Thank's. How was the info in MAotS. Osprey's are like Playboy for the historically oriented but I actually do read it for the articles!
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Thank's. How was the info in MAotS. Osprey's are like Playboy for the historically oriented but I actually do read it for the articles!
Well, I'll read it later, probably saturday or sunday, so I can't really say ~D
Well, The "Vikings", "Normans", and "Parthian and Sassanid Persians" are all great! The Parthian and Sassanid book in particular has some of the most spectacularly great references for Asian and Middle Eastern Dark Age cavalry I've seen!
The Vikings is awesome, but the plates aren't too much like some that just scream "Hey, look at me ALL OF THE TIME". The Normans doesn't have any of those, either, but both are a treat to look at! The writing is great, too, of course. I've jumped into a section of the Vikings already, as well as the first section of Parthian and Sassanid Persians...
I recommend all three to anyone! Some of Mcbride's best, in my opinion.
-Gregory-
Is there any way to order Montvert Publication ? I think they released 2 books about Ptolemaic and Seleucid armies that could be helpful for my Warhammer ancient battles armies.
I find McBride's work in Rome's Enemies (3): Parthian & Sassanid Persians quite bad, really. There is no life in his art, they all look like immobile statues, not like real, live people that once walked this earth. McBride can do a lot better than that. The information contained in the book is really, really good, however, and kudos go out to Peter Wilcox for such a good text!
I've ordered the Vikings, and am eagerly awaiting it. I love the vikings, and want to know more about them. I'm also going to buy Viking Hersir later, since the artwork of the Warrior series is much more lifelike than those of some Men-at-arms books. :yes:
~Wiz
Wizard,
I agree with you about the lifelike style not being incorperated in the art in "Parthian & Sassanid Persians", but I actually like that style. Being a reeactor, I focus greatly on the arms and armor, and the background will often distract my eyes or hide detail of these items from me.
The same goes for "Ancient Armies of the Middle East", which uses the same art. I like it a lot, because of that. Most of the art could use backgrounds, though. Just not so full of stuff that it makes me lose my attention, as it often does!
-Gregory-
Those two books, illustrated by McBride are extremely rare. I want to get them to complete my Angus collection, but I can't find them anywhere!Quote:
Is there any way to order Montvert Publication ? I think they released 2 books about Ptolemaic and Seleucid armies that could be helpful for my Warhammer ancient battles armies.
I found some Montvert Publication books on amazon.fr, but they cost 100 € (!!!), and they don't have Seleucid and Ptolemaic armies anyway.
Don't you think the two double plates, that of the last stand longboat battle in Vikings and the Hastings plate in The Normans stand out? Hell i can look at thsoe pictures all the time! ~DQuote:
The Vikings is awesome, but the plates aren't too much like some that just scream "Hey, look at me ALL OF THE TIME". The Normans doesn't have any of those, either, but both are a treat to look at!
/me just ordered Seleucid and Ptolemaic reformed armies v2 ~D
May I ask where you found them, Meneldil?
-Gregory-
Just got a good book on the Samurai...man Osprey makes the best military books ever...Sun Tzu Would be so jealous.
BTW Greg where you been lately man? Thought about coming back and leading our history forums?
Try PM'ing me again Meneldil.
Hello,Quote:
Originally Posted by Mount Suribachi
I know what you mean. Sometimes after I buy the book - it goes straight to my library shelf and I never read it again.
However, I have the pleasure to say that I bought another bunch of books by Osprey. I read a few - but the one that seems very readable is
Kate Gillver's Caesar's Gallic Wars (OSPREY ESSENTIAL HISTORIES)
She writes very well. I found her work very enjoyable to read.
Osprey is having a 10% sale on one of McBride's books - "warlords and warriors" - does anyone have a copy and what do they think of it?Quote:
Originally Posted by Gregorius0202
BTW, has anyone read the Essential Histories: Revolutionary Wars, and EH: Napoleon(1) ? Are the 2 books any good?
Thinking of Christmas time!
Hey Crimson,
I own "Warlords and Warriors". It's a compilation of some of Mcbride's most popular Osprey plates with detailed descriptions for each, that in many cases echo the original texts on them in their appropriate titles. In order, I'll try to list the books they come from... Each is a random plate from these books, half of full page... Here's the BOOKS they come from (not the plate titles themselves, so I won't give it away!)
