My Punic Wars Book List

This collection of books is very much ongoing, but titles offering something different are becoming harder to find:

The Rise of the Roman Empire - Polybius. [Best near contempory account of the wars.]
The War With Hannibal - Livy. [Ripping yarn account second only to Polybius.]
The Fall of Carthage - Adrian Goldsworthy. [IMHO, the best modern account of the wars.]
Hannibal's War - J. F. Lazenby. [Others think this is better than Goldsworthy.]
Hannibal's Campaigns - Tony Bath. [Good.]
Greece and Rome at War - Peter Connolly. [This book is a must for the wargamer.]
Hannibal's Army - Ian Stephenson. [Dispels the myth of Libyan pikemen once and for all - prints are not so great.]
Scipio Africanus - Richard A. Gabriel. [I like this book, it's much better than the TV shows he's in.]
The Making of the Roman Army from Republic to Empire - Lawrence Keppie. [Useful.]
The Roman Art of War under the Republic - F. E. Adcock. [Hmmm.]

Warfare in the Classical World - John Warry. [Some Punic stuff.]

Ancient and Medieval Siege Weapons - Nossov.
Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars - Duncan Head. [WRG - a classic! Bought by my girlfriend in 1989 as a Birthday present. I married her in 2003.]
Warhorse - Philip Sidnell. [Interesting bits on early Roman cavalry tactics].

Ospreys: [If you like that kinda thing.]

The Punic Wars 264 - 146 BC.
Cannae 216 BC .
Armies of the Carthaginian Wars 265 - 146 BC.
The Roman Army of the Punic Wars 264 - 146 BC. [OOBs - useful!]
War Elephants.
Celitc Warrior 300 BC - 100 AD.
Republican Roman Army 200 - 104 BC.
Romes Enemies (4): Spain 218 - 19 BC.

Roman Battle Tactics 390 - 110 BC .

Wars Of The Roses Book List

My Wars of the Roses book list is as follows:

General histories:

The Wars of the Roses, Lancaster and York - Alison Weir
The Wars of the Roses - Charles Ross
The Wars of the Roses - Desmond Seward

Military histories and books:

Wars of the Roses - Anthony Goodman. [Excellent.]
The Medieval Soldier in the Wars of The Roses - Andrew Boardman. [A personal favourite.]
The Military Campaigns of the Wars of the Roses - Philip A. Haigh. [Books don't come better than this.]
The Battle of Wakefield - Philip A. Haigh. [Good account of the campaign.]
The Battle of Towton - A. W. Boardman. [Good account of the campaign.]
The Battle of Bosworth - Michael Bennet. [Good account of the campaign.]
Where Both Hosts Fought - Philip A. Haigh. [Battles of Edgecote and Lose-Cote-Field.]
The Art of War in the Middle Ages 1278 - 1485 - Charles Oman.
Bowmen of England - Donald Featherstone.
The Medieval Archer - Bradbury.
Armies of the Middle Ages Vol. 1 -Ian Heath [WRG publication.]

Biographies and stuff:

Richard III and Buckingham's Rebellion - Gill
Edward IV - Charles Ross
Richard Duke of York 1411 - 1460 - P. A. Johnson. [This book was an expensive mistake, it is a book of financial accounts, etc. You will have to be sooooo much into WoR to like this book.]
The Paston Letters 1424 - 1506. 2 vols. - Paston. [Contemporary letters from the WoR.]

Pamphlets and Ospreys:

Medieval Heraldry - Osprey.
The Wars of the Roses - Osprey.
The Battle of Bosworth - Freezywater Publications.
The Battle of Tewkesbury - Freezywater Publications.
Heraldic Banners of the Wars of the Roses - Freezywater Publications.
Standards, Badges & Livery Colours of the Wars of the Roses - Freezywater Publications.

My 16th Century Book List

My main interest here is the Italian Wars (chiefly between 1494 and 1525). But books on this subject can be VERY hard to find. However, this is what I have:

The Art of War in the Sixteenth Century - Sir Charles Oman. [This is a must have.]
The Art of Renaissance Warfare - Stephen Turnball. [Good.]
The Art of War in Italy 1494 - 1529 - Frederick Taylor. [Very good, especially useful for Ravenna 1512.]
The Renaissance at War - Thomas Arnold. [Good.]
Renaissance Armies 1480 - 1650 - George Gush. [My first book on Renaissance warfare, it is aimed at the wargamer.]
Mercenaries - Anthony Mockler. [Two good chapters.]
Mercenaries and their Masters - Michael Mallet. [Mainly deals with mid to late 15th century Italian Condottierre, but gives great insight into Italian state war craft.]
The Spanish Centuries - Alan Lloyd. [A few bits in here.]
Henry VIII and the invasion of France - Charles Cruikshank. [Good insight into the mechanics of renaissance campaigning.]
The Sack of Rome - Judith Hook. [Very good.]
Prince of the Renaissance - Desmond Seward. [Biog. of Francis I.]
Louis XII - Frederick J. Baumgartner. [Biog.]
Caesar Borgia His Life and Times - Sarah Bradford. [Fantastic biog. A real page turner and insight into the Papal State.]
The Grand Captain - Gerald de Gaurey. [Biog. of Gonsalvo de Cordoba.]
The Battle of Pavia - Jean Giono. [Very good account of the whole campaign.]
The Great Siege - Ernle Bradford. [Siege of Malta.]
The Siege of Malta - Francisco Balbi di Corregio. [Contemporary account.]
Siege Warfare - Christopher Duffy. [First chapters deal with Charles' advance through Italy 1494 - 95.]

The Dutch Revolt - G. Parker. [Not read.]

The French Civil War - R. J. Knecht.
The Dawn of Modern Warfare - Delbruck. [interesting first chapters]
Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe - Bert S. Hall [A good history of gunpowder weapons and tactics in the later middle ages and 16C and the effects of same on armies and warfare].
The Italian Wars 1494 - 1559 - Michael Mallet and Christine Shaw [Started by Mallet, then he died, and finished by Shaw. This book is a well written gem. It covers the whole of the wars, not just the French and Spanish bits.]

The First and Second Italian Wars 1494 to 1504 - Julian Romane. A new book to join the available pantheon: Published in 2020. Brings a lot of less well known stuff together, including Cesare Borgia's campaigns in the Romagna. I'm enjoying reading selected chapters in this book because it doesn't just do the well known French bits - I'll read it all eventually.

The Italian Wars Volume 2: Agnadello 1509, Ravenna 1512, Marignano 1515 - Massimo Predonzani & Vincenzo Alberici (English translation). Superb book this one and a pity it's only 150 packed pages. Best description of Agnadello I've ever seen with very detailed OOB. Just buy it.

General histories for flavour:

War and Society in Renaissance Europe - J. R. Hale. [Good.]
Machiavelli - Sydney Anglo. [Very interesting book this one.]
Renaissance Europe 1480 - 1520 - J. R. Hale. [Worth reading for diet in, travel in, etc.]
History of Europe 1450 - 1660 - P. J. Helm. [I think this is an old 'O' or 'A Level' text book.]

Ospreys [If you like that sort of thing.]

Landsknechts.
Landsknecht Soldier. [Better than Landsknecht IMHO]
Pavia 1525.
Fornovo 1495.

Other Pamphlets:

Marignano 1515 The Battle and Commanders - Published by The Lance and Longbow Society. [Nice little booklet with colour plates of flags.]
Renaissance Battles 1494 -17 Vol.1 - Peter Sides. [DBR scenarios; a different slant on a lot of battles, but OK to check numbers, etc. I guess.]
The Battle of Pavia - Published by the Ashmolean Museum Oxford. [A booklet about the restoration of the very famous picture with colour pics and a bit of history. The museum has an online shop and the pamphlet cost £3.95]

My 18C Books

Here is my list of 18C books. My main interest is SYW, chiefly Prussia, Austria and Russia.

The Army Of Frederick The Great - Christopher Duffy. [Excellent - the 'must have' Prussia book.]
The Army Of Maria Theresa - Christopher Duffy. [Excellent - the 'must have' Austria book.]
Russia's Military Way To The West - Christopher Duffy. [Excellent - the 'must have' Russia book.]
Prussia's Glory - Christopher Duffy. [Excellent - covers a lot not in The Army Of Frederick...]

The Wild Goose And The Eagle - Christopher Duffy. [Biog. of Marshal von Browne.]
Frederick the Great on The Art of War - translated by J. Luvaas. [From the man himself, I need say no more!]
The Wars of Frederick the Great - Dennis E. Showalter. [A very good military history.]
The War of the Austrian Succession - Reed Browning. [Excellent.]
Frederick the Great - Alan Palmer. [Biog.]
Frederick the Great - Nancy Mitford. [Not read. BTW, contrary to the popular belief that all the Mitford girls were devout fascists, Nancy was vehemently anti-fascist and denounced Mosley in satirical print].
The Military Experience in the Age of Reason - Christopher Duffy. [Good.]
Nothing But My Sword - Sam Coull. [Biog of James Keith.]
Die Infanterie-Regimenter Friedrich des Grossen 1756 - 1763 - Gunter Dorn & Joachim Engelmann [German text, beautiful uniform and flag prints. A gift from Steve S. following a re-fight of Chotusitz].
Die Cavallerie-Regimenter Friedrich des Grossen 1756 - 1763 - Gunter Dorn & Joachim Engelmann [German text, beautiful uniform and flag prints. A gift from Steve S. following a re-fight of Chotusitz].
Die Schlachten Friedrichs des Grossen - Gunter Dorn & Joachim Engelmann [German text, beautiful prints of the actions, great battle maps. A gift from Steve S. following a re-fight of Chotusitz].
Hapsburgs and Hohenzollerns 1713 - 1786 - W. Oppenheim. [Interresting little book.]

