Thanks for posting about these books. Wasn't aware of them but I have now put them on my list to order. -- Al
What are the Forum members reading (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter Deitz
- Start date
Currently reading Anne Curry's excellent "1415: Agincourt", written in 2005. Has really changed my perception of the battle, especially in terms of the number of French troops involved. From everything I have read previously, the French vastly outnumbered the English, but according to Curry this simply isn't true. While the French did indeed outnumber the English Army, which numbered around 9000, give or take a few hundred, the French Army was probably no larger than 12,000 or so. The real difference was composition. The French hoped to overwhelm the small number of English men-at-arms, (no more than 250) with a massive first blow. The French underestimated the danger the 7000 English archers presented, and were thus shot to pieces in the small area of the battlefield. As Curry puts it, Agincourt was indeed a victory of the few over the many, meaning the few English men-at-arms vs the large number of French men-at-arms, made possible by the faceless mass of the English archers. It has been a very informative read. -- Al
Cairnbeg
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....finally finished reading "Fight for a Throne:- The Jacobite '45 Reconsidered" by Dr. Christopher Duffy....(Christmas got in the way!)...
...a reasonable book, with some interesting views on what have long been held as facts by today's neo-Jacobites....the reader of this book will enjoy it more if they have already benefited from reading up on the subject as some events were mentioned (I felt) only briefly (but which have been covered in detail elsewhere)....there was a teeny-weeny hiccup in Chapter 3......stating that Prince Charles Edward Stuart was born on 20th Dec 1745.....instead of 1720...
...but I am being picky.....I would still recommend any book written by Christopher Duffy due to the esteem that this gentleman is held by those who study this subject....
...now, on to the next book from the ever increasing pile of 'to-be-read' AWI books....the following book and author appears to make all the recommended lists for this subject :-
..."Almost A Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence" by John Ferling......I've been looking forward to starting this one...
...and based on the reviews of the above book I already have plans to read his other works, "Independence" and "Whirlwind"....(to avoid only reading Loyalist / British books)...
...Onward !
...a reasonable book, with some interesting views on what have long been held as facts by today's neo-Jacobites....the reader of this book will enjoy it more if they have already benefited from reading up on the subject as some events were mentioned (I felt) only briefly (but which have been covered in detail elsewhere)....there was a teeny-weeny hiccup in Chapter 3......stating that Prince Charles Edward Stuart was born on 20th Dec 1745.....instead of 1720...
...but I am being picky.....I would still recommend any book written by Christopher Duffy due to the esteem that this gentleman is held by those who study this subject....
...now, on to the next book from the ever increasing pile of 'to-be-read' AWI books....the following book and author appears to make all the recommended lists for this subject :-
..."Almost A Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence" by John Ferling......I've been looking forward to starting this one...
...and based on the reviews of the above book I already have plans to read his other works, "Independence" and "Whirlwind"....(to avoid only reading Loyalist / British books)...
...Onward !
hotel3alpha
Command Sergeant Major
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- May 24, 2013
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All,
I have to humbly report that my 2015 goal was to read two books a month which I did up until June, then all hell broke loose with moving into our new house. I took the recommendation via Jazzeum and read the following by Stefan Zweig (which I highly recommend):
The Royal Game
Beware of Pity
The Post Office Girl
Also a couple from Gabriel Garcia Marquez
100 Years of Solitude
Memories of my Melancholy Whores (the title sounds worse than it is)
One from Tabish Khair:
The Thing about Thugs
Tortilla Flats by John Steinbeck and a few others. This upcoming year I already have my books lined up on my night stand to inhale and am very excited to get to them and will report back often!
John from Texas
I have to humbly report that my 2015 goal was to read two books a month which I did up until June, then all hell broke loose with moving into our new house. I took the recommendation via Jazzeum and read the following by Stefan Zweig (which I highly recommend):
The Royal Game
Beware of Pity
The Post Office Girl
Also a couple from Gabriel Garcia Marquez
100 Years of Solitude
Memories of my Melancholy Whores (the title sounds worse than it is)
One from Tabish Khair:
The Thing about Thugs
Tortilla Flats by John Steinbeck and a few others. This upcoming year I already have my books lined up on my night stand to inhale and am very excited to get to them and will report back often!
John from Texas
Go for Broke
Sergeant Major
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- Jun 18, 2008
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- 1,585
It takes me about 4-months to read a book. I read about 3-pages and then doze off. I reading Oliver Cromwell's Waterloo. I know nothing of the battle, but after seeing fellow Forum member's dioramas, I wanted to be more educated about it. Cromwell's book, so far, is excellent. Very easy to follow and engaging. My problem is once I start reading a book, I ignore my magazines.
