Official Osprey thread

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

His LOTR pictures are probably his worse pieces of work. Yet they are still good compared to other artists standards.

I wasn't acting disrespectful to other Osprey artists. I was just telling the truth

[Innocentius]

His LOTR pictures are probably his worse pieces of work. Yet they are still good compared to other artists standards.

I was only refering to his depiction of orcs. Otherwise the only artist who can draw Tolkien-related art are Howe and Lee.

I wasn't acting disrespectful to other Osprey artists. I was just telling the truth

It's kind of amazing that you're still so narrow-minded and self-centered. People capable of writing understandable English have usually passed the stage where they consider their own opinion and interests canon. I'm afraid there's only one cure for that, and that is growing up
Also you did nothing to really answer any of the points I brought up in my last post.

[Roman_Man#3]

I wasn't acting disrespectful to other Osprey artists. I was just telling the truth

Embleton's greatest historical error was picking up a pencil in the first place.

As soon as you said Embleton I stopped reading.

So this is not disrespectful? If you can prove to me that no one else can draw worth beans, please prove it, otherwise stop continuing this debate.

And your point of

Your entitled to your opinion. Its wrong of course.

can be used against you. Innocentius has has stated
ie.

other illustrators whom I hold to be better than McBride.

that he holds other illustrators better than Angus, while you hold onto the belief that McBride is better than the others. So you are entitled to your opinion, as wrong as it might be.

The Osprey books are meant to be historically accurate. Hence, I would like someone who never made a historical mistake compared to someone who made a few, no matter how awesome the scenery was.

It is quite immature of you to not see any other point of views other than your own, especially when Innocentius has stated multiple times it is sad McBride passed away, he was a good artist, he did not mean to belittle McBride etc.

Please, grow up,
RM3

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

Sorry Roman your giving your opinion like I'm supposed to care. This argument doesn't even concern you. Don't ever tell me to grow up. You have attempted to assert some sort of misplaced authority like I am a naughty schoolboy. You look stupid doing so.

You have entered and talked me like your an admin. Your remarks have really grated me. At least i have heard of Innocentius, i have never seen you post in this thread. To be honest I don't even know who the hell you are.

I have contested Mcbride's work with people I respect like Duke John. I won't be changing my opinion about anything. I never initiated this conversation in the first place with Innocentius. The only reason why Innocentius is upset with Mcbride is that he wasn't accurate with the Scandinavian armies books. That is the bottom line. I can understand that but I feel he should admit it

[Roman_Man#3]

I don't care if this doesn't concern me and I certainly don't care that I have never posted in this section before me. Who the hell are you to talk to me in this manner, I was voicing my opinion.

Do you honestly think I care if I look stupid doing this? It annoys me to see some people won't even consider others points of views. Especially when you state, quite blankly and rudely, that others opinions are wrong. So you must think you know all eh? I needed a good laugh.

You, and Innocentius, both have different opinions on who is, and what makes, a better artist. You cannot say one opinion is more wrong than the other. Have you ever heard the saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" or a variation "Good taste is in the eye of the beholder"? My opinion is this is becoming a silly debate, and I doubt you will ever agree on who is better, because you each of different tastes and opinions.

Good day to you,
RM3

[Innocentius]

Sorry Roman your giving your opinion like I'm supposed to care. This argument doesn't even concern you. Don't ever tell me to grow up. You have attempted to assert some sort of misplaced authority like I am a naughty schoolboy. You look stupid doing so.

You have entered and talked me like your an admin. Your remarks have really grated me. At least i have heard of Innocentius, i have never seen you post in this thread. To be honest I don't even know who the hell you are.

That's just basically you being rude, but that's no concern of mine

I have contested Mcbride's work with people I respect like Duke John. I won't be changing my opinion about anything. I never initiated this conversation in the first place with Innocentius. The only reason why Innocentius is upset with Mcbride is that he wasn't accurate with the Scandinavian armies books. That is the bottom line. I can understand that but I feel he should admit it

First of all: No-one ever asked you to change your opinion, although you have disrespected pretty much the entire world by acting as if your opinion was canon. Please...
Again you come with false accusations. I brought up the - very valid - point of a few of McBride's inaccuracies to show that regarding the other illustrators as useless in comparison to McBride isn't very fair (or even smart). Of course I took an example from a book that I've recently read (i.e. Scandinavian Medieval Armies 2) and the major innacuracy displayed in some of the plates is easier for me to spot since I know a thing or two about Scandinavia for obvious reasons. I'm as much upset with flaws in a book about Scandinavia as any other (like for example The Mamluks). And admit what, by the way? That I dislike McBride (which I've stated several times I do not) because I'm biased?
I'll admit whatever if you can just admit that you're acting in an immature and egocentric way, and that you are not to decide what is right and wrong.

