Question about Osprey.

[Lusitani]

I am curious to know other members opinion about Osprey Publishing books.
I find them very interesting and most times a good introduction to specific themes. However i have heard some negative comments about them and i i would like to know some opinions. Thanks.

[russia almighty]

One of the problems is, some of the books were made on outdated material (see the one about Mycenaen Greece and the chariot lancers issue).


Other's, at least for the ancient era, is over dramatized armor, showing something a king wore as common equipment, ect.

[Hooahguy]

but they make excellent WWII books!

[Ibrahim]

terrible Makedonian books though, as it turns out...(abou's critue of KLA's work in the D:TW forum is still in my head). in other words: don't base all you know on those books. go get the actual stuff (or a picture or photo of it.). ask help from experts, and find as much as possible from them, or anywhere credible and reliable.

[Aaldaemon]

Osprey books might not be the apogee of scholarship, but they are quite an entertaining read to be sure. I own quite a few of them, and they make for great errr toilet reading... did I just say that? No, seriously take Osprey with a pinch of salt, but read them nonetheless, they're a decent introduction to military history - something to wet the appetite.

[Krusader]

Osprey books are really good as an entry point into military history I've found out. And you can't deny most plates look very nice.

But yes, the main criticism is the sources used for plates and sometimes shoddy research (according to some. In my opinion Osprey seems to do a good enough job with my most books I've read). Sometimes the sources are used very well, but other times they are taken from various sources and time periods. An as russia almighty says, equipment worn by Kings or high nobility are depicted on common soldiers in some illustrations.

[Lusitani]

Thanks for your replies.
So in what comes to available publications....is there an alternative to Osprey books?

[Hooahguy]

EB

[oudysseos]

I have found that if you take the trouble to actually read the books, rather than just look at the pictures and diagrams, that they are honest about the hypothetical nature of their reconstructions. Nick Sekunda writes in detail about the sources of information, and their limits, and uses lots of 'probably' and 'possibly', but at the end of the day, the artists and historians had a job to produce something, and tried to do the best job they could given the state of research at the time. But nowhere are the pictures asserted as anything but educated guesses. You could substitute 'EB' for 'Osprey Books' here. Reconstructions are fun and informative, but not a time machine.

[Lusitani]

EB

Hmmm somehow i was expecting that answer sooner or later....and I agree...but even EB members knowledge comes from somewhere :).

[MeinPanzer]

Thanks for your replies.
So in what comes to available publications....is there an alternative to Osprey books?

If you can get a hold of them, the out-of-print titles from Montvert are like Ospreys on steroids. Only a few books were published under Montvert in the 90s, but most were written by authors who've also published with Osprey (Sekunda, Nicolle). However, the authors are given much more scope to include line drawings or photographs of actual artifacts, the colour plates are more numerous, and the books are more substantial overall.

Many of the books cover areas which are very interesting but which are not covered by Osprey or other publishers- the Ptolemaic and Seleucid armies of the second century BC, the Bactrian military, the army of Justinian- while others cover subjects which some Ospreys cover but in much more depth- the Achaemenid Persian army, the Sassanian military, the military of the Tang dynasty.

Unfortunately, the most expensive of these titles (the Seleucid, Ptolemaic, and Achaemenid titles) now regularly fetch ~$200 each, while the others usually run around $40 or so (some more, some less).

[Lusitani]

If you can get a hold of them, the out-of-print titles from Montvert are like Ospreys on steroids. Only a few books were published under Montvert in the 90s, but most were written by authors who've also published with Osprey (Sekunda, Nicolle). However, the authors are given much more scope to include line drawings or photographs of actual artifacts, the colour plates are more numerous, and the books are more substantial overall.

Many of the books cover areas which are very interesting but which are not covered by Osprey or other publishers- the Ptolemaic and Seleucid armies of the second century BC, the Bactrian military, the army of Justinian- while others cover subjects which some Ospreys cover but in much more depth- the Achaemenid Persian army, the Sassanian military, the military of the Tang dynasty.

Unfortunately, the most expensive of these titles (the Seleucid, Ptolemaic, and Achaemenid titles) now regularly fetch ~$200 each, while the others usually run around $40 or so (some more, some less).

I checked some of those Montvert titles and yeah they are quite expensive but seem worthwhile. Pity they are not being released anymore...as far as i could understand.
Sooo who wants to set up a publishing bussinness ????

[Ibrahim]

well you can go here for accurate as possible reconstructions, and its free:
www.kronoskaf.com
trouble is, they're 7 years war, not EB timeframe.

[konny]

well you can go here for accurate as possible reconstructions, and its free:
www.kronoskaf.com
trouble is, they're 7 years war, not EB timeframe.

Oh yes, that realy looks impressive!

Just wait until I get my hands on Empire:TW.....

[Ibrahim]

nothing in that game compares with with me spaniards, and Austrian cuirassiers (the clothes, not saddle-that was my boss's work), or Mr. Aubert's redcoats...or anything *speaks of pride of his and his colleague's evil...sorry-historical organization.

[Lusitani]

Oh yes, that realy looks impressive!

Just wait until I get my hands on Empire:TW.....

I am curious about ETW but...to be honest its biggest potencial( imho) is the capacity to use and have naval warfare.
Now for what i have seen so far i feel quite sceptic about ETW. Especially having seen that "cut" map...i really dont understand why a big bit of Africa, Japan..Indonesia, etc...have been cut out. Not to mention of course the ethernal debate about the playable factions...one can have a good laugh about all that, but...i do hope, however, that someone *hint hint* might want to mod it in a more...lets say realistical way.

[Justinian II]

I am curious about ETW but...to be honest its biggest potencial( imho) is the capacity to use and have naval warfare.
Now for what i have seen so far i feel quite sceptic about ETW. Especially having seen that "cut" map...i really dont understand why a big bit of Africa, Japan..Indonesia, etc...have been cut out. Not to mention of course the ethernal debate about the playable factions...one can have a good laugh about all that, but...i do hope, however, that someone *hint hint* might want to mod it in a more...lets say realistical way.

A medieval Mod for Empire would be sweet. Imagine: greek fire in naval battles as the Byzantines! An EB one would be sweet too, what with that one huge naval battle between Kart-Hadasht and Rome in the first Punic War...the name escapes me, but it was one of the largest naval battles of all time, or so the rumor goes.

[Ibrahim]

A medieval Mod for Empire would be sweet. Imagine: greek fire in naval battles as the Byzantines! An EB one would be sweet too, what with that one huge naval battle between Kart-Hadasht and Rome in the first Punic War...the name escapes me, but it was one of the largest naval battles of all time, or so the rumor goes.

battle of Mylae? or the final battle in 241 BC

[Rilder]

Hmmm somehow i was expecting that answer sooner or later....and I agree...but even EB members knowledge comes from somewhere :).

A captive roman in there basements.

[konny]

i do hope, however, that someone *hint hint* might want to mod it in a more...lets say realistical way.

That will certainly happen.