Just when I am gearing back my wargaming spending, along comes a temptation like this one!
I was alerted by an email from VaeVictis magazine about this coming publication from Éditions Soixante with its pre-publication, discount price. It does not take much for me to buy a good looking book about a Napoleonic campaign, especially one that promises:
- authorship by Gilles Boué with assistance from Natalia Griffon de Pleineville and Jean-Marie Mongin,
- coverage of every battle between February and April 1814,
- illustrated by period paintings and uniforms plates,
- maps of the battles,
- orders of battle,
in a hard cover publication of 176 pages.
The preview pages, some of which are reproduced below, show examples.
Do I buy it? To quote Blitzen in Robbie the Reindeer (out of context), "It would be rude not to"!
It will be on its way following its expected publication on 11th March. No doubt it will feature in a review on this blog not long afterwards.
Great looking book, James. Very nice illustrations in color.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dean. One of the key elements in a good book for mine.
DeleteI would say your good manners will be rewarded.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joe. I reckon so/hope so.
DeleteVery nice. En francais though James? I can speak passable French after four years of it at high school and a few visits there, but I'd find myself reaching for the French-English dictionary every sentence. Looks like a great book.
ReplyDeleteJe ne suis pas un rock star, but I do speak and read a bit of your actual French. The dictionary is required on most pages for sure, but then I'm hoping my vocab. is expanding. There are always the piccies too, which tell thousands of those words!
DeleteThis looks like a good one and the 1814 campaign is a fascinating. When you read and make a review, please provide your review in English.
ReplyDeleteDroll Jonathan; made me laugh aloud.
DeleteThe 1814 campaign is most interesting, as you note. Trouble is, I then find myself saying, so is 1807, 1812, 1809, ...!
Looks a good book James. Brief but has the detail we wargamers like, as well as having interesting pictures.
ReplyDeletePictures, orders of battle and tables of units/actions make for a happy wargamer. Along with beer, of course!
DeleteIt does look like it will be a nice book to own...look forward to your review in a couple of months!
ReplyDeleteThanks Keith, I'll try to make it worthwhile reading (the review that is)!
DeleteFrom what I understood, the book should essentially deal with the French Army under Napoleon's orders in 1814. But it should not concern coalition armies.
ReplyDeleteThank you for making that clarification. Yes, you are absolutely correct, the book is taking the perspective of the French army (according to the summary) Of course, in describing the battles the opponents will need to be included (to some degree). One gets a sense from the preview pages.
DeleteIt's a bit like Goetz's 1805 Austerlitz, which is written from the perspective of the allied armies, but still describes what the French were doing.
Looks interesting! Await the review and an English translation! :-)
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lovely and useful book!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
What you said. It would be rude not to.
ReplyDeleteBTW, Bonaparte, are you sure he was French? All the books about him are in English :-)