I'm sorry, but I've actually lost all respect for you. I thought a person who had contributed so much to this forum and MTW in general would act in a more mature and grown-up way

[The Wizard]

Halt! Schnell! Ich kann das nicht zustehen!

Excuse the bad, Dutchified German, but...

The man has just died. Now, we have our different opinions on the quality of his work, but now is not the time for those. I think most of the people here know each other's tastes as to the Osprey artwork, and the corresponding artists behind it, and I also think that all of us understand that none of us is gonna change anybody's opinion on it.

So, let's agree to disagree, and pay our respects to a man who spent his life giving his all to improve our beloved Osprey series.

Rest in peace, Angus.

[Duke John]

Sad to hear, but the man sure did give us a large and varied legacy of military art. You can drink to that, BKB!

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

First of all: No-one ever asked you to change your opinion, although you have disrespected pretty much the entire world by acting as if your opinion was canon. Please...
Again you come with false accusations. I brought up the - very valid - point of a few of McBride's inaccuracies to show that regarding the other illustrators as useless in comparison to McBride isn't very fair (or even smart). Of course I took an example from a book that I've recently read (i.e. Scandinavian Medieval Armies 2) and the major innacuracy displayed in some of the plates is easier for me to spot since I know a thing or two about Scandinavia for obvious reasons. I'm as much upset with flaws in a book about Scandinavia as any other (like for example The Mamluks). And admit what, by the way? That I dislike McBride (which I've stated several times I do not) because I'm biased?
I'll admit whatever if you can just admit that you're acting in an immature and egocentric way, and that you are not to decide what is right and wrong.

I'm sorry, but I've actually lost all respect for you. I thought a person who had contributed so much to this forum and MTW in general would act in a more mature and grown-up way

I've disrespected the entire world have eh? So you are pretty much the entire world? Sorry but I fail to see it, no one apart from you cares about what I have said. Also, clearly, you're respect means nothing to me; as I said, you did not respect my opinion in the first place about me not liking other Osprey artists, so why can I not contest yours? What is wrong with presenting different views these days, why do we all just have to accept opinions? Isn't that how discussions are started in the first place?

You want reasons why I don't rate the artists in question higher than McBride? I'll present them to you. I hate Embleton, we'll get that out the way for a start. I find his painting style mediocre, his Franks, Vikings, Saxons and Romans in particular were all poorly conceived, and unconvincing. Furthermore, he lacks ambition, often drawing inanimate figures. Lifelessness is for me the key factor here. I like my historical paintings to be actual works of art, not just reference points.

Now onto the next batch, the Hooks. Now all 3 I don't mind, I find their paintings on the whole fine, with one or two exceptional pieces, such as some of Richard's work in Concord Publications Warlord Armies. Christa usually is pretty good, as is Adam, with their work very similar to each other. Again though, for me it just lacks life, despite their attempts at battle scenes. I can't get into it. Actually good works of art here, but they just don't excite me, I can understand why people would like these I'll admit.

Now onto Graham Turner and Wayne Reynolds, who are probably my favourite military artists after McBride. Reynolds has a very unique style, which I always appreciate, and although cartoony I do appreciate his scenes and feel he captures a strong essence of whatever he is doing, particularly with Japan or Celtic peoples. His Templar book however I felt was a step too far, he's much better doing fearsome warrior peoples with character, it better befits his comic style.

Turner is an exceptional artist, of that there is no doubt. His works on Medieval England are great, and he often does some very good battle scenes. Particularly good are his close ups of figures during battles. However, though technically sound, his range is extremely limited - aside from England/Renaissance era warfare, I've only really seen him do the Caliphates book. Angus has tried his hand at almost every type of warrior, and it is immensely difficult I imagine to get them all right, he should be allowed some margin for error there. Turner sticks to what he knows best, and for the playing it safe shows a lack of ambition. He does capture the age, but his figures look a little too robotic for my liking. I also have a real problem with his attempts at capturing movement, and movement during battle in particular. A case in point is this picture below:



Though everything LOOKS great here, for me the picture actually makes little sense. We have a Burgundian knight, in full ceremonial regalia, isolated from wherever he is supposed to be. One gets the impression he has been surprised, so it can't be in battle, for why would he be shocked? Turner would have us believe that the Ghent militiaman has shocked this man from out of nowhere, and has got to within slashing distance of him without the knight noticing, and even getting ready to defend himself. In reality he would have foreseen this, had his sword or lance at the ready and dealt with the nuisance. Then we have the biggest problem of all. Look at the stance of the Ghent soldier. Does that honestly look like the stance of a soldier ready to strike hard at the enemy? Of course not, he'd get no power behind his blow at all, just try doing that stance yourself and you'll see what I mean. The horse as well, is perfectly still, as if nothing is happening in the scene. Turner has a problem with his stances elsewhere also, including the middle knight figure in his Agincourt painting in the English Knight 1400-1500 book. He just looks awkward.

So why do I like Angus? Essentially, he paints proper works of art and unlike any author truly manages to capture the age/scene. The dark skies, muddy environments, murky forests all feature more character alone than the figures in the aforementioned artists' works. People are not mere robots, but real characters brought to life. Battle scenes are done with tremendous gusto, and movement is achieved brilliantly. Plus his range is incredible - Mongols to Incas, Vikings to Hittites, Byzantines to Samurai, Zulus to Conquistadors - there is none better. When I hear a book is coming out by Angus, I actually look forward to it, he just excites me like no other artist. I want to see everything he's ever done. His work is full of character, words can't really describe it. Look at this picture for example:



This just LOOKS like the Dark Ages. The thistle, the craggy ground, the dark skies - Pictish Scotland is captured just brilliantly. And Celtic peoples - by God no one does them like McBride. He makes them look fierce, big, and just defines for me how they should look. His Galloglaich are just perfect, no one else can do them like he does. Just a truly great artist.

In short, I can begrudgingly accept why people may like the Hooks, Turner, and Reynolds more, but I am not giving any ground at all on Embleton, I just find it unfathomable that people would rate his work over Angus'.

In other news a Medieval Polish Armies 900-1500 (Embleton unfortunately), Vienna 1683AD and Poitiers 732AD campaign books are coming out early next year.

[Warmaster Horus]

Sorry to jump in your little "debacle".

Also, clearly, you're respect means nothing to me; as I said, you did not respect my opinion in the first place about me not liking other Osprey artists, so why can I not contest yours?

Actually, you're the one who started this, really.
Innocentius posted right after the posting of Angus' passing. He gave his opinion, that others were better than Angus. Here's your reply.

Your entitled to your opinion. Its wrong of course. As soon as you said Embleton I stopped reading.

If that's not lack of respect, I don't know what it is.

That's a very mature attitude... I believe you're just kidding me anyway

Apparently he was wrong.

You posted your opinion again. Why? We know it.
Embleton may be worse than others, but that would be in your opinion. If Innocentius likes him, let him.

Also, he respected you as a person helping others, I believe. And I think he respects your opinion.

[The Wizard]

Guys, stop it. Save it for another time. Angus McBride deserves respect regardless of of the opinion you might or might not have on his work. There is absolutely no reason to go have half a flame war in this thread over this, especially not when the issue at hand should be paying our respects to a dead man.

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

Sorry to jump in your little "debacle".

Actually, you're the one who started this, really.
Innocentius posted right after the posting of Angus' passing. He gave his opinion, that others were better than Angus. Here's your reply.

If that's not lack of respect, I don't know what it is.

Apparently he was wrong.

You posted your opinion again. Why? We know it.
Embleton may be worse than others, but that would be in your opinion. If Innocentius likes him, let him.

Also, he respected you as a person helping others, I believe. And I think he respects your opinion.

So its okay for Innocentius to contest MY opinion, as he originally did, but not for me to contest his? Apparently I was "overestimating him." Where is my opinion being respected or accepted here? I don't see any difference at all. According to Innocentius, my opinion was wrong. That's fine, but apparently I'm not allowed to state that his opinion was wrong? Total double standards, apparently I'm totally in the wrong here yet I did not start this debate, Innocentius took it upon himself to reply and should have been aware that I was going to reply in kind.

Opinions can be wrong - look at Fred Phelps and his hate-preaching Church. Its an opinion, but by God its wrong. Now I'm obviously not comparing that situation to his, but I know for a fact everyone in this thread has contested an opinion at some point, and if you do that, you're are fundamentally saying that the other guy's opinion is wrong, and that is absolutely true. If you are a real fan of the LOTR films and someone says they're crap, and names a film that in your opinion is terrible as being better than them, say like Norbit, a really rancid film, how many here would simply say "Fair enough", when you really feel that they are simply wrong? I don't see my posts as disrespecting Innocentius, I simply see it as arguing for something I feel incredibly passionate about.