The Ancient Warrior plates-
"Ancient Armies of the Middle East"
"New Kingdom Egypt"
"The Ancient Assyrians"
"The Thracians 700 BC-AD 46"
"The Scythians 700-300 BC"
"The Ancient Greeks"
Rome and her Enemies-
"Republican Roman Army 200-104 BC"
"Enemies of Rome (2) Gallic and British Celts"
"Enemies of Rome (5) The Desert Frontier"
"Gladiators 100 BC- AD 200"
The Dark Ages-
"Germanic Warrior 236-568 AD"
"Arthur and the Anglo-Saxon Wars"
"Attila and the Nomad Hordes"
"Romano-Byzantine Armies 4th-9th Centuries"
"Armies of Medieval Russia 750-1250"
"The Vikings"
"The Normans"
Medieval Conquest-
"French Medieval Armies 1000-1300"
"El Cid and the Reconquista 1050-1492"
"Saladin and the Saracens"
"The Mongols"
"Samurai"
"The Mamluks 1250-1517"
"French Armies of the Hundred Years War"
"The Age of Tamerlane"
"Knights at Tournament"
Warlords and Rebels-
"Granada 1492"
"Aztec, Miztec, and Zapotec Armies"
"German Medieval Armies 1300-1500"
"The Border Reivers"
"Elizabethan Sea Dogs 1550-1605"
"Samurai 1150-1600"
"Bucaneers 1620-1700"
"The English Civil War"
Exploration and Invasion-
"The Conquistadores"
"Pirates 1660-1730"
"Highland Clansman 1689-1746"
"Privateers and Pirates 1730-1830"
"The Zulus"
"The Zulu War"
"The Alamo 1836"
"Women in WWII"
And that's it, my friend! Whoo, that took me twenty minutes to write out... You'd better get that book, now!
Haha.
Cheers!
-Gregory-
Hey there - it seems to be pretty good then.
Thanks for telling me more about it - I'll go order it now. With some luck, it will come by Christmas time.
So, it basically takes little snipits of his other books and combines em all into one? I think I may order this book....Any other good Osprey books out there I should know about?
Hi,
I'm stuck at the moment in Singapore due to work stuff.
There are a few book shops here which stock Osprey books - a little high. Example, I have a copy of Menatarms121: Armies of the Carthaginian Wars. Its retailing here for (converted) US$17.20 or UK9pounds. So its a few dollars higher than the US copy but ... hmmm... nearly the same price for a Brit copy.
http://www.ospreypublishing.com/titl...ser=ESS~per=40
But I dun really like to mailorder. So I'll stick to going to the bookshop. Unfortunately, a lot of the books are soiled and dogeared by careless readers.
I'm a sucker for the mint feel and look of books - I also collect comics. And I get a kick out of seeing a mint glossy copy of my favourite book. "It smells like... victory." Don't it??? lol!
Anyhow, since my brief stay here in sunny Singapore- I amassed quite a bit of a collection. Here they are -
>>>>
Book 15 Waterloo 1815. Geoffrey Wooten - its a little bit confusing for some reason...
(sidenote- my god, and to think that after 100 years the French and British are fighting in Europe against the Germans and with planes and tanks...)
Book16 Kursk 1943. Mark Healy - excellent work - well written... good number of war photographs and illustrated well too - but dunno who the artist is.
Book36 Cannae 216BC Mark Healy - again, well written... goes to show that winning wars isn't all about winning battles. Illustrated by McBride... only quarrel I have with this book is that it contains a few too many old black and white photos of landscapes and museum artifects - where RGB color photos would have been better.
Book118-Yom Kippur War(1) by Simon Dunstan - illustrated by Howard Gerrard.
****Essential Histories*********
Book 1 - The Crusades - David Nicolle
(sidenote- after purchasing the book I walked over to a Muslim coffee house to sit down for awhile. Noone was looking at me - but I had really bad vibes just reading the book)
Book43- Caesar's Gallic Wars - Kate Gilliver
Very, very readable. Gilliver's prose flows like butter. Highly recommended. Also a good number of color plates and helpful illustrations.
+++++++Men at arms series+++++++++++++++
Book 109 - Ancient Armies of the Middle East (TerrenceWise and Angus McBride). Umm... McBride's drawings here - have a certain "staged" look. Could be more livelier. Otherwise OK!!!
Book 121 - Armies of the Carthaginian Wars - Terrence Wise and illustrated by Richard Hook. I like Hook's attention to detail - and esp. his choice of coloring which makes his works have more vividness.
@@@@@@@Warrior Series@@@@@@@@@
Book 48 - English Medieval Knight. Can't help thinking of Monty Python's works when I look at the cover. Graham Turner's illustrations also look a bit dull.
^^^^^^^^^^Fortress Series^^^^^^^^^^^
Japanese Pacific Island Defenses
Japanese Castles 1540-1640
(((((((((((((((((((New Vanguard))))))))))))))))))
Modern Israeli Tanks and Infantry Carriers 1985-2004. The drawings by Tony Bryan are exceptional. Well worth getting!
I also have another large collection of books by Osprey and other Publishing houses. But alas, no here with me - they are back home in Melbourne.
Anybody read, seen or heard good things about this book?
"War In Japan 1467-1615"
(Essential Histories 46)
http://www.ospreypublishing.com/titl...=S4809~ser=ESS
I am really considering ordering this book, but I would love to hear what others have to say about it before I do.
