"FIW Suggestion for Osprey" Topic

I just put in a suggestion on the Osprey site using their "Books You'd Like to Read" form down near the bottom of their front page: ospreypublishing.com

Period = 18th Century
Series = Warrior
Title = Indians of the French-Indian War

If anyone else would like to go and add this suggestion too, maybe someday it will come up for a vote and maybe some year we might see it in print. None of their Men-At-Arms series books are particularly helpful on the men-at-arms angle for the Indians of their semi-eponymous war!!!

Years ago I made much the same suggestion although I was thinking of a series of 3 Warriors for Indians of the F&I War, AWI and the war of 1812! If I remember correctly Osprey had recently floated the idea of an Elite volume on "Woodland Indian Tactics" which may cover all three major conflicts.

Anything that actually focuses on the warriors would be good!

Since none of their MAA titles do.

I am confused. You don't count:

MAA 467, North American Indian tribes of the Great Lakes (18+ warriors)
MAA 395, Tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy (15 + warriors)
MAA 228, American Woodland Indians (18 + warriors)?

Those numbers in parenthesis are only the color images, there are other warriors in the non-color illustrations (and other color images of non-warriors, too). And my count was a very quick look so a few of them might not be in warrior regalia but they'd like as not count as warriors.

Are you looking for something more specific than my list above? Very specific warriors?

Mind you, I have no objections to more titles focused on the French and Indian War but I'm not sure how they expand on these items. Maybe a focus on the Huron or the far southern tribes (more AWI than FIW perhaps). However, for painting purposes, I've found these books more than adequate guides.

Sure, none of the books – in title – call out the FIW but they all include some images appropriate to the conflict and a little extrapolation can fill in lots of blanks. Then there is the issue that the French and Indian Wars covered a couple of hundred years but you do seem to be focused on the 1754 to 1760 conflict perhaps? Pontiac's Rebellion?

There is also the clear reality that, despite 'scholarship' to the contrary, the tribe to tribe differences were not always all that clear cut since the many indigenous peoples of North America intermingled quite readily – even the arch enemy Hurons with the various peoples of the Iroquois.

I'd say, go ahead with the suggestion, but there is no need to wait for visual assistance if you can acquire these titles. I did not check if they are still in print but that should be pretty easy for those interested to do themselves.

I'm not sure I understand what the content of this book would be. As Early Morning states, Osprey has a number of pre-existing titles that cover this ground. How would the focus be different and what new would there be to say? I would rather see something like their tactics series amounting to a well-illustrated concise version of Malone's "The Skulking Way of War."

All of the ones I've thumbed through, the illustrations and colour plates are predominantly not of warriors. That is certainly the case of the one I did buy, Indian Tribes of the New England Frontier. I'm finding that there's not a lot to go on in these books for painting my figures. Men-At-Arms titles aren't usually the most comprehensive books for painting armies, but they tend to be good starts. That's what I would like would be a good start for painting Indians in their semi-eponymous war (yes, the Seven Years War in America sort or FIW).

A Tactics book would be fine, again anything that focuses on the warriors.

Pulled up your title, New England, and the cover has four warriors on it. And it looks like all of my listed titles are still available.

There are also other books out there not from Osprey on North American Indians. None in front of me at the moment. But Osprey is just one source. Perhaps expand your horizons. Maybe start at a nearby public library – and take use of interlibrary loans.

However, with only half a dozen images of warriors and a little expansive thinking, you can paint a scores of warriors.

Oh, you might also try the advertising of figure manufactures. I suspect you can find lots of painting assistance that way.