A patron, student, or reader is wanting a book on the American Civil War battle Gettysburg. The library does have the old Creasy "Decisive Battles" and a few good, recent compilations such as Lanning's The Battle 100, 100 Decisive Battles by Davis, and the superbly illustrated Seventy Great Battles In History edited by Black. Uh-oh, he wants a whole book on Gettysburg but the library has none!
If you want to update, expand, or strengthen your personal or the library's "battle books" collection with durable, detailed, historically accurate, and visually colorful and appealing titles, I recommend you visit the OSPREY Publishing Ltd's website: https://www.ospreypublishing.com/
Osprey is a British publisher specializing in books on every aspect of military history and warfare from ancient times to the present. For instance, their "Campaign Series" has over 200 titles of which Gettysburg 1863: High Tide Of The Confederacy is number fifty three. It is a durable, 128 pages, 7 1/2 by 9 3/4 inch paperback. The profusely illustrated text include period photographs, color maps, and color art illustrations. The thorough and clearly explained analysis of the battle is chronologically organized under the following chapters: "Origins Of The Campaign," "Opposing Commanders," "Opposing Armies," "Gettysburg: Day One," "Day Two," "Day Three," and "Day Four: 4th Of July." At the end of the book, there is a "Gettysburg Today" chapter, suggestions for those wanting to wargame the battle, and a handy guide for further reading.
Battles, warfare, and heroic action have been favorites of male readers since the Iliad. Since the increase of women in the military, I'm even having a few girls checking out military books. "Wargaming" with board games, toy soldiers, and now computer software is a worldwide hobby. Years ago, I saw Napoleon's Battle of Bordino fought out on an historically accurate 25 foot by 50 foot battlefield. It took two days taking turns moving the hundreds of toy soldiers.
All of the concise (no tomes) Osprey titles are ideal for reference, student research assignments, or for military enthusiasts. Because of their attractive, colorful covers, if a library has numerous resources on the topic, odds are the reader will pick the Osprey title. If your library or personal budget allows only ONE book on a specific topic and an Osprey edition exists on that topic, you need look no further.
Recommended by Robert L. Hicks, Librarian.