Angus had died. I thoroughly expected every post after to say "Great artist, RIP", or words to that effect. I felt that Innocentius had disrespected Angus' legacy by saying what he did, and was frankly angered by it. He could have waited a few days, as I'd just found out and he could see by my post I was clearly upset about it. I wanted to praise him as the best in his death but it appears that could not be tolerated around here.

[Master_Thief]

Excuse me whilst I step in here and pay my respects. I recently acquired the Anglo-Celtic Wars men at arms book, and I can honestly say that the artwork is absolutley stunning. The detail, the poses, the overall composition. Everything works perfcetly. Rest in peace Angus, you'll be sorely missed by everyone i'm sure. I would also like to take the time to support Baba Ga'on in saying GIVE IT A REST GUYS. You each have your different opinions. That's more than fair enough but there is absolutley no need to engage in such a bitter argument. Simply pay your respects and move on.

[Innocentius]

Guys, stop it. Save it for another time. Angus McBride deserves respect regardless of of the opinion you might or might not have on his work. There is absolutely no reason to go have half a flame war in this thread over this, especially not when the issue at hand should be paying our respects to a dead man.

I wouldn't call it a flame war really (not even half a frame war). I think it's OK (and actually good, to some degree) to debate things and voice your opinion. I agree this could perhaps be in a separate thread, but I think it's wrong to keep people from discussing as long as it's done in a - fairly - mature and sensed way.

And then I'd like to thank BKB for his first post where he actually gave reasons for his dislike of other artists. Thank you.

I've disrespected the entire world have eh? So you are pretty much the entire world?

I think you know what I meant (and I actually wrote it). Claiming that "Everyone whos opinion differ from mine is wrong" is disrespecting a lot of people.

but I am not giving any ground at all on Embleton, anyone who holds that opinion is simply deluded.

You may mislike Embleton, but calling everyone who appreciates his paintings deluded is an offence. Not that I care really, but that's certainly against the rules of this forum.
Even though you've finally given some reasons I still think you have a lot of maturing to do. Everything's not about you, believe it or not.

Where is my opinion being respected or accepted here?

Oh, God (no, I'm not religious but since you can't swear in here)... Read! This thread is full of comments (many of them mine) stating that you have the right to your own opinion and no-one has tried to change your mind about regarding McBride as superior, the only thing I reacted over was your immature attitude, and that's what this debate is really about. A "Who's the best Osprey artist?" debate would just be stupid since everyone have different opinions and an opinion can't be wrong.

Your example with the hate-church is a good one. You may not at all agree with those people (I certainly don't), but their opinion can't be wrong. An opinion is based on personal knowledge, experience and personality. Knowledge and experiences may be lacking or so incorrect that they create a false image of the world (now we're talking really far-out opinions though, nazism and such). Those combined with personality (face it, all people all 100% egoistic at heart (Ghandi excluded) can create opinions that may seem shocking to all else, but the can't be wrong. It's basic psychology.

Also, in a case as this one, when the opinions involved are so unimportant to our lifestyles etc. (Osprey is simply luxury consumption and nothing vital) it's important to respect others' opinions. Like them or not.

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

You may mislike Embleton, but calling everyone who appreciates his paintings deluded is an offence. Not that I care really, but that's certainly against the rules of this forum.
Even though you've finally given some reasons I still think you have a lot of maturing to do. Everything's not about you, believe it or not.

Firstly, I'd hardly say I'm breaking the rules. And secondly, no, everything is not about me; that day in particular and subsequent posts after D Wilson's should have been about paying respect to Angus and not drawing deficiencies to his artwork. If it cannot be said he was the best then, then when can it be said? I think you may forget that with maturity also comes tact, which is perhaps a department where you might need some development. Your thoughts I feel could have at least waited until a few days after the event.

[Warmaster Horus]

Once more, I jump in.

Firstly, I'd hardly say I'm breaking the rules

Of course, you wouldn't say that. But, if it's not against the Org rules (which you probably know better than me), it's rather .... immoral, unkind, etc, to say so.

Innocentius did pay his respects to Angus. He then defended other artists. He mentioned "some" historical errors, and that the other artists should not be ignored.
Also, tact comes after maturity. Tact is more "rhetorical", if I can put it like that, more "in the speech". Whereas maturity is part of the base forming tact. Maturity is in the mind, and tact in the words, if I could say it like that. You can admit a different opinion, but you can tactfully say that you disagree.

