"The Armies and Uniforms of Marlborough's Wars by C S Grant" Topic

Is this book worth buying?

i.e. is it a 'better' uniform reference than the various Ospreys that cover the period?

Thank you in advance.

i thought it only came in 2 volumes. vol 1 covers the armies involved in Marlborough's battles, vol 2 has the armies fighting in Italy and Spain.
it is considerably better then an Osprey.

He may be asking about the original one volume book published by WRG years ago. It remains one of my treasured reference books on the subject. No colored pictures (drawings) but the tables, charts and history of the countries were well done. "Jr" took his Dad's original work and added color plates for the Partizan Press volumes, but a lot of the information in the WRG version was left out. I like both versions but for different reasons and purposes.

And yes, much better than what Osprey has to offer in their MAA series, IMHO. They(Osprey) should really consider updating and adding to their coverage of the WSS. I believe there is now enough following to succeed as a commercial venture.

He may be asking about the original one volume book published by WRG years ago.

No. That was 'From Pike to Shot'. I have that.

This is the later book I was enquiring about, volume 1 of a two volume set published by Caliver

Both of these volumes I and II are standard uniform references for the WSS. I have found them excellent resources, though occasionally at odds with the Hall plates. They represent an economical entry into WSS uniform information.

They are far more thorough than the Osprey's. If you're interested in the WSS, I would buy both volumes.

Agree with Bob! Get them both.

Well worth it

Absolutely,very good reference material…I have the original as well as the two later volumes….highly recommend!

They are expensive but well worth the price. I liked it so well I bought the first volume twice! OK. I left it somewhere on vacation and had to replace it…dammit!

I sold both volumes of this book today at my club show (Claymore).

I think I priced them at a fiver each or maybe a tenner each, I can't remember. I sold many dozens of books today.

Maybe the buyer is a reader here and can add his comments!

The reason I sold them was; it was to raise funds for charity and; I have both these books in my own collection.

First rate! Worth the price.

All three are very useful books.

I use the Grant books constantly re my WSS armies. They are, in some ways, an upgrade of his Pike to Shotbook, which I also have. The Hall CD is brilliant, but very expensive. I only have the Dutch army one. There are also some monographs, available from Caliver Books, on Dutch army and Danish army of Williamite era by Sapherson, which I found useful when painting my LoA armies, but they are also relevant to WSS period.
I would say that the Grant books are better than Ospreys, although the latter are useful, especially re British army. I have also bought several of the Uniformology books such as "Army of the Blue King", nicely illustrated although short on text.
By the way Jim, whoever bought those books got a bargain. They are quite hard to get and often go for silly money on Amazon and EBay

Short of flag reference but gives a fair rendition on all the protagonists (get both otherwise you always end up wondering) for getting the armies painted up correctly they are part of a good reference library. Cheers

@steamingdave47

I am disposing of 14 carloads of wargaming stuff so I can't afford to focus on the few 'rare' and valuable items just to maximise their individual values.

I am happy that they've probably gone to a local wargamer who will find them invaluable in his efforts at the hobby.

I am raising quite a sum regardless which will stop one day and I can return to the hobby as a player and a figure painter using my copies of the same books as reference material.

So, to answer the original posters question again, YES, they are very worth buying.

According to the Cavalier website, this is available for just under 15 pounds as a "print on demand book," pending a new edition that combines the two volumes.

Wonder when that will be…it would be good to wait, if it's relatively soon.

On the other hand, I found a used version on Amazon from a UK vendor for $175 USD!!!

Ray,

Next time you're over I'll let you look at my copies for just 50 cents a page! Try not to trip on the chain tether that connects it to the wall.

PS- volume 2 of the set is still $ 30 at On Military Matters. They also have the Hall plates at $8 USD a plate if you know the unit you wish to do. The Hall plates often include flag info, as well as drums and trumpet banners.

Drop Dennis a line. Link: link

Thank you all. I have ordered it.