Mt belated Christmas present showed up in the mail this AM. Consists of 3 books that I have wanted for a while. The first is an Air Power Editions publication, Ace Profiles #3, Manfred von Richthofen: The Aircraft, Myths, and Accomplishments of The Red Baron, by James Miller. It is a 96 page oversize softcover that is well illustrated and has many color aircraft profiles of MvR's aircraft. It is a good addition to the Red Baron lit and goes into his headwound of July, 1917 in good detail. Worth having. The other 2 books are volumes 2 and 3 in the excellent 'Duel in the Mist' series that started in 2007. I have had Volume 1 for years but only now have gotten the other 2 books. The subtitle is The Leibstandarte during the Ardennes Offensive. This 3 volume series is a very detailed history of the Peiper Kampfgruppe with excellent narration, maps, and superb photos. I cannot recommend these books enough if you are a reader of the BoB, armor, or Waffen SS. The action is covered from both sides but is centered on the German angle. As said, this is a hyper-detailed look at KG Peiper and the 3 volumes done so far cover the action from December 19, 1944 thru December 21, 1944. There is a least one more volume to be done, probably more. The one caveat, at this point, is that Volume 1 is OOP and VERY hard to get at an affordable price. Volume 1 was published at $110 but is many times that on the secondary market at this point. Volume 2 and 3 are still in print and affordable at $50 and $55. -- Al
BHogan
Sergeant Major
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I've just finished rereading Patrick Rambaud's The Battle. It's an excellent novel about the Battle of Aspern-Essling. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the Napoleonic Wars or the Sharpe, Hornblower, and the Aubrey / Maturin series. I've ordered the next book in the trilogy, The Retreat, off Amazon and I'm looking forward to reading it.
Cheers,
Brendan
Cheers,
Brendan
In the above post, Dec. 21 should read Dec.22. Action covered is 12/19 thru 12/22. -- Al
theBaron
Major
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If it's as well-researched and well-written as his books on Frederick the Great and Maria Theresa, it's a very good book indeed. I'll have to put this on my wish list.
I'm reading James Hornfischer's "Neptune's Inferno", about the US Navy's actions in the Guadalcanal campaign. This work preceded Hornfischer's "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors", if I am not mistaken. It's on a par with that book, too, in terms of his research and in his talent for telling the story. I recommend it for students of the Pacific War.
Prost!
Brad
Hazebrouck
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I will add that book to my wants list. I am currently reading R.F Delderfield's 'Seven Men of Gascony'which interestingly pretty much starts with the battles of Aspern-Essling and Wagram from a French perspective. Delderfield wrote the book in 1949 and it may well be one of the first books of this genre. Lots of detail and his style rolls along nicely.
Scott
Terp152
Major
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Just finished "Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal" by James Hornfischer. Good book, and like Gettysburg, you can never have too many on the subject. Now reading "Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Beyond" by William W Rogal. He was a marine infantry sgt and became a law partner after the war. This book was cited in Ian Toll's excellent "Conquering Tide". Chris
The Military Workshop
1st Lieutenant
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Had some book vouchers for Christmas so used some of them yesterday and bought two books.
One is Anthony Beevor's Ardennes.
The other is No Mission is Impossible which is about the missions of the Israeli Special Forces. Read half of it yesterday. The two authors have written extensively on Israeli army units and it shows by the number of contributions and comments from participants. There is a photo of one of the authors, ex SF himself, with a very impressive group of Israeli commanders.
Obviously it covers some of more well known events such as Entebbe and Arab Israeli wars. However a lot of the content was unknown to me and includes :
1956 mission to shoot down a plane with Egyptian high command.
1967 Israeli Air Force preparations and attack on Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian air forces who lost 327, 65 and 30 planes. The operation was the prelude to the ground assault and the Air Force were under great pressure as they knew the fate of the country was based on the success of their missions.
Paratrooper assault of the Temple Mount (1967).
The 1969 raid on Green Island an Egyptian fort surrounded by water. This was the first raid where forces swam to the location to start the assault. Swam with 90lbs of gear and did not quite go to plan.
The 1969 operation to obtain mostly paid for patrol boats, by deception, from Cherbourg after France cancelled the deal.
The 1972 Sabena hijacking where plane ended up in Lod airport Israel. Whilst the Israelis had good SF units they were not adept in using handguns. They actually had to take El Al security guards off a plane that had just landed to join in the plane assault. One of these guys had so little time to prepare for the assault he literally had to do No 2 underneath the plane as he had just come off a long international flight. One of the leaders of the assault was current Israeli PM Natanyahu who was accidentally shot by one of the raiders.
Have always known that many Israeli leaders had extensive military experience but this book really highlights it as you read through the names. Moshe Dayan, Ariel Sharon, Rafael Eitan and Ehud Barack to name a few. They first appear as young officers, then get command of their own specialist unit, then a division and Chief of Staff, Defence Minister and PM for quite a few.
Recommend it if you are interested in Israeli forces or SF in general.