Maria Therasa of Austria - Regine Neuhauser [Biog.]
Anatomy of Victory - Brent Nosworthy. [Evolution of tactics - I like this book a lot.]
Peter the Great - R. K. Massie. [Biog]
Marlborough As Military Commander - David Chandler. [Excellent read.]
Crucible of War - Fred Anderson. [A big volume history of Britain's Empire building.]
Wolfe - Stuart Ried. [Biog.]
The Road to Colloden - D. Preston. [Covers the subject well enough.]
Battle for Empire - Tom Pocock. [British Empire building.]
Empires Collide The French and Indian War 1754 - 63 - Published by Osprey. [New and not read.]
Redcoats and Rebels - C. Hibbert. [AWI history - not read.]
The Seas of the Mighty - Gilbert Parker [published 1896, not read, I think it's a biog of an officer of Amherst's Regiment.]

Horace St Paul and the Campaigns of the Austrian Army in the Seven Years War - Neil Cogswell. [Eye witness diaries of Horace - an English gentleman volunteer - plus additional material. Two Vol: Vol. 1 Lobositz to Leuthen; Vol. 2 Olmutz to Torgau. 1,400 pages of material with excellent maps].

Ospreys [if you like that kind of thing.]

Kolin 1757
Zorndorf 1758
Quebec 1759
Louisbourg 1758
Ticonderoga 1758
Plassey 1757
Rossbach and Leuthen 1757
Russian Army of the Seven Years War (2vols)
Frederick the Great's Army (3 vols)
The Austrian Army 1740 - 1780 (3 vols)
Louis XV's Army (5 vols)
British Redcoat
George Washington's Army
Wolfe's Army

Other uniform guides. I have a lot of 'painting guide' pamphlets - too many to list - but the following are highly recommended:

Historiche Uniformen - Funcken. [All in one volume, 18C through Franco Prussian War, German text, published 2000, £10 new in a German 'remainder book' shop! If you can find a copy the plates are excellent. The 'words' were always rubbish in Funcken anyway!]
Greenwood and Ball, Uniforms of the Seven Years War (2 vols). [Prussia and Austria, out of print and pricey for size but very highly recommended.]

My Early Crusades Books

I'm a member of quite a few groups and forums and one question that often crops up on forums is "What further reading.....?" So I'm going to list the books I have on my chosen periods, each with a very brief appraisal - now when I reply to the question I can simply post a link! I'll start with the books I have on the Crusades. My main interest is the 1st and 2nd Crusades (as that is what I have figures for) and the list reflects this. I'll update as new books are acquired.

A History of the Crusades (3 Vols) - Steven Runciman. [The best history of the Crusades in English.]
The Art of Warfare in the Middle Ages 378 - 1278 - Charles Oman. [Who could be without?]
The First Crusade - Thomas Ashbridge. [A good general history.]
Crusades - Terry Jones and Alan Ereira. [A brief history and a good 'choosing sub period aid'.]
The Wars of the Crusades - Terence Wise. [A sound military history.]
Battles of the Crusades 1097 - 1444 - Various authors. [This is a big, coffee table, 'battle book'. It covers 20 battles in its 224 pages.]
Warriors of God - James Reston, Jr. [History of the 3rd Crusade.]
Dungeon, Fire and Sword - John J. Robinson. [The ripping yarn of the Templars - a page turner.]
Byzantium, The Decline and Fall - J. J. Norwich.
Crusader Warfare (2 vols) - David Nicolle. [Essential wargamers' reading.]
Crusading Warfare 1o97 - 1193 - R. C. Smail. [Essential wargamers' reading.]
A Wargamers' Guide to the Crusades - Ian Heath. [Title says it all.]
Armies and Enemies of the Crusades - Ian Heath. [Wargames Research Group book. Excellent. Includes line drawings and descriptions of all known (?) troop types.]
Memoires of the Crusades - Villehardouin and de Joinville. [Contemporary accounts.]
People of the First Crusade - Michael Foss [Basic story of the 1st Crusade told well].
The Crusades through Arab Eyes - Amin Maalouf [Good book this one.]