OMFG!!!!! Concord has posted sample pics of the just released Age of the Crusades book, and needless to say it looks to be Angus McBride's magnum opus! All bow to his genius!
http://www.concord-publications.com/6007/6007cover.jpg
http://www.concord-publications.com/6007/6007-01.jpg
http://www.concord-publications.com/6007/6007-02.jpg
http://www.concord-publications.com/6007/6007-03.jpg
http://www.concord-publications.com/6007/6007-04.jpg
I can't believe he did the lone Berserker at Stamford Bridge....amazing! And just think - there's another 16 we haven't seen yet!
Still I seem to like the battle scenes by Christa Hook and Gerry Embleton better... they 's more gritty, more real, more down to the core...
McBride is very good, but it just seems that when a myriad of movement and chaos is demanded for a piece, Gerry Embleton and Christa Hook just deliver better... check the plate of the Battle of Strasbourg by Gerry Embleton... amazing plate! It really captures the spirit of a battle like that as I imagine it.
Don't get me wrong -- McBride is great, but Christa Hook and Gerry Embleton just manage to capture that gritty character of battle better than he does, it seems... Christa Hook even better than Gerry Embleton, simply because it seems that her artwork has that little touch of extra care. Still, the plates in The Sarmatians are very, very well done by Embleton.
Anyways, on to the subject. What is an artwork with Landsknechts on it doing in something on the Crusades? The Landsknechts fought against the Ottomans, but ya can't be seein' that as Crusades, I'd imagine...
~Wiz
You're joking right? Apart from the front plate, my cat's coughed up better looking stuff that that!Quote:
Still, the plates in The Sarmatians are very, very well done by Embleton.
Well its the "Age" of the Crusades, basically spanning the entire Medieval era starting at the Magyars and ending with the siege of Malta. The Siege of Vienna is included in this period.Quote:
Anyways, on to the subject. What is an artwork with Landsknechts on it doing in something on the Crusades? The Landsknechts fought against the Ottomans, but ya can't be seein' that as Crusades, I'd imagine...
BKB you are spot on about the plates, "age of the crusades" means the era in which they took place in, so the plates should not just be confined to pictures of the crusades.
Also, tbh, I dont think Gerry Embleton would be missed in the osprey world if anything happened to him.
The Sarmatians were ok... to many none battle scenes.
For Xmas I got the Mounted Archers and the Scythians. Very good both, but the Scythians didn't show enough light cavalry archers... I mean come on! Armoured troops are pretty, but they don't help me much in reaserching Europa Barborarum... The Mounted archers was excellent, though I missed the two extra plates.
I'm afraid that those "Age of Crusades" plates don't appeal to me. They look way too cartoony, in comparison to most of Mcbride's stuff... I'm afraid I just can't handle them that much:\
As to the two-page plates in "The Vikings" and "The Normans", BKB, I can't look at both of those all day because I've had them in "Warlords and Warriors" for much to long to be interested anymore!
I don't care for either Embelton or Hook, but prefer Graham Turner next, to Mcbride. Spectacular stuff he puts out. He doesn't stray from historical accuracy, as Mcbride does, just to capture the eye of the onlooker, either.
-Gregory-
Turner... what stuff does he do? I agree, the historical accuracy of McBrides plates sometimes are troubling, and a pain in the butt for reaserching, but it usaully isn't that bad.
Hmmm.. haven't seen any artwork of Turner as of now... could you direct me to some of the titles he's participated in, if you will?
~Wiz
The two that I have that he's done (I think these are the only two) are "English Medieval Knight 1200-1300", and "English Medieval Knight 1400-1500". There's one in between, (i.e. EMK 1300-1400) but I don't have that yet. I'd suggest picking one up. The illustrations on 1400-1500 are the better of the two I have, for sure. He has these plates in it... It's from the Warrior Series:
Plate A: Half-page of Agincourt, depicting dismounted French Knights.
Plate B: Knight, Circa 1425
Plate C: "Confrontation on the Road" Circa May 22, 1448
Plate D: A King's Court, Circa 1465
Plate E: Italian Armour, Circa 1450
Plate F: English Armour, 1450-1500
Plate G: Equipped Man-at-arms, 1450-1500
Plate H: Tournament Armour
Plate I: Battle of Wakefield, Circa December 31, 1460
Plate J: "The Consequences of Defeat"
So, it's got 10 plates, which is good for Warrior Series... Mcbride only does 8 for his, I think, for the most part. They're also all very good with lots of variety. The "EMK 1200-1300" only has 8 plates. I need to purchase the 1300-1400 book, now!
Here are Amazon links to all three, in order:
1200-1300-
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books
1300-1400-
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books
1400-1500-
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books
And, suprise, suprise... A website that hosts prints of some of Graham's work! May you all drool soundly tonight...
http://www.studio88.co.uk/
-Gregory-
Contacted Osprey and found out that Angus McBride will only be illustrating one book for them this year:
Elite 130: The Mycenaeans
Disappointing.
Did they say what other kinds of books will be coming out? I'm tired of all the Nazi and WW2 stuff... Ancient and Mediveal is far more interesting. I fail to see how they can waste so much time on such boring time periods.