And, say, how would he have honestly, hypocritical-lessly, said "RIP Angus, your work was the best." Then, a few days later, say "Other artists are better than Angus."
And grief, or the sadness of loss, for some never leaves.

If it cannot be said he was the best then, then when can it be said?

Maybe never, if one thinks he was horrible. It's all a matter of opinion.

Now, I will heed the words of Baba Ga'on. I'll avoid saying any more. And, of course, I urge you to start another thread. This was about Osprey books, after all.

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

Innocentius did pay his respects to Angus. He then defended other artists. He mentioned "some" historical errors, and that the other artists should not be ignored.
Also, tact comes after maturity. Tact is more "rhetorical", if I can put it like that, more "in the speech". Whereas maturity is part of the base forming tact. Maturity is in the mind, and tact in the words, if I could say it like that. You can admit a different opinion, but you can tactfully say that you disagree.

And, say, how would he have honestly, hypocritical-lessly, said "RIP Angus, your work was the best." Then, a few days later, say "Other artists are better than Angus."
And grief, or the sadness of loss, for some never leaves.

A simple RIP Angus would have done, I was not looking for recognition of his skills as an artist, just respect. What I did not think it was time for was a discussion on who is the best artist, which is sadly what has proceeded from the initial announcement.

[Warmaster Horus]

That's what he did:

Of course It's sad news about Angus, and he was indeed a talented artist (RIP), but you are way overestimating him. Embleton, Turner and Hook have always outshone him in both realism and accuracy and especially Turner's artwork is simply amazing. Different from McBride, none of the above have included any historical errors (I must say I was quite dissapointed with the plates in Scandinavian Medieval Armies (2)).

EDIT: sorry, didn't see the "simple" part. But, in the end, what he said was "RIP Angus, you were good".

[Geoffrey S]

A simple RIP Angus would have done, I was not looking for recognition of his skills as an artist, just respect. What I did not think it was time for was a discussion on who is the best artist, which is sadly what has proceeded from the initial announcement.

...

Terrible news. I'm gutted. The greatest military artist. None come close. I doubt I'll be getting anymore Osprey books.

None of the gashes come close. Richard hook, turner, no one. Jesus this is horrible. A sad day. Two more of his books to look forward to and maybe some unpublished images that hopefully will see the light of day. This is the death of Osprey. The books are shite now anyway.

I agree, a simple RIP Angus would have been more than enough.

It also would have been better if Innocentius had said that other artists are underrated, rather than calling Angus overrated. Thankfully, he corrected that quickly.

[Innocentius]

...
It also would have been better if Innocentius had said that other artists are underrated, rather than calling Angus overrated. Thankfully, he corrected that quickly.

What? First of all: Why should I've said that other artists where underrated when they're not?
Secondly, I never called McBride overrated. I said that BKB overestimated him, that and nothing else. And what do you mean by "thankfully, he corrected that quickly"? I did not edit my post or anything.

What I did not think it was time for was a discussion on who is the best artist, which is sadly what has proceeded from the initial announcement.

I believe you could have honoured McBride's memory without discrediting other artists (in fact all other Osprey illustrators). Without the unnecessary comment about Hook, Turner etc. I believe this "discussion" would've never taken place.

[Geoffrey S]

What? First of all: Why should I've said that other artists where underrated when they're not?
Secondly, I never called McBride overrated. I said that BKB overestimated him, that and nothing else. And what do you mean by "thankfully, he corrected that quickly"? I did not edit my post or anything.

Sorry, misquoted you; I did mean overestimated when I wrote that. What I meant was that stating that someone is "way overestimating" McBride implies that artist is at fault, and hence can be considered offensive in the light of his recent demise; what I meant with correcting, is that in later posts, you've made absolutely clear that what you're arguing is not that McBride is worse, rather that other artists aren't much worse or as bad as some claim. That is more reasonable in my eyes than what you first said, and certainly more reasonable than the stance taken by The Blind King of Bohemia.

[cegorach]

Personally I am disgusted with the entire argument 'over the grave'.

It is common to pay last tributes with a doze of words which can be considered as not fair by some...

Guys can you imagine such argument in a graveyard or in a chapel ? 'No the guy wasn't so good as you said he cheated in his tax reports for example...'


Sorry but McBride is considered as a legend by many - by me too.

Personally I like Turner more, but at such time I wouldn't engage in a dispute that he is better, because McBride's first name could be called Osprey McBride - say McBride think Osprey and the opposite and so on.

