I was at Borders today and I picked up 'The Killing Ground', a novel about the Ultramarines set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, 'The Art of Clint Langley: Dark Visions from the grim Worlds of Warhammer', 'The Army of Flanders and the Spanish Road: 1567-1659' by Geoffrey Parker, 'Forgotten Wars: The End of Britain's Asian Empire' by Christopher Bayly and Tim Harper and 'The grand Strategy of Philip II' by Geoffrey Parker.
I have just started on 'Battles of the Thirty Years War: From White Mountain to Nordlingen 1618-1635'. This is one of the most detailed military volumes that I have ever seen. From the bibliography, the primary sources include a lot of the documents, military manuals and such of that period. The secondary sources are even more extensive.
7 comments:
Hey CSC, I ran 10K in 56:21 this morning
Wow Tim, you are supremely fit.
When you were younger, what kind of timing were you doing? It must be something out of this world?
I think I read somewhere that George W. Bush has very good timing for 5km for someone his age group.
Under 50 min., but "I ain't as good as I once was. Did another 10K today, but was slower due to the high heat. Been trying to knock off about six or seven "vanity pounds".
I'm curious, did you see my comment to an old, old post of yours where I talked about purchasing the two Guthrie 30YW books from B&N?
I just finished C.V. Wedgewood's English Civil War trilogy and have begun Russell Weighley's "Age of Battles" now.
Yes, I saw your comment on my old post and I had always wanted to reply but I put it off.
'Age of Battles'. That look like a great one. I bought it some time back but I haven't the opportunity to touch that one yet.
C.V. Wedgewood's English Civil War trilogy? How is the scholarship? How are the three volumes?
Tim, six or seven vanity pounds at your age? You're running fit!
Yes, I saw your comment on my old post and I had always wanted to reply but I put it off.
I never know whether to bother commenting on old blog posts, but it meshed with my own interests so well.
'Age of Battles'. That look like a great one. I bought it some time back but I haven't the opportunity to touch that one yet.
I've gotten through the first three chapters, Gustavus Adolphus, The Army of Louis IV, and Rocroi. Weigley's prose style could have been more interesting but it's interesting and readable. His main thesis is the futility of most of the warfare of the 1630-1815 era.
C.V. Wedgewood's English Civil War trilogy? How is the scholarship? How are the three volumes?
I'm not an academic historian but the books are very well-documented , including period references such as Cavalier or Roundhead broadsheets, and she was a great writer.
She does perhaps attribute feelings and psychological motivations to the historical figures which may not be strictly supported. Her Thirty Years War book wasn't as scholarly or quite as thorough as the one by Parker, but it was a better read. Some of the scholarship would certainly be dated by now.
My main problem with her was in her referring to the various characters by their surnames (e.g., Digby = the Earl of Bristol) and looking up one in the index, then having to go to the other listing.
I have read at least four books on the ECW now and I still do not feel I fully grasp its flow. She did go into its causes very well in The Kings Peace 1637-1641. The other vols are the King's War 1642-1648 and The Trial of King Charles (the slimmest of the three).
I always felt Charles I was a selfish and bad king, but his trial was a sham all the same.
Do you have anything by John Childs? His Warfare in the Seventeenth Century is excellent and quite affordable even in HB. European Warfare 1689-1789 can be a bit pricey, I was lucky to get an ex-lib copy for much less. The British Army in the Nine Years War and Operations in the Low Countries is completely unavailable as far as I can tell.
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