One is Anthony Beevor's Ardennes.
The other is No Mission is Impossible which is about the missions of the Israeli Special Forces. Read half of it yesterday. The two authors have written extensively on Israeli army units and it shows by the number of contributions and comments from participants. There is a photo of one of the authors, ex SF himself, with a very impressive group of Israeli commanders.
Obviously it covers some of more well known events such as Entebbe and Arab Israeli wars. However a lot of the content was unknown to me and includes :
1956 mission to shoot down a plane with Egyptian high command.
1967 Israeli Air Force preparations and attack on Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian air forces who lost 327, 65 and 30 planes. The operation was the prelude to the ground assault and the Air Force were under great pressure as they knew the fate of the country was based on the success of their missions.
Paratrooper assault of the Temple Mount (1967).
The 1969 raid on Green Island an Egyptian fort surrounded by water. This was the first raid where forces swam to the location to start the assault. Swam with 90lbs of gear and did not quite go to plan.
The 1969 operation to obtain mostly paid for patrol boats, by deception, from Cherbourg after France cancelled the deal.
The 1972 Sabena hijacking where plane ended up in Lod airport Israel. Whilst the Israelis had good SF units they were not adept in using handguns. They actually had to take El Al security guards off a plane that had just landed to join in the plane assault. One of these guys had so little time to prepare for the assault he literally had to do No 2 underneath the plane as he had just come off a long international flight. One of the leaders of the assault was current Israeli PM Natanyahu who was accidentally shot by one of the raiders.
Have always known that many Israeli leaders had extensive military experience but this book really highlights it as you read through the names. Moshe Dayan, Ariel Sharon, Rafael Eitan and Ehud Barack to name a few. They first appear as young officers, then get command of their own specialist unit, then a division and Chief of Staff, Defence Minister and PM for quite a few.
Recommend it if you are interested in Israeli forces or SF in general.
Cairnbeg
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...to help compliment my AWI reading interest, I've just acquired a copy of the (Rand McNally)"Atlas of the American Revolution" by Don Higginbotham & Kenneth Nebenzahl.....
...what a fantastic book it is too.....with superb coloured illustrations of period maps printed in a large paged format....there is a history of the events in the book as well, but the maps alone make it worthy of a purchase.....
...it will be great to use this as support to the history within "Almost a Miracle" by John Ferling (which so far has proved to be a superb read)....and for all future AWI books...
...so many great books to read in 2016 !
...what a fantastic book it is too.....with superb coloured illustrations of period maps printed in a large paged format....there is a history of the events in the book as well, but the maps alone make it worthy of a purchase.....
...it will be great to use this as support to the history within "Almost a Miracle" by John Ferling (which so far has proved to be a superb read)....and for all future AWI books...
...so many great books to read in 2016 !
Cairnbeg
Private 1st Class
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...moving on from the wonderful "Almost a Miracle" by John Ferling......I've now picked a more general coverage of the battles of the AWI by reading :-
..."A Guide to the Battles of the American Revolution" by Savas & Dameron.......another book that appears on a number of 'recommended to be read' lists....
...I think I'm hooked on this subject for the time being !
..."A Guide to the Battles of the American Revolution" by Savas & Dameron.......another book that appears on a number of 'recommended to be read' lists....
...I think I'm hooked on this subject for the time being !
Terp152
Major
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Just started William Craig's, author of Enemy At the Gates, The Fall of Japan. Chronicles the final months of WWII. Of course it goes into the B-29 raids, Atomic bombs, etc. But also the efforts by Japan to negotiate an armistice, mostly thru the Soviet Union (rebuffed by them). Think it's going to be a good narrative.
Also purchased the Gettysburg Companion by Mark Adkin. Not to be read straight thru but as a side table reference to be used over time. Saw a reference to this book on this thread.
Chris
Also purchased the Gettysburg Companion by Mark Adkin. Not to be read straight thru but as a side table reference to be used over time. Saw a reference to this book on this thread.
Chris
Cairnbeg
Private 1st Class
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....you know that feeling of anticipation when you hold a book...I find myself about to start reading :- "The War of the Revolution" by Christopher Ward (2 volumes in slipcase, printed 1952)...a book that appears with regularity on recommended AWI reading lists...
...I'm a fan of hard-backed books, especially second-hand, the hunt to find a great copy is all part of the reading enjoyment...and I feel that I'm really going to enjoy this book....as it is always referenced in modern AWI books as a prime source of information...
...time to get settled on the comfy chair !
...I'm a fan of hard-backed books, especially second-hand, the hunt to find a great copy is all part of the reading enjoyment...and I feel that I'm really going to enjoy this book....as it is always referenced in modern AWI books as a prime source of information...
...time to get settled on the comfy chair !
My sentiments exactly. Nothing like a real book, real paper, to hold and enjoy. -- Al
Terp152
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