Hi guys, my first post in the new forum.  I thought some of you might be interested in this website

osprey publishing

They publish some cool books on a VERY wide range of topics, spend some time browsing.  I had a whole bunch when I was a kid, and now I'm starting to get my collection back.  I lean towards the "Warrior" and "Elite Forces" series which are ripe with color plates, equipment discriptions, text about the lives of the soldiers, narratives of battles, time lines etc.

I've always found the Osprey series to be a bit 'light' for my tastes. Then again, I'm one of those people who buys Jane's Armor and Artillery.

Usually good source for images though, for modellers.

NTM

Osprey is what I would call "peanut butter" reading.  Quick and easy, they generally are not scholarly and only gives a superficial look into the subject.  Still, they're quick and handy references and if you need the order of battle and strengths of units, they're easier than wading through other material (like the Official Reports of the War of the Rebellion).  So, while I have a few myself, the majority of my books are first hand accounts by participants.

Currahee-

Had to laugh- i just got your screen name.  What period and kind of military history are you interested in?  I've bounced around in the field alot since my first graduate program didn't exactly encourage me going in that direction, but I do maintaiin MH as a secondary field of study.  Let me know what you're interested in and I'll try to work up a reading list for you.

BTW- those Osprey books can be handy, especially in teaching younger students.  The'y're eye-catching and most importantly somewhat tactile- students are hooked into the subject without reading works that can be at best tedious.  They also can be used to present an excellent graphic image when students are delving into primary source materials.  While not Keegan, they're a fine appetizer.  

Military history is just a hobby to me of course.  I've always been most interested in Vietnam and various 20th century proxy conflicts (African/ Asian Bush wars).  I like a smatering of other stuff as well.  I want to go back and read all the books about the 506th but I want to wait until I'm finished with graduate school.  FYI the screen name is because I was a Currahee (88-89) but I think I would get into their history too.

I view the Osprey books as light reading myself... but they tend to give more of an overview of a time period, unit or conflict than a personal account will.  I also like them because they are very visual, I don't slack off reading but having the pictures certainly helps.  The easy access to the maps, orders of battle and gear, helpd me appreciate the personal accounts better.  I'm also a gear fan too, so that apeals to me as well.

Finding them pre internet was hard (I can remember going to this hobbyshop two cities away as a kid) but I was stoked to find that they had a website where you could find all their stuff sorted by style and period.

Quoted: Osprey is what I would call "peanut butter" reading.  Quick and easy, they generally are not scholarly and only gives a superficial look into the subject.  Still, they're quick and handy references and if you need the order of battle and strengths of units, they're easier than wading through other material (like the Official Reports of the War of the Rebellion).  So, while I have a few myself, the majority of my books are first hand accounts by participants.

Give me a couple good reads. I like the first hand accounts myself. I've been going batty trying to find a good book lately. All we have is a hastings in town so the selection is kind of small.

OK- I'm going to bash through the shelf right quick and throw some titles out.  Currahee, I'm actually working on polishing up a paper on the universality of the combat experience comparing the emotional reaction to combat in Vietnam soldiers to their counterparts in the Civil War.  If you're interested in giving it a look, IM me.  I certainlywouldn't mind having a few fresh eyes go over it 'fore I send it off to SMH to try for publication.

Here Goes:

War Trails of the Blue Ridge (King's Mountain) Sheppard Dugger
The Overmountain Men  I know it's around here somewhere, but I can't find it and can't remember the author.  LOTS of primary source material for the period before, during and immediately after King's Mountain.
Everything We Had and To Bear any Burden, both by Al Santioli.  Good primary source material on Vietnam.  Provides the stories of soldiers as well as civilians.
A Bright and Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam  Neil Sheehan.  Covers Vann's efforts to change the way the war was being fought by the ARVN as well as US conventional forces.
The Making of a Quagmire  David Halberstam.  Similiar to above, but published during the early phases of the war.  Halberstam and Vann were actually friends, I believe.
A Bridge Too Far  Cornelius Ryan.  The classical account of Operation Market Garden.  Good pleasure reading.  This is not to degrade the work, it's just that Ryan reads exceptionally well.
At Dawn We Slept and Miracle at Midway  Gordon Prange.  Good introductory reading for the beginnings of the war against the Japanese in the Eastern Pacific.  Prange also writes quite well.
Mighty Stonewall  Frank Vandiver.  First comprehensive biography of Thomas J. Jackson.
They Called Him Stonewall Burke Davis.  Best contemporary Jackson bio I've run across.

I've gotta go speak to the wife.  I'll throw y'all a few more tomorrow

Good reads?

O.K. For American Civil War, I prefer first hand accounts.

Try E. Porter Alexander: Fighting for the Confederacy. It's better than his first book, "Military Memoirs of a Confederate."  MMoaC is good, but the former was never written for public viewing.  It was for his family and it provides insights into the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia much better than many other Confederates.  Remember that after the death of Lee, the "Lost Cause" myth was started and many wrote from the perspective of the Lost Cause.  Alexander didn't do that.

For the Union side, The Memoirs of U. S. Grant is an worth your time.  Grant provides a very clear strategic insight from the Union perspective.  His grasp of strategy is excellent and exceeds Lee.  You might want to read Edward Bonekemper's "Grant, A Victor, Not a Butcher" which will give you more insights into Grant and how he stood in light of the Lost Cause myth.

For the Vicksburg Campaign, National Park Historian Emeritus Edward Bearss' The Vicksburg Campaign is the definitive read.  Any serious student of the Western Theatre should read that 3 volume set.

If your interests takes you to the American Revolution, John Buchannan's "Road to Guilford Courthouse" is the best account of the war in the Carolinas.  Scheer & Rakin's "Rebels and Redcoats" is the best overall account of the war by modern historians that I've read.  For personal accounts, Joseph Plum Martin's "Private Yankee Doodle" is a readily available classic.