HOLY CRAP! WHOO HOO! They're making a Mycenaean one... By him! HA!Quote:
Originally Posted by The Blind King of Bohemia
www.bronze-warrior.com/mycenaean.html
That's MY Mycenaean page!
http://s8.invisionfree.com/Bronze_Age_Center/index.php?
That's my Bronze Age Forum!
Har, har, har! It's my favorite era! YAY! I'm so excited! Peter Connolly has been the only artist to faithfully make extremely good art based on Mycenaean soldiers (and does a damn good job of it) but having a taste of Mcbride will be amazing! I've written essays on the guys arms and armor, I have books on them, I recreate their weapons, their clothing... Gosh, that's about the best news I've recieved since I started collecting Osprey books! CHA CHING!
-Gregory-
I concur. I've pretty much told you the ones coming out until July, though add another Elite: Roman Siege Warfare to that list. Mycenaeans will probably come out in the latter half of the year.Quote:
Did they say what other kinds of books will be coming out? I'm tired of all the Nazi and WW2 stuff... Ancient and Mediveal is far more interesting. I fail to see how they can waste so much time on such boring time periods.
I hope there's a decent Trojan War double page battle one in there somewhere...
Thing is, Angus is 74 now, and I'm kind of worried that he might stop altogether very soon. I just hope he's doing another Concord one instead...they have Gunpowder Armies and Eastern Romans in the pipeline, so one of them would be great.
Well, I recently placed orders for these titles:
Knights Hospitaller (1)
English Medieval Knights 1300-1400
Those will come in tomorrow...
And I ordered these on Amazon last night...
Russian Medieval Armies 750-1250
Russian Medieval Armies 1250-1500
Byzantine Armies 886-1118
Byzantine Armies 1118-1461
French Medieval Armies 1000-1300
I can't wait to get all of them! By the looks of it, the French one will be one of the best... I have a new interest in the Early Medieval Era and don't have many books covering it, so some more Angus will be trick to get a hold of for it!
-Gregory-
The Russian ones are very good, especially the earlier one. The later Byzantine one is also excellent. Don't know about the French one, don't have it.
Edit: Oh does anyone have any good suggestions for Eastern horse archer books? I have the Horsearchers of the Steppe, Nomad Hordes, the Scythian one and the Parthian one. I also have the Mongol one in the Warrior series. Are their any other good ones, either from Ancient or Medieval eras? Preferably Ancient for my research for the EB mod, but I can't find to many of those... especially since you guys said the Persian one sucks. Any good Medieval ones, about the early Muslims or something?
"The Russian ones are very good, especially the earlier one. The later Byzantine one is also excellent. Don't know about the French one, don't have it."
Good news! I had heard that both Russian books were very good, and I'm really excited about all five simply because I have no other books concentrating on Russian or Byzantine warfare, and because the French one looks good for the reasons I stated in my last post!
I'll probably like the Early Byzantine one better than the later, because my interest lies primarily in the Dark Ages. I actually only bought the Late Russian and Byzantine books because I like having "sets" of related Osprey titles, thus explaining getting both in each set...
As for the Eastern Horse Archers, well... I'm not to sure if I can help. You named all of them that I could think of off of the bat. How about "The Janissaries" and "Armies of the Ottoman Turks 1300-1774", since the Turks had legendary mounted archers.
"The Moors", "The Armies of Islam 7th-11th Centuries" and "Armies of the Caliphates 862-1098" are all good looking Muslim ones, although I haven't had the chance to get them yet... The last I mentioned is illustrated by Graham Turner... I suggest you look at the full cover view of it on Amazon! Great illustration!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1855...41#reader-link
Cheers!
-Gregory-
I'm gonna order Armies of the Muslim conquest next... anyone know anything about it and its artwork?
BTW, Gregorius, the Ottomans weren't all that famous for their horse archers... at least, not as famous as their Seljuq/Turkic predecessors. For those, it would seem logical to me to observe The armies of Islam 7th-11th Centuries, since this covers all the different peoples which embraced Islam in the Dark/Middle Ages. I myself want it because I don't know much about Islamic armies, and because of the information about Persian armies (Samanids, etc.) after the Muslim conquest and before the Seljuq conquest (after which Turkic dynasties ruled Persia... ok, the Ghaznavids were the first Turks to rule Persia, but the Seljuqs were more important ~D).
~Wiz
"BTW, Gregorius, the Ottomans weren't all that famous for their horse archers... at least, not as famous as their Seljuq/Turkic predecessors."
Ah, you're so correct! Sorry about that. The Seljuk Turks were much more known for their horse archery and flight bows, etc... I should have recalled the difference. Ottomans were famous mainly for their heavy cavalry and Janissaries, if I'm correct this time:p
-Gregory-
Just got the Saxon, Viking and Norman Men-at-Arms. Frankly, I'm kinda disapointed by this one. Plates aren't really good and the content isn't very detailed.
Hopefully, I'll receive The Age of Charlemagne soon, and I know this one is great (I've already read it ~D )
Steppe Merc, I think there's a book about the Samartians.
Armies of the Muslim conquest is good and the plates are good too.
