"What books will you buy, despite having many similar?" Topic

I already had at least 6 books on the Trenton Princeton campaign in the American Revolution. When David Bonk's Osprey title came out, I snapped it right up.
You can never have too many…

What are your "cute puppy in the window" book subjects, and how many do you have?

Be specific. "American Civil War" is just WAY too broad. I will sternly chastise anyone who gets too broad, like "Military History".
Show me that you actually READ the first post!
I will invite the other TMP posters to make fun of you too.

I want to hear from people who are geeky enough to own 14 books on … bricoles. Or, the Battle of Jena. Or Q-Ships.

Napoleonics. I have at least 6 good solid histories as well as Ospreys and Funckens.

I hereby chastise, and MOCK you!

WWII North Africa campaign, Battle of the Bulge, Gettysburg, and Antiedam.

jdg

The Age of Arthur Period. Perhaps too broad but given the lack of solid info on it, I think it works with your rules.

OF course I'm also a sucker to pick up any of the "Green Books" that I can (I have nearly all of the Nortwest Europe Campaigns).

I lied a litte, I have 6 on the 1809 Campaign, with more in the wings.

About anything on the Alamo.

Any personal account of WWII.

Well, OK then, Saber 6. I tentatively lift your chastisement and mocking.

17 books on Mary Pickford – We all have our Fetishes.

Certain military SF. I'm particularly fond of the Fifth Foreign Legion series, Ian Douglas' Heritage/Legacy/etc. series, Pournelle's mercenaries, and anything else that falls into those genres.

Alexander the Great and his era.

I'll buy books about the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury no matter how many I already have. And books about the Polish-Lithuanian republic in English. And sparta.

Also copies of Catcher in the Rye for some weird reason.

Gettysburg, Trafalgar, Crecy, and Midway.

I decided I would try and pick up every english translations of German WW2 memoirs about 10 years ago – this is when there were hardly any and now there seem to be loads…but I still buy them (however rubbish I suspect they will be),

and don't get me started on the US Airborne WW2 memoirs (I must have at least 6 books telling almost exactly the same story but each time from another man in the same company)

The Little Big Horn.

Thanks,

John

Army lists for Biblical wargames. I may not even OWN the rules, let alone play them, but I am a sucker for Biblical army lists.

I seem to have amassed a collection of books on the final months of the war on the eastern front. What as been surprising is how different the perspectives are.

Chickamauga, Gettysburg, and the WWII North Africa Campaign.

Steve

Any personal accounts of the Greek War of Independence

I used to buy everything I could find on warfare during the Crusader period, heavily leaning to the earlier portion when Latin institutions were just taking hold. Not so much recently.

The past year or so has been everything regarding small western fights, history or fiction between 1866-1880ish. Especially focused on Apaches vs all comers.

To cast more broadly, I think I get really interested when there is a clash of cultures. Latin West/ME Arab or Euro-American/Native American.

I have too many diverse interests as far as history to buy a lot about the same thing. Closest thing for me is I have two books on Tarawa, and three on Peleliu. But that doesn't come close to matching the intense focus many here are exhibiting on a variety of subjects. I'm sort of jealous of that focus, too.

Histories of Paris. It fascinates me for some reason.

I've got a couple of dozen books about the place. Not including travel guides…

Rollins Ancient History. Plutarch, Herodotus, etc. Mostly different versions of unbound/poorly bound/cheap(ish) 19thC ancient history books.

Does baseball count?

No. Baseball doesn't count.

"No. Baseball doesn't count."

I thought they counted everything in baseball.

Lemme see…Bulge, 15, from unit histories specific to
that action through individual accounts (including my
Uncle's unpublished memoir).

Midway, 18, from the campaign through individual accounts

Gettysburg, 31, from Adkins' tour de force through
my G'g'g-grandfather's diary (he was a surgeon in a
Pa. infantry regiment).

Battle of Britain, only 8

got to stop, now, thinking how many on other subjects
(military) is making my head hurt…

Gettysburg, Antietam, The Army of the Tennessee, anything about the 1st Minnesota Volunteers.

Well I hit the point of severely diminishing returns in my Napoleonic book collection. I don't buy new titles simply because I have everything in the bibliography of the latest publications.

WWI air is my new (last 7-8 years) area. I buy everything I can get my hands on. 200+ volumes and counting.

mjc

Any "new" WW1 air combat (auto)biography. I am about to finish "Wings over the Somme", easily one of the best personal accounts (in letters home, the best, most authentic recollection method).

Norman conquest stuff is pretty redundant by now, but there are a few I would still like to get, if they weren't so danged rare and (or) expensive….

Roman military history. Mostly books on the army and it's structure.

1809 campaign. The Austrian army of the Napoleonic wars.

Anything Duke of Marlborough.

Maybe not narrow enough, but the Claudian Conquest of Britain (26 volumes), and the Boxer Rebellion (21 volumes).

ACW Naval.

I've got shelves of the stuff on the bookcase. TWO copies of Silverstone – the '89 and the second edition. The Osprey hardbound compilation on Monitors and Confederate ironclads. Everything Chester Hearn wrote.

I'll still pick up anything I see remotely related to coastal-riverine combat to see if its new or a rehash of stuff I already have.

WWII Pacific Theater
I've got most of the Green Books, anything I could find on the IJA and assorted odds and ends on various unit histories like the Bushmasters (158th Infantry).

Military Stuff

(Because what is the point of TMP if you can't wind up the OFM?)

Don't have them any more, but I used to have close to dozen books just on the Battle of the Bulge.

Then again I go into OCD overdrive when it comes to any subject I'm interested in.

Bruno

Doug,

If you haven't read it, pick up "Horses don't fly -- Frederick Libby".

I think the title really hurt this book but it is a true treasure. I guarantee you will enjoy this whether or not you have an interest in the period.

mjc

Seconded on anything ACW naval I can find (I pity the young woman who marries me) or the Minnesota regiments; also anything dealing with ocean liners and shipping on the Great Lakes, for some weird reason.

My collection just grew – I added "Combined Operations in the Civil War" by Rowena Reed, 1978 Naval Institute Press. Found at Half Price Books for $6.98.

Anything on or about Flower class corvettes. Started with dad's tales (edited for a young boy's ears) and grew from there.