Kursk (1 Viewer)

L

lancer

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For those of you interested in this pivotal East Front clash, there has been a new book on it advertised by RZM.com. It is titled 'Kursk: The Battle of Prokhorovka' and is written by Christopher Lawrence. It is advertised as the single biggest volume on military history ever published. It is to be some 1700 pages with 289 wartime photos and 123 maps (29 folding). It will measure 11.5" by 9.5", be 6 inches thick, and weigh close to 12 pounds. It is a very limited printing, is due in October and the price is a hefty $220. Sounds like it's worth the bucks but I'm not sure I have a table to support it.:wink2: -- Al
 
When i received it , i will post photos and make some critics and compare it with the other books i have on the same subject.

:smile2:

Serge
 
King Tiger II said:
When i received it , i will post photos and make some critics and compare it with the other books i have on the same subject.

:smile2:

Serge
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Remember, lift with your legs or you'll herniate yourself.:wink2: -- Al
 
WoW, Looking forward to seeing some of the content of this book. Kursk was another Tide turning WWII battle which depleted German Armor and Troops !

Wayne
 
My book is in the mail, so in a few days i will take pictures of this monster.

Just cant wait :)
Serge
 
I just ordered this book direct from the Publisher and if you want to save a few $. It is 199 direct. I read a review on Amazon and was amazed at the number of maps. Really looking forward to receiving this book. Although I will have to make some sort of reading device to support the weight!
 
lancer said:
For those of you interested in this pivotal East Front clash, there has been a new book on it advertised by RZM.com. It is titled 'Kursk: The Battle of Prokhorovka' and is written by Christopher Lawrence. It is advertised as the single biggest volume on military history ever published. It is to be some 1700 pages with 289 wartime photos and 123 maps (29 folding). It will measure 11.5" by 9.5", be 6 inches thick, and weigh close to 12 pounds. It is a very limited printing, is due in October and the price is a hefty $220. Sounds like it's worth the bucks but I'm not sure I have a table to support it.:wink2: -- Al
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This book sounds amazing, but the more I think on it, the more puzzled I am as to why it is being produced in such an unwieldy format. It is huge and will be impossible to comfortably read. I wonder why it hasn't been issued in a multi-volume format, unless reproducing all the maps and photos make it cheaper in a one-volume form. Still, the binding on this beast is going to have to be extremely robust. It just seems a 3 or 4 volume production might have been more manageable for the reader, even if more expensive in the long run. I look forward to the opinon/reviews of those who have ordered it. -- Al
 
Al. When it arrives. I will let you know what I think. Agree about the size. The biggest book I had was the "history of the Pennsylvania Volunteers." It was a 5 set volume published in the 1880's. They were close to 6 inches. But the paper was thin and I know it didn't weigh 12 pounds :) In the 1990's they reprinted these as a 10 volume set with a 4 volume index. I bought these and of course now it is all electronic :)

I have the ATB book on the Bulge and that is a heavy oversized beast. But can't imagine 12 pounds. I am going to have to put it on a table to read it.
 
braddinpa said:
Al. When it arrives. I will let you know what I think. Agree about the size. The biggest book I had was the "history of the Pennsylvania Volunteers." It was a 5 set volume published in the 1880's. They were close to 6 inches. But the paper was thin and I know it didn't weigh 12 pounds :) In the 1990's they reprinted these as a 10 volume set with a 4 volume index. I bought these and of course now it is all electronic :)

I have the ATB book on the Bulge and that is a heavy oversized beast. But can't imagine 12 pounds. I am going to have to put it on a table to read it.
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I used to have the ATB Bulge book and I was always worried about the binding, so would always support it in some manner when reading it. The Kursk book will require some ingenuity to read without damaging it, I think. But that is just my sight unseen opinion. The publishers will have thought of all that and I hope will have a very robust binding. I would be interested in the type of paper they have used, whether it is the slick paper that is so heavy, or a lighter weight paper because of book size. At 12 lbs, it sounds like the heavier paper. I have no experience with a book 6 inches thick. I'll bet it's a beaut of a production. -- Al
 
Al. It has arrived. Very pleased he only charged 4 for shipping. Buying direct is the way to go. Very heavy book. Just glancing at it. Some of the maps are really good. Others are a little harder to read. 29 folding maps!!! Wow! I am glad I bought it!!!
 
A few other other notes. Leafing through it. It is possible to get into a good reading position without crushing your body. :) The period photo's are a bit blurry. But it might be because they are not published before? The terrain color photos a good touch. You get an appreciation of the terrain. The commander biographies are actually pretty detailed. Overall. I like it.
 
braddinpa said:
A few other other notes. Leafing through it. It is possible to get into a good reading position without crushing your body. :) The period photo's are a bit blurry. But it might be because they are not published before? The terrain color photos a good touch. You get an appreciation of the terrain. The commander biographies are actually pretty detailed. Overall. I like it.
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Glad it showed up so quickly. Sounds like quite a production. I'll bet the photos were specifically chosen for not having been published before and this would be more important than crystal clear photos everyone has seen a thousand times. That's a lot of folding maps! Take care of it as it is sure to rise in value once it sells out. :wink2: -- Al
 
One of the interesting things as I was looking at some of the recon maps I thought they were hard to read. But then I noticed it recommended using a magnifying glass to see it better. :) It is really good book. I also like the Appendix at the end. One of the interesting this is that they are pretty hard on Glantz's book. I remember reading that and thought it was pretty good.
 
braddinpa said:
One of the interesting things as I was looking at some of the recon maps I thought they were hard to read. But then I noticed it recommended using a magnifying glass to see it better. :) It is really good book. I also like the Appendix at the end. One of the interesting this is that they are pretty hard on Glantz's book. I remember reading that and thought it was pretty good.
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I also liked the Glantz book. How is the new book hard on it? So much has been written about Kursk in the last 2 decades that it has become hard to keep all the info clear and who is most correct. -- Al
 
HI Al

Sorry I didn't respond earlier. I will have to pull out the exact quotes. But he cites one of Glantz's earlier books that says the Panther mounted an 88. And some of the research seemed to be based on Soviet reports which perpetuated some of the myths. But when I get home I will pull exactly what he said. I am horrible at remembering. :)

Brad
 
braddinpa said:
HI Al

Sorry I didn't respond earlier. I will have to pull out the exact quotes. But he cites one of Glantz's earlier books that says the Panther mounted an 88. And some of the research seemed to be based on Soviet reports which perpetuated some of the myths. But when I get home I will pull exactly what he said. I am horrible at remembering. :)

Brad
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No problem, no rush, Brad. Somehow those kind of irritating errors show up now and then, even in well researched/written books. It's the kind of thing the author/proofreader/editor should catch but somehow slips through. Doesn't necessarily sink the value of a work. -- Al
 
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