"Lion Rampant / Dux Bellorum: Suggested reading?" Topic

I am not a history buff and I have never played anything historical older than World War II.

So, I am looking for a book or two to read about Medieval battles, King Arthur, etc. and the era. I read a lot of Fantasy and Science Fiction each week but I have not read any non-fiction books in many years.

I am looking for something that will hopefully hold my interest and not read like a textbook. Otherwise I will feel like I am back in school and most likely get bored.

Would any of the Osprey books fit the bill?

Any suggestions appreciated. eBooks are welcomed, too.

Thank you.

So Dan's original "Dux bellorum" was called "A Glutter of Ravens" and was also a source book of sorts. That would certainly be a good one to pick up. Here…product UG7 link

There is this one…also by the author of Dux. link He sure does get around eh?

Finally there is this one by Osprey. An excellent book and good quick primer. link Incidentally, NOT by Dan Mersey.

You could always go the "historical fiction" route if you bore easily. Try Bernard Cornwell's viking and hundred years war era series. Get entertained and edumacated at the same time.

If you are interested in late Anglo-Saxon England, and specifically the careers of Harold Godwinson, William (the Conqueror) and Harald Hardadra and how they came to a head in 1066, I recommend:

link

Read it about 30 years ago, still love it. Not much directly related to wargaming, but the author gives a very vivid picture of life in the era.

My other period of interest is the First Crusade, and for this I recommend:

link

Again, it gives a good picture of the personalities of the period and what their respective motivations might have been.

Also, there is the option of historical fiction; I haven't read any Bernard Cornwell books myself, but I am pretty sure someone will come along and recommend one of his series to you soon.

Osprey has these;

link

link

And there is also this;

link

John Keegan, The face of battle
A very good overview of Azincourt, Waterloo, Somme.
The part on Azincourt alone is worth it.

The Great Siege of Malta 1565
by Correggio, translated by Ernle Bradford
A fascinating read, better then any fictional account – from somebody who has been there. Not exactly medieval, but interesting first person accounts of medieval times are rare.

Edit: Both are not really useful to create scenarios with Lion Rampant, but good historical reads.

I have always enjoyed The Black Arrow by R.L.Stevenson. Writing is a bit old English style. Battles are nice. Used to really fire me up in my early days.

Chris
Dayofbattle.com

If fictional accounts would be of interest, Bernard Cornwell is your man. They're great, easy reads and have a lot of research behind them. As saltflats said above, the Viking and HYW series are the ones to start with. I've heard his King Arthur series is also excellent.

And of course Stevenson is always marvelous.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I appreciate the historical fiction suggestions, too. I thought about asking for some but was afraid I might get nothing but links to Harlequinn Romance. ;)

Hopefully, if I am not gaming over the holidays, I will be reading some of these to pass the time.

Thanks again!

Another recommendation from me for Bernard Cornwell. If you are just getting into games covering the dark ages and medieval period, his books will really whet your appetite and further your interest in the period. His battle descriptions are particularly good.

Ospreys are fine for help when painting an army, but not so good for general background reading about a period IMO.

This Osprey on Arthur is entertaining and covers him from a number of different cultures

link

An entertaining read, plus it really got me motivated to paint up my Arthurian Romans and some fantasy figures to supplement my historical battles.

All of the reprinted Alfred Duggan books are good for Ancient and medieval periods

Cornwell's Arthurian series is the Warlord trilogy; very evocative reading.

MEDIEVAL KNIGHTS: The Age of Chivalry by Jose Sanchez, is a nice introduction to the period:
link

Nother o0ld thread that has been necromanced mentions Guy Halsalls World of Arthur. That is worth investing in for a different view of the Dux Bellorum history.