Got that one. It's not good, really. The pictures are very dissapointing.Quote:
Steppe Merc, I think there's a book about the Samartians.
I'll look for that Muslim Armies one.. sadly my bookstores that carry Osprey never have any of the ones I want... Guess I'll go to Amazon, then.
I got in Armies of Medieval Russia 750-1250, Italian Medieval Armies 1000-1300, and German Medieval Armies 1300-1500 the other evening. All three are great. Sadly, the Italian one has little of the information I was looking forward to on Arms and Armor (my main area of interest)...
All three have wonderful plates, and I really like them all! The Russians one is valuable, as I'm currently working on a Varangian Kit, which will have a mix of Byzantine, Viking, and Rus articles... The East at that time was, of course, the Melting Pot of European and Asiatic customs. :D
-Gregory-
There's going to be a new member of the Warrior series, namely the title Carolingian Horseman (or something like that), about the horsemen that became the staple of the Carolingian army, forming the only truly useful part of the army. It's going to feature new artwork of course, and, most importantly, Carolingian battle-scenes! I'm really going to order it ~D
~Wiz
Yep, Carolingian Cavalryman will be coming out in March, with the excellent Wyane Reynolds doing the plates. Looking forward to it. ~:cheers:
Oh boy,
Last night I got in both Byzantine Armies books, Russians 1250-1500, and French 1000-1300! All four are great! I was BLOWN AWAY by the nostalgic feel I got from looking at the Mcbride plates in Byzantine Armies 886-1118! They're from '79, and are probably the coolest ones I've ever seen! I know most people would say "What's this crap!" because the detail is lacking and the personality and scope of the art is worse that Angus's modern work, but I'm very into "old" feels, especially comic book style...
It was funny, because when I first looked through it, I thought about the Conan movies, and the animated Hobbit and Lord of the Rings series... Something strange and cool about it all to me, but I don't know what. Perhaps I died an aspiring artist, art collector, or fantasy enthusiast in the early '80's? Haha.
The information from Health in 1979 was lacking, and I've already read a whole article by Tim Dawson in 1990, on how it was terribly wrong of him to say that the Byzantines (particularly the Varangians) used Rhomphaia, as the translation from Psellos supposedly stated. But, it was construed and Ian did not study the Greek carefully enough... Here's the article, for anyone interested.
http://web.missouri.edu/~tm104/Varangian.htm
I had become excited over being able to use a Medieval Rhomphaia in reenactment! Well, that goes to show how simple mistranslations, etc... Can really ruin ones day!
Anyway, that was 25 years ago, so I won't blame Heath for it now. I've read some of his more recent stuff, and his writing skills, and I'd suppose (and hope) his research skills definitely have improved since then!
The plates in the second Russian book are lovely! I like the seperation of cavalry and infantry plates. It makes things more interesting..! I like the late Byzantine plates as well, but they lack that newly found blast of nostalgia the first book gives to me... :p The French plates are great, and a couple are full of life and have further inspired me to try to start working on my own chainmail, as I couldn't afford a custom made hauberk and chausses within the next couple of years...
If anyone is interested in these, here are the exact titles:
-Medieval Russian Armies 1250-1500; by V. Shpakovsky & David Nicolle, illustrated by Angus Mcbride
-Byzantine Armies 886-1118; by Ian Heath, illustrated by Angus Mcbride
-Byzantine Armies AD 1118-1461; by Ian Heath, illustrated by Angus Mcbride
-French Medieval Armies 1000-1300; by David Nicolle, illustrated by Angus Mcbride
Cheers, all!
-Gregory-
And here I was, thinking I was the only one touting the Man-At-Arms series (in the readme file of my mod), and I decided to come back and browse the forums because I had free time and nothing to do, when I stumble upon this thread...
:happyg:
*Wonders how anyone would think that the Osprey Series was widely unknown...*Quote:
Originally Posted by kekvitirae
Even if it is criticized a lot for accuracy and misrepresentation of historic figures or arms and armor in plates, in MOST of it's books, the series is still a fun read, and probably the most widely known military series ever!
-Gregory-
Just ordered Concord's Age of the Crusades, and I'm told they have it in stock. Can't wait for this one.... Review when I get it.
Alright, we at the Europa Barbarorum need your guys help. Can you tell us what book these pictures are from? They don't look like the Persian Army one, but I can't find any book that would include them on the site. Amyar, who posted the pictures, says that their from a book called The Achaemenid Army, which I can't find. Any help please from the experts?
http://img222.exs.cx/img222/3608/osp...my023dn.th.jpghttp://img222.exs.cx/img222/5553/osp...my048kh.th.jpghttp://img213.exs.cx/img213/3211/osp...my050rq.th.jpghttp://img212.exs.cx/img212/8175/osp...my085tt.th.jpg
Yes. The Achaemenid Army is a long (AFAIK) out-of-print book by Montvert Publications. I don't have it, but the artwork is by the great but sadly deceased Richard Scollins, who did several good 19th century books for Osprey. It's probably a bitch to get hold of; I'll try and get the author for you. Thanks for the plates though - looks good!
