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Osprey: Byzantine Infantryman 900 - 1204 AD by Timothy Dawson

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Gordopolis
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Osprey: Byzantine Infantryman 900 - 1204 AD by Timothy Dawson

Post by Gordopolis » Mon September 19th, 2011, 10:11 am

A really nice, compact and fact-packed read this. Much like the other books in the Osprey series the text is interspersed with illustrations, diagrams and photographs of archaeological artefacts.

I demolished it in a couple of hours and my only complaint is that it could have been much longer. A lot more detail that I was interested in that was only briefly touched on.

A fine starting point for research though as it did put order to a lot of the otherwise 'fuzzy' detail of the era.

Greg
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OMG Tim Dawson a published author!!

Post by Greg » Tue September 20th, 2011, 1:54 pm

Now that is perhaps the most amazing news, my old sparing partner Timmy Dawson has gotten a book published by Osprey. Several odd years ago we were exchanging sword blows and insults and now. Though I have to say that Tim has always been an astoundingly knowledgable Byzantinist and here in the Antipodes almost single handedly pushed the research and reconstruction archaeology of the Byzantine period. Sometimes to the wryly amused hoots of his friendly foes The Routiers, but always his effort and commitment was respected. It is great to see his work rewarded like this.
If anyone requires Byzantine information I cannot recommend Tim highly enough. Now Tim after that wonderful promo how about a free book?

Regards Greg
http://rednedtudormysteries.blogspot.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Liberties-London- ... 689&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.com/Liberties-London- ... 689&sr=1-1[/URL]
Last edited by Greg on Tue September 20th, 2011, 2:05 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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MLE (Emily Cotton)
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Post by MLE (Emily Cotton) » Tue September 20th, 2011, 4:37 pm

Osprey is a wonderful source for military research. I have their Granada 1492 on my shelves and must have read it three times.

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Post by marklord » Wed July 25th, 2012, 2:31 pm

I am always tempted by Osprey books, but I do wonder if they're not over-priced? £8 to £10 for a 40 to 60 page book is a bit off-putting I think?

I often think about buying a few, but then I decide not to based on the cost.
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Post by Justin Swanton » Wed July 25th, 2012, 5:10 pm

I've always particularly admired Angus McBride, perhaps their best known illustrator. Wish I could paint like that. His output was prodigious.
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Post by fljustice » Wed July 25th, 2012, 7:42 pm

I have half a dozen Osprey books and think they're worth the price specifically because of the great illustrations. I have trouble visualizing descriptive armor and weapons. Agree Angus McBride's work is terrific. The text is basic.
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Gordopolis
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Post by Gordopolis » Tue August 7th, 2012, 3:30 pm

[quote=""fljustice""]I have half a dozen Osprey books and think they're worth the price specifically because of the great illustrations. I have trouble visualizing descriptive armor and weapons. Agree Angus McBride's work is terrific. The text is basic.[/quote]

Couldn't agree more. The Osprey books are very concise, but no more so than, say, a similarly priced lonely planet travel guide and the content is just as rich.
Chiefly though, as Faith mentions, the illustrations are very evocative, really bringing the plates and monochrome diagrams to life.

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