What you reading in these cold days?

[aragorn]

Richard Holmes, Redcoat: the British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket (London, HarperCollins, 2001). Don't know if it's published in the US. Really excellent book, a must-read for anyone interested in the British army c 1750-1850. Author is a Professor of Military Studies in the UK (taught for many years at Sandhurst), on the TV a lot there, and a real enthusiast with a total zest for the stuff.

 

[mikelange]

Just finished biographies of Daniel Boone and Andrew Jackson, by John Mack Faragher and H. W. Brands, respectively. Good reads. Faragher's is a different style than most nonfiction, giving equal weight to folklore/legend and documented facts, though he seemed careful to specify which was which. I say "seemed" because, oddly enough, this is the first biography of Boone I've ever read, so I have no way of comparing his statement of the facts to anyone else's.

Fortunately (not for my reading, but definitely for what's left of my sanity), the weather's been very spring-ish most of this winter, so I've been out a lot more and reading a lot less than is normal for the time of year.

 

[Gary]

Just finished James McPherson's, Battle Cry of Freedom. It's a must read if you're starting out on the Civil War. Eloquent and succinct, McPherson walks you through antebellum America and the political tensions of the time up to the bombardment of the War. He discusses the battles as well as the politics on the home front of both blue and grey. I should have read this book before I began my research but hey, that's why I'm a clerk and not a hysterian.

I'm now reading Fred L. Ray's, Shock Troops of the South.

 

[thehorn]

I'm reading Charles Mann's 1491. Unlike most folks, I don't do much reading until the summer as I teach and I've got all I can do what with grading papers and all between Sept and June.

 

[Homesteader]

Partisans & Redcoats (The Southern Conflict That Turned the Tide of the American Revolution) by Walter Edgar. 2001, all about the action in the backcountry from about the F & I war through the many conflicts leading up to and including the Revolution. Fascinating stuff. (Love to read about what happened in my own back yard.)

BTW, it looks like my little piece of land is actually on one of the old swamp fording roads used by the likes of Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox. (Mel Gibson's character from The Patriot, basically.)

I knew I smelled blackpowder when I first bought it!

 

[No Deer]

Recently finished reading "White Devil" and I am now about 2/3 of the way through "Arundel". Both good books.

 

[mike alexandre]

I've just finished watching the whole of the Sharpe series CDs, not historicaly correct but gave to us a flavour of the action these guys saw. As a follow up I've just finished reading Mark Urbans book "Rifles" which is a pretty historically correct write up of the action the 95'ths saw. Its a very good read. Lastly I have been loaned Volume 3 of the Small Arms of the East India Company 1600-1856 ( Ammunition and Performance). This book is some read and for the first time I have REALLY understood why a rifle ball ball travels differently to a musket ball and why a musket ball does the things it does.

 

[spitfire]

Just finished reading SAMURAI WILLIAM The Englishman Who Opened Japan by Giles Milton.

 

[MikeChapin]

I'm reading "Sharpe's Escape". It's the latest book in the Sharpe series. As much fun as the BBC DVD series was, the books are much much better.

 

[Gary]

Just finished Fred L. Ray's, "Shock Troops of the South" about the sharpshooter battalions in the Army of Northern Virginia. I won't do a review here as I'll do one in Amazon for Fred. It's worth reading if you're into sharpshooters and sharpshooting.

I'm taking a break from books on peepul killing peepul and will be reading a book about genes & health.

 

Hey, all! I am about half through the book Washington's Crossing by Fischer and I highly recommend it to all! Absolutlely the best book on the AWI that I have read--and deserving of the Pulizter Prize that it won. It ranges from the grand strategies to the mundane everyday soldier's view, and contains gems of historic detail precious to reenactors without bogging down anywhere! The sweep of the actions are all there, too. A great read that will give anyone a new appreciation of George Washington and the ever suffering brave men that followed him. Couple of reenactor gems: blanket coats have been mentioned twice so far in period writing quotes; one preacher who volunteered from the rifle country of Northhampton, PA wrote his wife that he was riding toward the battle "with a French fusee" slung on his back. I just finished the section on the second battle of Trenton--which I didn't know even happened! great history...

 

[Bullmoose]

One of ther best books I found and am reading right now is "SIXTY YEARS ON THE PLAINS" BY HAMILTON. A true mountian man book and his life amoung the indians in the 1840's AWESOME

 

[Gary]

Couldn't find my copy of the book on Genes & Health ("It's In Your Genes"). So, I picked up my autographed copy of Joe Bilby's A Revolution in Arms. What a terrific read. Less than 50 pages to finish and it's exciting all the way. It has everything that I've been researching on arms development for my own work. Way to go Joe! :thumbsup:

 

[hawkeye1755]

I just started 'The time of the French in the heart of North America 1673-1818 ' from Charles Balesi.
We have a tough winter in Germany.
:hatsoff:

 

The Doc has restricted me to the house for the week. I have degenerated to reading soup can labels and cereal boxes!

Just kidding. I am going back over the Journal of Nicholas Cresswel. It's an excellent instruction manual in prejudice and arrogant intollerance. The man hated the Irish and considered all colonials suspect.

You can learn a lot by finding hidden small phrases. He states once that several of the Irish had no guns. Imagine, a canoe journey into the KY wilderness of 1775, during an Indian war, and half the party had no guns. I guess that was about par, only two of the party had pants!

It always makes me laugh.

 

[Gary]

The Port Hudson Campaign.

 

[Maestro]

America in Crimson Red - The Baptist History of America - only finished the first 3 chapters... IMHO, very enlightening!

 

[dlemaster]

I just finished reading "My Father Daniel Boone, the Draper Interviews with Nathan Boone".
Very good reading.

Regards, Dave

 

[Gary]

Concealed Weapon Laws of the Early Republic by Clayton Cramer.

 

[aragorn]

I just read 1776 on a long flight. A very good book, but a little over-rated? I'm still trying to work out why I feel that, but I think it's something unconvincing about the battle scenes and military matters - not the author's forte, as he makes clear in the acknowledgements (someone else did a lot of the military research for him). It's a pity because the book is essentially a campaign history. I wish he didn't call naval guns 'cannons.' He seems to believe that Scottish regiments were distinct from 'British' ones (but at least he doesn't make the common American mistake of calling Great Britain 'England'). It's wonderful having all the first-hand accounts, but too much of the book is basically strung-together quotes. For the ignoramus, there needed to be more overall context - eg there's plenty of mention of Bunker Hill the previous year, but no clarification of what went on there and why. But I shouldn't complain too much - great to have a book on this subject in the bestseller list, and to have knowledge of this period percolating out.