What you reading?

Eccles · Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:44 pm Post subject: What you reading?

Just finishing 'Falklands Commando' by Hugh McManners which is very good. Basically its the recollections of a forward artillery observer in the Falklands.

Next on the list is 'Savage Wilderness' which is a novel set in the French and Indian War.

Belisarius · Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:47 pm Post subject:

This forum Smile

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Giles · Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:48 pm Post subject:

I'm reading "Dunkirk" by Julian Thompson, although I dipped into Saul David's "The Zulu War" the other night and may just read that first.
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Galadriel · Baron Joined: 05 Mar 2007 Posts: 9003

I'm just about to start reading (if i get the time too)

A pioneer gentlewoman in British Columbia, the recollections of Susan Allison......... Ponder

Gungnir · Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:55 pm Post subject:

I only look at pretty pictures.
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Eccles · Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:55 pm Post subject:

Then onto something about the Donner party eh?
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Gungnir · Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:57 pm Post subject:

Big Dave · Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 7:17 pm Post subject:

Winston's Hour
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MikP · Baron Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Posts: 7070

More of the usual with me: Matthews' "Hist! The Smugglers Are Out", Holmes' "The Lawless Coast" (very good read - easily convertable to a game scenario). Next up is Thomas' "Last Invasion, Fishgaurd 1797" and when it arrives Oppenheim's "The Fragile Forts: The Fixed Defences of Sydney Harbour1788 - 1963".
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Greystreak · Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 7:53 pm Post subject:

Adam Zamoyski, The Rites of Peace: The Fall of Napoleon and the Concert of Vienna.

Well written, insightful, highly entertaining.
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levied troop · Posted: Fri Sep 05, 2008 10:11 pm Post subject:

Evelyn Waugh's 'Scoop'
Riley-Smith 'The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading'.
Yesterday's Guardian
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ochoin · Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 2:43 pm Post subject:

Simon Scarrow.
I hadn't heard of him 6 weeks ago but a friend gave me a head's up.
Unfortunately I began with his last (?) book on the Parthians. Well written.
Then I moved to his earlier books which are not so taut & suffer in comparison.
The man had some learning curve.
donald

Big Dave · Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 7:18 pm Post subject:

Weird I like the early romans more, maybe because I like the setting better.

You should try his one's about Nappy/Welly they are excellent.
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Etranger · General Joined: 03 Oct 2006 Posts: 4083 Location: e-space

Just finished Peter Dunns "The First Indochina War" (OOP) - an obscure book on the British involvment in Vietnam in 1945-46. Some most interesting observations in there, for those of us interested in the more obscure aspects of the war & some cracking ideas for a scenario; does the idea of Gurkhas making a Kukri charge supported by Japanese against Viet Minh holding a "Beau Geste" style fort, also supported by Japanese appeal to anyone? (Rich B - it will be for you when I get organised!)

In the middle of Adam Zamoyski's "Warsaw 1920 - Lenins Failed Conquest of Europe." (Harper Press 2008. ISBN 978-0-00-725786-7) at the moment, a good read as I'd expect from such a talented author but I must confess to a slight feeling of disappointment. Its a good deal shorter than his other books that I've read (160 pages cover to cover) & I get the feeling that there's a lot of research that he's done that hasn't ended up in the final work. It covers the political machinations leading up to the war quite well & the links with the broader Russian conflicts of the time.

It's still an excellent primer on a nowadays reasonably obscure subject & one that's piqued my interest now. Peter Pig do many of the requiste figures in 15mm; so if only I can find suitable Polish troops.......
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Duck Crusader · Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 3:11 am Post subject: Re: What you reading?

Etranger · General Joined: 03 Oct 2006 Posts: 4083 Location: e-space

To answer my own question - PP also do Polish troops.
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Peewee · Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 3:47 pm Post subject:

Etranger, in Devizes last week I managed to pick up a relatively cheap paperback copy (Â£10) of a book called 'The British in Vietnam: How the Twenty-five Year War Began' by George Rosie. Haven't read it yet, but it's getting near the top of the pile. It looks like it covers the same territory as the Dunn book. I'll keep my eyes peeled for a resonably priced copy of that Peter Dunn book.

Anyway, currently reading 'Modern Warfare: A French View of Counterinsugency' by Roger Trinquier. It's basically an extended essay on COIN warfare by and old Indochina and Algeria veteran first published in 1964 (with a forward by Bernard Fall incidentally). It does seem a chilling in it's recommendations in some places, as you would expect from a veteran of the Battle of Algiers. It mainly deals with Algeria, but there's enough Indochina stuff in there to make it interesting, and the author seems worthy of a bit of study himself.
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Etranger · General Joined: 03 Oct 2006 Posts: 4083 Location: e-space

Hi Peewee. There are a few books of that type around but they mostly seem to be OOP - the cheapest copy of Dunn that I could find on mazon was $80 or so & they didn't ship outside the US. Fortunately there is a copy in the local University library so I can get hold of it fairly easily.

I've seen Trinquier's name mentioned before but I hadn't realised that there were English language editions of his work around. I'll keep an eye out. I guess we forget that militarily the French won the Algerian War. They definitely weren't following The Queensbury Rules though!
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Peewee · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:35 pm Post subject:

I found a copy of the Dunn book on Alibris going for about Â£20.

I'm afraid I couldn't resist...
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Eccles · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:09 pm Post subject:

Yeas it is the Coyle book Duckie. Its quite good so far although I feel he dumbs down a little.

Have you got a pic of the bloke on your copy? He looks like one of the Thunderbirds.
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Duck Crusader · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:28 pm Post subject:

Eccles · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:29 pm Post subject:

Yeah, I've seen the other titles but none of them really appeal to me.
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MikP · Baron Joined: 20 Oct 2006 Posts: 7070

Stavka · Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 2:12 am Post subject:

"The Jazz Bass Book- Technique and Tradition"

Well, we're not ALL wargaming all the time!

Next on the list is history related- I've got to get some minis based and finished first, though.

http://serreslesrangs.blogspot.com/2008/08/number-of-exciting-developments-here-at.html
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valleyboy · General Joined: 01 Oct 2006 Posts: 3509 Location: NZ

Reading?
Looking maybe
"Private Paton's Pictures"- a photographic history of things behind the lines with Kiwi soldiers in North Africa 1942- 43. Penguin press.

What makes it a bit more special?

I happened to talk with one of my patients about a friend of his that I'd played with - an old gent by the name of Harold Paton- "have you read his book" was his question - he subsequently lent it to me

As for private Harold Paton himself he was a photographer with an Auckland paper, lied about his age and joined up. He was pulled from the ranks to take pictures when the then NZ PM Peter Fraser visited the troops in North Africa and thereafter became official war photographer for the 2nd NZ Expeditionary force.

I didn't know this when I last played golf with around a month ago - he's really quite amazing - around 87 with a lovely fluid swing who regularly shoots under his age and a good all round bloke. I'm going to talk him in more detail and tell him that I've read his book if I get a chance to play with him again soon
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