Dual series

[Kyle Holgate]

Anyone familiar with Osprey Publishing books? The look like they could be a pretty intersting read, but that old cliche' comes to mind about a book and its cover

[old_pop2000]

Anyone familiar with Osprey Publishing books? The look like they could be a pretty intersting read, but that old cliche' comes to mind about a book and its cover

Hi Kyle:
I have a couple. US carriers vs IJN carriers, King Tiger and one other. I use them for quick reference.

[Kyle Holgate]

Hi Kyle:
I have a couple. US carriers vs IJN carriers, King Tiger and one other. I use them for quick reference.

How "deep" are they? Meaning are they reasonably technical and analytical about there comparisons or are they more light reading? I find I like discussions about competing designs better than the old classic this Vs that which involve a lot of luck as well as crew/pilot quality.

[old_pop2000]

How "deep" are they? Meaning are they reasonably technical and analytical about there comparisons or are they more light reading? I find I like discussions about competing designs better than the old classic this Vs that which involve a lot of luck as well as crew/pilot quality.

It varies, the carrier book is somewhat light about details, but the one on the King Tiger isn't bad. It really depends on the subject. I would try to get a look at the book before I bought it.

[Ed Rotondaro]

Anyone familiar with Osprey Publishing books? The look like they could be a pretty intersting read, but that old cliche' comes to mind about a book and its cover

Kyle:

Of my library of over 1200 books, I would say about a third of them are Osprey books. Now depending on the series you are interested in, they can be most informative. Osprey started out primarily as a publisher of uniform guides aimed at the miniature painter. They primarily focused on British regiments but began to expand greatly in the 1980s. They have launched new series to cover Elite units which give more details on the topic along with good artwork. Their Warrior series is probably better suited for those interested in specific soldiers as it covers their equipment, recruitment etc. One of their surpise hits is the Fortress series which covers miltiary fortifications throughout history. The New Vanguard series covers miltiary weapon systems and is generally quite good. They brief but usually packed with detail. The new Duel series covers weapon systems that opposed each other in battle and give insights into the design philosophy behind the weapons and techincial specifications along with examples of use in combat. It is dominated by plane versus plane topics, but there are several good armor titles and a new title on IJN and USN cruisers in WWII. Osprey really hit its stride with its Campaign series. It covers campaigns (and in many instances mere battles) from biblical times to the current day.

As with any series of books much depends on the authors. Osprey has a mixture of dedicated first military historians and passionate amatuers. Many members of our forums could easily write for them. The authors that do the most titles tend to be well versed in their topics and literate. Steven Zaloga who is a well respected historian dominates the armor books especially those covering the US in WWII and the Russian army. David Nicolle tends to handle medieval topics, especially those in the Middle East. Mark Stille handles US naval topics quite well.

If you are interested in a title drop me a line, there is a good chance I already have it. Or you can go on-line to the non-mentioned book seller and check a review out. Dr. Robert Forzck, a reserve colonel in the US army reads just about everything Osprey prints and reviews it (he's also written several titles for Osprey as well and know the limitations of the size of the books).

[Mike Malanaphy]

Anyone familiar with Osprey Publishing books? The look like they could be a pretty intersting read, but that old cliche' comes to mind about a book and its cover


Hi Kyle.

I have a number of those volumes mainly armor and most of them are excellent. I also like to look at a book before I buy it and I hope you've been to Bridgetown Hobbies here in Portland at 33rd / NE Sandy. They carry an extensive amount of those titles in stock and you can get a good look at them to see if it's what you want. An example is I was building two 1/35th scale Challenger I tanks and couldn't find out if the inside of the track block contained a rubber pad which would need to be painted appropriately. I found the Vanguard volume on Challengers at Bridgetown and was able to look through it. Surprisingly, it didn't have a useful photo so I saved myself $19.95. I've been going to Bridgetown fro 25 years and they are a great resource.

[Ed Rotondaro]

Hi Kyle.

I have a number of those volumes mainly armor and most of them are excellent. I also like to look at a book before I buy it and I hope you've been to Bridgetown Hobbies here in Portland at 33rd / NE Sandy. They carry an extensive amount of those titles in stock and you can get a good look at them to see if it's what you want. An example is I was building two 1/35th scale Challenger I tanks and couldn't find out if the inside of the track block contained a rubber pad which would need to be painted appropriately. I found the Vanguard volume on Challengers at Bridgetown and was able to look through it. Surprisingly, it didn't have a useful photo so I saved myself $19.95. I've been going to Bridgetown fro 25 years and they are a great resource.

Mike:

I've found hobby stores to be great sources of information on military matters, at least in paperback format. Sometimes they even have sales!