The author is a Mr D Head - I hope that D doesn't stand for something rather embarassing! ~D Disappointingly, I just found out that is stands for Duncan.
That's the trouble with these Montvert books - they're great but elusive. I'm awaiting Ancient Warrior, and plan to order Warriors of Eurasia and both Armies of Bactria soon, but I really want the Angus McBride illustrated Seleucid and Ptolemaic Reform Armies Volumes 1 and 2; Meneldil sent me some of the plates he found on the Net and it looks great. And recently I find out about this Achaemenid book and another one called Justinian's Wars, but I'm not sure if there are any illustrations in that one.
What!?!
A Selecuid and a Bactrian book? Geez, why don't they make that any more? I was wondering why they never had a Bactrian or Selecuid book....
Thanks for that BKB. It was really bothering me, and I really loved the plates. Thanks for the quick response. ~D
Steppe, I'll send you those Seleucid and Ptolemaic pics.
The Armies of Bactria book is still in publication. Its £14.99 for both volumes on Amazon UK and its on 1-2 week despatch, as is Warriors of Eurasia. Although neither are illustrated by McBride unfortunately.
Steppe Merc, you can find the plate of Seleucid and Ptolemaix reformed army as well as some other things here
Unhappilly, I don't know if they are plates of the first or the second book.
While looking for informations about the Seleucid, I also found out another pic that was really 'AngusMcBridish' IMO, and I'm quite sure it was another plate from either one of these books. It shown a heavy-badass-scythed chariot.
Thanks, BKB already sent them to me. ~;)
Meneldil any chance of seeing that pic? I should be able to clarify the matter. :knight:
Steppe I tried to reply to your PM but your inbox is full.
It's empty now. ~;)
The plate is here, and it is from Mc Bride :)
Heavy Badass Scythed Selecudid Chariot
Thanks Meneldil. It certainly is, and that is awesome! I've had enough of this - I'm sending a letter to Montvert today asking if they have any of those books left! :charge:
Would you mind informing us about their answer ?
I certainly will. I'll probably send it out tomorrow or Tuesday, though being as the books I have with the address in are from 1996 or earlier I don't even know if they're still in business anymore!
Yes the company have replied and informed me that they have loads of copies of Age of the Crusades in stock. They dispatched it today which means that I should recieve it by the end of the week. I don't think I've ever looked forward to a book this much before! Of course Angus' artwork should be phenomenal if those plates I posted a short time ago are anything to go by, and the Medieval era is something Concord have neglected up to now. For anyone who wants to know what plates will be in this book, here is a list that a collaborator who worked on the book sent me a while back:
This of course might have changed but I doubt it will. So far we've seen the Liegnitz, Stamford Bridge, Hospitallers manning a Ballista, the horizontal Siege of Vienna and (I think) the Lechfeld one. I've also seen the Ottoman guns at Constantinople, but it was only small. 14 more to look forward to! ~:cheers:Quote:
(Written around four groups/sections of paintings)
CREATION OF THE WESTERN-EUROPEAN CRUSADER MINDSET /RESISTING OUTSIDE
INTRUSION; SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE CRUSADES:
Otto I, Duke of Saxony, vs. the Magyars 955 (Battle of Lechfeld)
Battle of Clontarf 1014
Battle of Stamford Bridge 1066
Battle of Hastings 1066
THE CLASH OF CULTURES:
Normans in Sicily 1017-1097
Byzantine street scene (night, Norman mercs.) mid 11th cent.
Battle of Manzikert, August 26, 1071 (horz.)
Battle of Manzikert, August 26, 1071 (vert.)
The First Crusade 1096-1099 (assault on Jerusalem, July, 1099).
Battle at the Horns of Hattin.
Knights Hospitalers in the Holy Land, 1150-1290 (Hospitalers with ballista,
circa 1200).
THE NEW ENEMY/THE FIRST MAJOR THREAT TO THE WEST:
Mongol invasion of the West, first half of the 13th cent.
Mongols defeat Teutonic Knights and Poles at Battle of Liegnitz, Apr. 9, 1241
Mongol siege of Bagdad 1258
Timurid camel troopers, Empire of Tamerlane 1370-1405
STOPPING THE TURKISH-ISLAMIC THREAT TO THE WEST:
Turkish cannon, siege of Constantinople 1453
Landsknechts at the Turkish siege of Vienna 1529 (horz.)
Landsknechts at the Turkish siege of Vienna 1529 (vert.)
Russian siege of Kazan 1552 (Russians capture Kazan from the Tatars).
The Knights of Malta (stopping the Turkish advance 1565).
Wow, this book looks amazing. I'll try to order it on amazon.co.uk
I'll receive the Osprey Warrior 01 - Norman knight in a few days. It's my second non-McBride Osprey, and I hope the plate by Christa Hook will be better than those in Saxon, Viking and Norman.
It came.
Before I go any further, I just want to say that in my opinion, and I feel as though with my collection I am in a position to say this, this is the greatest illustrated military history book ever made. Its amazing.
