"Shock! horror! This Wars of the Roses book is actually good" Topic

"I've got used to writing reviews of books about late medieval England and having to find new ways of saying how dreadful they are. No more. At least for this one. And it isn't because I've bought myself a new thesaurus. It's because it is very, very, good.

I'd better insert a disclaimer here. I've only read it because I was sent a complimentary copy. This is a full on academic history book, with proper footnotes and bibliography, that has been peer reviewed and all that sort of stuff. So it isn't cheap. The list price is £83.99 GBP – you may find it cheaper by a tenner if you look around – and I would baulk at buying a personal copy at that price. Although perhaps I could have convinced the Northamptonshire Battlefields Society committee to shell out for a copy from our research budget. Any how, none of that was necessary as I'd read quite a few draft chapters pre-publication and commented on them heavily, so this was a thank you gift. David & I have also talked both before and after he started writing it and I have been a sounding board for the various ideas and themes developed in the book. One of those, "Memorialisation" was also the subject of an Open University video lecture in which David interviewed me.

All of which is to say that I'm possibly not the most neutral of reviewers. However I do have a reputation to keep up, and if it was rubbish I'd find a way of saying so…"

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Wargaming for Grown-ups

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Armand

He's a bit harsh about the other books, mate. Wargaming wise there's a lot of unknowns, particularly in regards to tactics and organisations. Emphasis is usually on the political side and Tudor character assassinations probably blur what is known.

Dan Jones' book is pretty good, despite it being written in a "historical novel" style, for example. Seward's A Brief History Of The Wars Of The Roses is brief, but gives a good view of the political background and some character examinations. I haven't read Cohen's book on the battles, but a mate thought it was pretty good, and the Freezywater booklets contain a lot of useful info.

Trebian's attitude comes across as being too critical (he seems to have a name for himself by trashing other books) and dismissive of the other WotR/Mediaeval books he says he's reviewed, as if only he understands mediaeval warfare. I also get the impression that he only approves of Grummitt's book because he had some input.

86 quid plus P&P from the UK is a bit much for me, unfortunately. Unless I win the lottery, that is.

Thanks!

Armand