So R.I.P Angus McBride and silence over this grave.

[Innocentius]

Personally I am disgusted with the entire argument 'over the grave'.

It is common to pay last tributes with a doze of words which can be considered as not fair by some...

Guys can you imagine such argument in a graveyard or in a chapel ? 'No the guy wasn't so good as you said he cheated in his tax reports for example...'

I understand and agree with you, but what if someone said this at a funeral: "This guys was the greatest, but all his colleagues were worthless"? Wouldn't the deceased also be quite upset by this?

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

I understand and agree with you, but what if someone said this at a funeral: "This guys was the greatest, but all his colleagues were worthless"? Wouldn't the deceased also be quite upset by this?

Perhaps, but by calling that particularly person the greatest, aren't you in essence saying everyone else isn't good enough anyway? Also, if that was said at a funeral, would you feel it wise to stand up and say "Hang on though, the guy was good, but he wasn't the best..." I mean it would hardly be appropriate would it? A lot of things are said at times of anguish that might not necessarily be entirely suitable, but usually its best to just let that person have their say and try to ignore it. The following is a rather morbid situation but a good one I can liken it to; say if I attended my grandfather's funeral, and said "He was the best grandad bar none, I mean no other comes close", you might be sitting there thinking "Hang on, I know mine does", but that probably isn't the best occasion to stand up and protest is it? The person is sad, and emotional, and its probably better to just leave them be. Its natural they will say such things about someone they held in high regard, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have set out to offend the other grandads (or artists in this case), its just that they felt strongly about the person involved.

I know its a somewhat far-fetched analogy but the principle's the same.

[The Wizard]

I understand and agree with you, but what if someone said this at a funeral: "This guys was the greatest, but all his colleagues were worthless"? Wouldn't the deceased also be quite upset by this?

Perhaps, but the reply could just as easily have been "well, I definitely don't agree, but my respects to Angus McBride for all he did," and then it could've been left at that.

That would've been a whole lot better than the utterly disrespectful way this discussion was conducted in at its beginning, which is made that much worse by the simple fact that we're talking about a recently dead man who's still being mourned over.

As said, there's another time for this -- a later time. Leave it for then.

[gie]

Does anyone can post plates from the next 2 book?

Mongol Warlords by David Nicolle


Concord The Mongols

Concord The Medieval Knights

Concord El Cid

[Incongruous]

Ok I just ordered the two Russian med armies books, the first Italian med book, The Vikings, Leuthen, Zorndorf, Salamanca, Islamic Armies of the 7th-11th cen. And the last Byzy army book.

Any Others in this vien? All the ones on the seven years war armies look bad.

[Innocentius]

I just finished Landsknecht Soldier 1486 - 1560 (Warrior) by John Richards, illustrated by Gerry Embleton.

Big dissapointment. It hardly contained any useful information on Landsknechts, and what made them so special. It didn't try to explain anything, never drew any conclusions or even guessed, and never even attempted to put things in a bigger picture. No context, no explanations, no nothing. Had I not known a thing or two about the period from before, I wouldn't have understood much.

For example, take the chapter Camp life. You would expect this chapter to explain how the soldiers lived their daily lives (and ideally with some explanation as to why they lived like that, context etc), but no, it only contains a list of what officials and officers there were in the camps; how they were elected and what authority they had. Nothing on what the soldiers ate, how they slept, where the went to the "bathroom".

Also, the book seemed to fall back on works written during the period 1750 (yes, the 18th century) to 1950. Only a handful of the sources in the bibliography where from after 1950, and they seemed to be based on older sources as well when I looked them up.

Anyway, the book was kind of saved by Gembleton's excellent plates, some of which were real pieces of art. I wouldn't waste my money on it though, unless you have some sort of fetish for slashed Landsknecht clothing.

[Incongruous]

What?!
That was a very good and informative book, IMO.
Camp life saction was good, it helped me understand the idea of the Landsknecht groups. An excellent explanation of why they were used and their history as fighters.

You could probably gain an understanding of how they lived simply by looking at how any military formation lived at the time. It's not a relevant or urgent topic.

All in all I found it very good.

[Innocentius]

Can't say that I agree with you.

For example, it hardly mentioned how the Landsknechts actually fought. I think the Fähnleins are mentioned on quite a few occassions, but I can't recall ever reading anything on how big the average Fähnlein would be, nor how it would formate in battle. Judging from the book, warfare in the early 16th century was just forming big squares of pike-armed men, and then clashin them together, which is of course ridiculous.