I'll now review each plate, giving it a grade. You'll notice that none are marked below B - all are extremely good, while some are incomparable.
Plate 1 - The Battle of Lechfeld, 955
I was wrong, you haven't seen this yet. It depicts a Saxon Cavalryman going up against 3 heavily armoured Magyars, taking the central leading figure by surprise. A vivid and attractive action scene. B+
Plate 2 - The Battle of Clontarf 1014
Absolutely fantastic - a huge melee between Irish and Viking warriors with horsemen marauding in between. Arguably the best plate in the book, and a frontrunner for one of the best military plates I've seen. A+
Plate 3 - The Battle of Stamford Bridge 1066
You've seen this one - a lone Viking Berserker defends the bridge against many Saxon warriors while a cunning spearmen wades through the water underneath to bring him down. A famous scene which I've always wanted Angus to do, and its even better than I could imagine. A+
Plate 4 - The Battle of Hastings 1066
Another great piece - Norman horsemen throw spears at the Saxon shield wall which holds firm in the background, while a gloomy sky looms above. A very atmospheric piece befitting the scene it depicts. A
Plate 5 - Normans in Sicily fighting Arabs, 11thC
3 fearsome and well-equipped Normans find themselves backed up against some ruins, ready for a last stand. No actual Arabs are in the picture but a grounded Norman endures a painful arrow wound in his thigh. B+
Plate 6 - Norman mercenaries gamble in Constantinople, 11thC
A rare light-hearted piece which depicts well-armoured Norman mercenaries sharing a joke and gambling outside a brothel. A drunken soldier is helped by his two friends in the background while another Norman tries his luck with a Byzantine prostitute. B
Plate 7 - The Battle of Manzikert 1071 (Horizontal)
You've seen this already - the Seljuk cavalry have crashed into the Byzantine infantry, which features some Norman mercenaries. Some stand while some turn face and flee. An excellent picture. A+
Plate 8 - The Battle of Manzikert 1071 (Vertical)
A simple but highly effective plate. Three Byzantine warriors, one mounted, fall foul to Seljuk arrow fire. The horseman is collapsing from his wounded horse, while a Byzantine soldier clutching his spear lies on the ground with an arrow in his torso. Another (a Variangian?) stands firm with his shield deflecting the missiles. A
Plate 9 - Crusaders storm Jerusalem 1099
Another breathtaking piece - Franish crusaders mount a victorius surge against the walls of Jerusalem. A siege tower has reached the walls, allowing soldiers to race across the bridge while supported by archers in the tower. Soldiers climb ladders, but are pegged back by arrow fire. A+
Plate 10 - Knights Templar in the Holy Land, 12thC
Again, you've seen this already - Templars man a ballista against a threatening group of Muslim cavalry about to attack them. I believe it is the Battle of Arsuf. Angus again shows how he can capture a piece of the action unlike any other. B+
Plate 11 - Crusaders escort Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land, 12-13thC
Crusaders, possibly Templars, watch over pilgrims while one soldier notices a fair few Muslim horsemen converging on the clifftop above. One senses a battle is about to ensure. B
Plate 12 - The Mongols ride West, 13thC
After sacking Kiev, a huge Mongol horde ride further into Europe while a foreboding storm rages above. The leading Mongol bears a strong Chinese influence while the two around him are extremely well-armoured heavy cavalryman. B+
Plate 13 - The Battle of Liegnitz 1241
You've seen it but not fully - its a horizontal piece and is about twice as big! Angus throws us into the height of the battle, where the Mongols seem to be gaining supremacy over the brave Teutonic Knights in a furious melee. Superb. A+
Plate 14 - Mongols besiege Baghdad 1258
In the background a Mongol trebuchet fires relentlessly upon the beautiful city of Baghdad, which you can just make out being reduced to rubble. In the foreground two great-looking Mongols, one a commander, play their part as the soldier prepares his bow to fire arrows at the defenders. B
Plate 15 - Timurid Camel Troopers take on Indians, 1398
An awesome plate. A beautifully decorated Indian War Elephant finds itself under attack by three Tartar Camel Warriors, who fire arrows to try and bring the beast of burden down. One Indian has been felled, while the rider and an archer in the war tower attempt to fire some arrows back. A+
Plate 16 - Turkish Cannon at the Siege of Constantinople 1453
Many Turkish workers prepare the huge gun as Ottoman officers look on. Constantinople burns in the background as they gear up for another volley. Very good but a last stand of Constantine wouldn't have gone amiss. B
Plate 17 - Landsknechts at the Siege of Vienna 1529 (Horizontal)
Again, you've seen this - tired German warriors nurse their wounds and take a break while a mounted officer orders them back in to defend the breach against the Turks. Lavish attention to the colourful outfits show why Angus towers above the rest. A
Plate 18 - Landsknechts at the Siege of Vienna 1529 (Vertical)
Another 3 battle-worn German Landsknecths (one clutching a halberd, another a two-handed sword and the third a gun) stand ready against another Turkish charge. The city burns behind them. B
Plate 19 - Russians at the Siege of Kazan 1552
I love the look of the Russians in this plate - they're dressed in decorative clothing and ready for battle. In the background is a huge siege tower with gun emplacements atop. A
Plate 20 - The Siege of Malta 1565
Valette orders his men to defend a boat (I think?) against the forthcoming Turkish fleet. A small cannon his prepared while another pulls a rope and a third gets a gunpowder keg opened. Valette looks great and ready for battle. Just wish it was a fighting one against the Turks! B+
If you have any kind of interest in the Medieval era at all, you MUST buy this book. Any McBride doubters will surely be disproved.