Plus the Ospreys [if you like that kind of thing - and David Nicolle]:

The First Crusade - David Nicolle
The Second Crusade - David Nicolle
Hattin 1187 - David Nicolle
Saladin and the Saracens - David Nicolle
The Crusades - David Nicolle
Knight Hospitaller - David Nicolle
Saracen Faris - David Nicolle
Byzantine Armies 886 - 1118 - Ian Heath
Armies of the Crusades - Terence Wise

New Poll

As I'm unable to post much at the moment, for one reason or another, I've added a new poll. This is mainly for the regular readers. I'll give thought to your verdict and add some relevent posts in the near future.

Moderated comments

I'm afraid that I've had to press the moderate comments button. This is due to spammers leaving 'blue pill, etc.' links in the comments section. I hope this will not deter you from posting your comments as I look forward to reading them - it also answers that perennial question: Is there any body out there! I'll try to approve any comments ASAP.

Stage 2, month 1, a couple of yards

The first month of stage 2 is over and here is the product - just over 2 yards of bases. All figures are by Renegade. All painted in enamels by yours truly. I've stuck them onto 4mm plywood but will not do the scenic basing (I hate basing) until their are enough to make it worth while.

96 socii (Roman allies), comprising 2 units of hastati and 2 units of Principes, for the 'blue' and 'yellow' ala. (Is the plural for ala - alae?)

Hastati:

Principes:

96 Spanish scutarii. I like these troops a lot, but Rengade do not make command figures. Consequently I've had to get the Milliput out to fashion some cloaks, crests and trumpets.

Der Alte Fritz says I have got to do just over 800 (I didn't actually count the total) to finish this stage of the project at 135 a month. There are just over 600 now - a good start in anyones book, I think.

Next up, the last of the 'Trasimene' Roman infantry (96 figures) and then onto the Gallic infantry. I've just finished a couple of hundred Gauls for a client, so my 'hand is in', so to speak.

Punic War Project - stage 2

I've been lazy this past month (I've only painted 50 figures, but based up 800), and time is moving on. I've fought my first battles and 'recruitment' is required...........

I've completed stage one of the project - Trebbia at half scale - and it is time to start stage two: Lake Trasimene at full scale.

The figures required to fight this battle comprise Hannibal's army at full scale and the equivalent of two Roman legions. This stage's to-do list is as follows:

Additions for Hannibal's army:

4 units of Libyan spearmen (96 figures)
4 units of Spanish Scutarii (96 figures)
5 units of African skirmishers (40 figures)
8 units of Gallic foot warriors (176 figures)
2 units of Spanish cavalry (16 figures)
3 units of Numidian cavalry (24 figures)
6 units of Gallic cavalry (48 figures)
A few extra command stands - mainly Gallic

Additions for Flaminius's Roman army:

2 'Legions' of Roman allies each comprising hastati, pricipes, triarii and velites (144 figures)
1 'Extraordinarii' command comprising velites and hastati (48 figures)
4 units of cavalry, including those for the extraordinarii, (32 figures)

I think this will occupy me until November at the latest. More than any other stage of the project this is the one I want to finish most. It breaks the back of the project. When it is done, 1400ish of the 2,300ish figures will be done - and it's always nice to have less than 1000 to do!

After stage 2 I'll be finishing whole national groups, starting with the Romans, then Gauls, Spanish and African / Carthaginian in that order. As each is finished I can say 'DONE!' with more pleasure and satisfaction than you would guess at. The pace I've set for this project, with the November 2011 deadline set in stone, is very gruelling.

Trebbia. A bit of solo fun.

Here are some large pictures of The Battle of Trebbia I fought solo this afternoon. I used ammended Command and Colors rules and the battle took about two hours to play. Rather than a blow by blow account, I'll give the pictures along with the cards played

Rome: Order 3 commands centre. Carthage: Order medium troops

Rome: Double time. Carthage: Order 3 commands right.

Rome: Order 2 commands left. Carthage: Coordinated attack.

Rome: Counter attack. Carthage: Order light troops.

Rome: Line command. Carthage: Inspired leadership right.

Rome: Order 3 commands right. Carthage: Order heavy troops.

Rome: Order 4 commands centre. Carthage: Line command.

Rome: Order heavy troops. Carthage: Double time.

Rome: Clash of shields. Carthage: Order 2 commands centre.

Rome: Order 3 commands centre. Carthage: Out flank (2 commands left and right)

Rome: Line command.

Roman victory conditions achieved!