"The Sharpe Companion: the Early Years" Topic

Just got this at a 2nd hand book dealers.
Yeah, I know it isnt "serious" history but its full of interesting historical tidbits, so far all accurate IMO.
The author is quite a respectable historian, I think.

I read the first 'Sharpe Companion' a few years back (I gather there has been another edition since to update the series). Like Raducci, I also found it an interesting and inspiring read. As mentioned, it isn't serious history (obviously!!!), though you do learn a lot from it.

When I first started Napoleonics a few years ago, my original plan was to do the various fictional regiments from the novels recreated as accurately (to the novels' descriptions) as possible. The Regiment de Santa Maria (IIRC) from the first book 'Sharpe's Eagle' was going to be my first effort.

However, in the end I veered away and went the historical route (and probably lost a little whimsy in doing so).

And, yes, Mark Adkin, the author of 'The Sharpe Companion', did go on to write some other pretty good books – his weighty Waterloo, Trafalgar and Gettysburg companions.

I have used The Early Years Sharpe Companion (together wil Jac Weller's book) to help me tour both Gawilgur Fortress and Seringapatam. It is fascinating to able to follow the fictional narrative and the real events on the ground aided by the maps and diagrams. So I have found it to be quite useful, and if Mark Adkins did not visit these places, he definitely managed to get a very good impression. I am presently using the book to help plan a trip to Aurangabad and Assaye in January. Visiting battlefields and forts in India is a fantastic experience. Even when the field itself is not that interesting (e.g. Malavelli), the travel experience is priceless.

Thanks for posting this. I am a long time fan of Cornwell and the Sharpe series but had never heard of the companion volumes.

Are there any uniform plates in there? I'm toying with asking for some Nap figures for Christmas to do some Sharpe-esque skirmish gaming and if it includes uniform plates then this sounds like it might be the complete package as my 'primary-source' book!

No uniform plates, as I recall, but quite a few b&w line drawings.

However, there are any number of books and websites that will give you sufficient uniform details, that will supplement the Sharpe companion books.

We all get a little serious sometimes about the history behind the hooby.
So it's good to read something a little lighter and inspired by sheer enthusiasm.

Thanks, Arteis – I was only being half-serious (the other half was doing a bit of wanton Nap-gamer baiting – I hang my head in shame).

Sorry, that could come across as a bit snidey – I'm having a really bad day for expressing myself.

Thank you for posting the book review, Raducci, it looks really interesting.

Arteis, thank you for your response; I rather figured that uniform plates as well as the rest would be a bit too much luck. I have a couple of websites that I've come across and I'll be scanning these threads for extra help as I'm a complete ingenue when it comes to Napoleonics (apart from Sharpe films, and the O'Brien novels). I've also discovered your Sharp Practice forum and am avidly reading through the threads.

@ Mister Rab
can I recommend a one-stop shop Nap uniform book?
Digby Smith's 'Uniforms of the Nap Wars'
Admittedly, it isnt as good as, say, 30 Ospreys but for one book it has a lot of information.
I wish it had of ben available when I was starting out.