Damn, that sound awesome! I wish they sold them on American Amazon... grr, why do you Brits get the better books? ~;)
Yeah, ordering from amzaon.co.uk is quite expensive ~:eek:
Try www.caliverbooks.com. That's who I got it from. They ship all over the world, and though its expensive I'd like to think it's worth it.
BKB, you're *the* man. :bow:
Sounds good BKB.
I've been checking out Amazon and found that they've updated their site with the second half of 2005's Osprey line-up. For Ancient and Medieval fans, it looks awful! Although there's probably more, here's the only info I found:
Acre is done by Graham Turner, not Christa Hook.
Turner is also illustrating Battle of the Boyne campaign book.
Crusader Castles of the Holy Land 1292 to 1309 (I think) is coming out in the Summer.
There's only one Angus McBride addition, and its not the Mycenaeans but Warriors of Medieval Japan, which is a compilation of older works. I reckon the Mycenaeans is still coming out though, plus more books relating to there eras besides!
Damn. I love the good Osprey books, but so many ones that I would never buy clog the bookstores... It's really angrering. That and the fact Amazon doesn't sell Montvert... and the ones I'm intrested in don't appear on that excellent site that BKB posted. Ah well...
What about the Caroligian Cavalryman? Isn't that coming out soon too?
Yeah March. I'll definitely be picking that one up.
Take for example Osprey's recent poll on their site. Some great choices - Fortifications of Ancient Carthage (Fortress), Genoese Crossbowmen of the Hundred Years War (Warrior) and an awesome-sounding Medieval Armies of Croatia and Serbia 600-1389 (MAA), surely a McBride cert. The poll was rounded off by Napolean's Swiss Regiments (Elite) and Port Arthur (Fortress). It doesn't really mean much, but Port Arthur is winning by 12%! Who votes on these things?!?
Still, at least Amazon have relisted the McBride illustrated Sassanian Elite Cavalryman for January 2006. Would have preferred him to do something more interesting though.
That last news you gave just made my day, BKB ~D
~Wiz
Its odd how I didn't like the Mycenaeans as well but Gregorius was thrilled about it! I'd personally rather see McBride do a Medieval era book, notably something about Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic or the Armies of Medieval Africa (not the northern Muslim parts). But I'm happy with anything he does deep down.
I just got Women Warlords by Tim Newark and Angus McBride and I was very surprised. It's awesome! I don't know why it took me so long to get this book. Some great pictures - Joan of Arc being captured by Burgundians, Amazons fighting Conquistadors, Sarmatians fighting Graeco-Scythians, plus another 13 great plates. Highly recommended!
So how are all your collections looking by now? Am I the only one constantly updating mine on the first page?
You're the only one. ~;) I'll udpate when I get home.. Right now I'm ignoring my teacher in computer class.
And I'm looking foward to the Sassanians as well! Woo!
Are Warlords armies and El Cid - Concord I think- any good ?
Warlord Armies is excellent - some superb Celtic work by Angus and Richard Hook is on good form also, with pics of Lithuanian warriors, Hussites and Vikings. Graham Turner chimes in with a decent pic and Graham Summer lets the side down somewhat.
El Cid looks pretty good to me, I don't know the artist but his work looks impressive. That's on my 'to get' list.
Check out the 'Fighting Men Series' section of www.concord-publications.com for sample pics from these books. Angus' work is the cover Clontarf picture on the Balkans Warlords one.
Good news - I've just heard back from Osprey and 'apparantly' Sassanian Elite Cavalryman will be out in July this year! Oddly, this came from the same guy who told me that The Mycenaeans will be Angus' only book this year! I've e-mailed him back for assurance on this matter.
Oh and Warrior Women of Northern Europe was cancelled, and will not be coming out.
Hoot! Yay! Give me Sassanians over Women any day...
Um... That came out wrong. :embarassed:
~;)
Hum, I just noticed that the Vikings and the Normans, from the Elite serie aren't show anymore at ospreypublishing.com
What does that mean ? Are those 2 not published anymore ?
Mmm maybe a compilation is coming, or they're being republished? Those two books are awesome, so it'd be a great shame if they have been discontinued. Amazon still have them in stock.
I've been told that Angus McBride will be illusrating both Sassanian Elite Cavalryman and The Mycenaeans for 2005. I hope he does a couple that actually interest ME for 2006!