Customer Reviews

Soldiers of the English Civil War (2): Cavalry (Elite) (v. 2)

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Its good to see that John Tincey's English Civil War Cavalry volume - originally published in 1990 - has made it through to the latest Osprey Elite format, for despite the passage of the years it remains a very useful book. Succinct, accurate, fact packed, and handy - it is dubious whether it would be very much different if rewritten today. There are tables, quotations from primary documents, and reproductions of contemporary engravings and woodcuts. (Tincey also provided an introduction for a reprint of Vernon's 1644 'Young Horseman' - and it is a shame that this is now relatively difficult to find). Incidentally the Angus McBride illustrations are some of his best.

As a model builder and figure painter, I feel Osprey's Elite series (#27) on "Soldiers of the English Civil War, Cavalry, part 2 -- as part one is about the Infantry of that famous Cromwellian Civil War era -- to be very helpful. Of particular note are the graphics selected to explain formations for combat and "etching" styled reproductions from that period.
Angus McBride as the illustrator has created eleven pages of full color illustrations to shows in beautiful detail the men, the uniforms/costumes, equipment and weapons of the period. As a retired artist, I consider Mr. McBride to be one of
the best of the human figure illustrators used by Osprey Publishing. However, as an American, I continue to find the writing style, of this and the other of the series that I own, somewhat dry and dull; authoritative yes! But you won't race through the pages of the text. However, I recommend this soft cover to those interested in the specific details of this more cavalier branch of Cromwell's armies, the Cavalry.