet are Gettysburg which adds up to 58 books, since some are rather bulky. But then so are we all with advancing years.
Yes, I appear to have more Gettysburg than anything else, including a doorstop tome entitled 'Gettysburg July 1st' - with Antietam coming a close second.
Quote from: Ithoriel on 03 January 2015, 04:09:20 PM
Got a couple of 2nd hand books from the local charity shops over the holiday period. Putting them on the bookshelves today I realised I do have a very slim volume on Waterloo, a tie-in with the 1970 film. Part of my purchases using the book tokens I got for winning the school History Prize and Poetry Prize. Nostalgia ... it ain't what it used to be :)
I have that one (well I think it is the same one :) )
I believe there's another one out there that just covers July 2nd.
I remember there were two books tied to the film that came out at roughly the same time. There was the slim one 'the field of Waterloo' by Paul Davies and the uniform guide by Ugo Pericoli titled '1815 The Armies at Waterloo' with a pic of Brit infantry on the cover with a smoke enshrouded La Haye Sainte(?) in the background. Both currently on the bookshelf.
Note: The book by Davies is a replacement picked up at a show because the first copy was ruined when I used the picture of Blucher as a basis for a clay figurine being made at school in 1970. I still have the figure, he has pride of place on the shelf along with busts of me made by two of my smalls at school and a rather more accurate depiction of Beethoven.
Quote from: Dour Puritan on 06 January 2015, 01:40:03 PM
I believe there's another one out there that just covers July 2nd.
If I recall correctly Harry Pfanz produced two doorstops on 2nd July, and a somewhat slimmer volume on Day 1. I think the true tome on day 1 is by David Martin, and a damn fine book it is too! All grace my groaning shelves, along with a legion of others on this battle.
Mollinary
Priest's is my favourite book on Antietam as it has marvellous maps showing the unfolding of the battle. This encouraged me to write my only "commercially" available scenario concerning the skirmish between the Bucktails and the Texas Brigade on the evening before Antietam, in the East Woods. It originally appeared in 'The Zouave.'
Quote from: holdfast on 06 January 2015, 01:12:47 PM
Slightly embarrassed to report, now that I have had 45 foot run of book shelves built in for the purpose of concentrating them from 6 sites throughout the house, that 40 feet of the shelves are occupied by ACW books. Of these, about 7 feet are Gettysburg which adds up to 58 books, since some are rather bulky. But then so are we all with advancing years.
Presumably none of these shelves are more than 4` from the ground or do you stand on a box ... just asking.
Quote from: Subedai on 06 January 2015, 01:54:11 PM
I remember there were two books tied to the film that came out at roughly the same time. There was the slim one 'the field of Waterloo' by Paul Davies and the uniform guide by Ugo Pericoli titled '1815 The Armies at Waterloo' with a pic of Brit infantry on the cover with a smoke enshrouded La Haye Sainte(?) in the background. Both currently on the bookshelf.
Yep, the one by Paul Davies is the one I have.
I discovered it next to "Mastering Witchcraft" by Paul Huson. Another of the books bought with the school prize money. Was pleasantly surprised to find I was allowed to choose this one!
Ooh, Cam, you are a card.
Quote from: cameronian on 06 January 2015, 03:29:14 PM
Presumably none of these shelves are more than 4` from the ground or do you stand on a box ... just asking.
How rude!
It's not Cam's fault. He was attached to the Gunners and it sort of rubbed off on him. Underneath he has real potential to be a decent human being.
;D
Although I havent used books as hills on my wargames table for a long time we did use them for big and little round top a lot. So I would have to the say the book most used would have been Wisden as its quite thick
It was a surprise to me to find that when i looked, the battle i have most books on is Colenso. :-\
Probably Waterloo or Arnhem - 3 maybe 4 I think.