This is an excellent book for introducing a novice to historical miniature war gaming. The photos of figures and terrain are wonderful, the text is easy to read and informative, and the wide choice of time periods has something for everyone. This is a truly great book and belongs on the shelf of anyone who has an interest in miniature soldiers, history, or military subjects.
Helped get me started
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
This book and Charles Grant's book of the same title provided a lot of the original inspiration when I began wargaming with minaiture soldiers in the early 70s. This book is not so much about wargaming as accounts of major battles of history illustrated with well-painted model soldiers on nice scenery. It gives a look to aspire to in setting out really nice wargames. Grant's book had a more prosaic looking set of photographs but more of the nuts and bolts of rules and gameplaying with model soldiers. The two complement each other very well. Take the history with a grain of salt. Peter Young was great at telling the stories of battles in a stirring fashion, but wasn't academically rigorous in sorting out the sources for legend vs most likely truth. That doesn't really matter though, since you buy this book for the look of the thing, not the last word on any particular battle presented. I can still see many of the photos in my mind's eye and I haven't cracked the book open in a few years.
ThriftBooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. We personally assess every book's quality and offer rare, out-of-print treasures. We deliver the joy of reading in recyclable packaging with free standard shipping on US orders over $15. ThriftBooks.com. Read more. Spend less.