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Thursday, 13 August 2020

An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars

The second book that my wife bought me for our anniversary was AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF UNIFORMS OF THE NAPOLEONIC WARS: AN EXPERT, IN-DEPTH REFERENCE TO THE OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY AND NAPOLEONIC PERIOD, 1792-1815.


The book is split into seven chapters, each of which is divided in several sections:
  • Europe in the Late Eighteenth century
    • The Political and Social Position of European States
    • The balance of Naval Power
    • The Life of a Soldier
    • Uniforms and Badges of Rank
    • Major Campaigns and Battles
  • France
    • Revolutionary France 1789-96
    • Napoleon's Rise to Power
    • French Army Uniforms
    • The Republican Infantry
    • The Republican Cavalry
    • The Republican Artillery, Engineers and Miners
    • The Army in Egypt 1798-1801
    • The Imperial Guard
    • The Imperial Line and Light Infantry
    • The Imperial Carabiniers and Cuirassiers
    • The Imperial Dragoons and Lancers
    • The Imperial Chasseurs a Cheval
    • The Imperial Hussars
    • The Imperial Artillery, Engineers and Miners
    • Foreign and Auxiliary Troops
  • Great Britain
    • Britain's Government and the Birth of her Empire
    • The Structure of the British Army
    • The British Army in the Napoleonic Wars
    • The Generals, General Staff, Royal Wagon Trains and Guards
    • The Line Infantry
    • The Heavy Line Cavalry
    • The Light Cavalry and Hussars
    • The Artillery and Engineers
    • The King's German Legion and the Black Brunswickers
    • The East and West Indian regiments and the African Corps
    • Other Foreign Regiments
  • The Austrian Empire
    • Austria's Empire
    • The Austrian Army
    • The Austrian Army's Record
    • The Landwehr in 1809
    • Generals, Field Marshals, and Staff
    • German Fusiliers and Grenadiers
    • Hungarian Fusiliers and Grenadiers
    • The Light Infantry
    • The Border Infantry
    • The Carabiniers and Cuirassiers
    • The Dragoons, Chevauxlegers and Mounted Rifles
    • The Hussars
    • The Lancers
    • The Artillery and Pioneers
    • The Imperial Contingents
  • Russia
    • The Czar and the Army
    • Russia's conflict with Napoleon
    • The Imperial Guard
    • The Line Infantry and Jagers
    • The Cuirassiers and Dragoons
    • The Hussars and Lancers
    • The Artillery and Engineers
    • The Cossacks, Kalmucks and Baschkirs
  • Prussia
    • The Prussian State
    • The Catastrophe of 1806
    • The Prussian Army and the Campaigns of 1812-15
    • The Infantry before 1806
    • The Cuirassiers before 1806
    • The Hussars before 1806
    • The Artillery and Technical troops Before 1806
    • The Infantry after 1806
    • The Cuirassiers after 1806
    • The Dragoons and Hussars after 1806
    • The Lancers, Landwehr, and National Cavalry regiments after 1806
    • The Artillery and Technical troops after 1806
  • The USA and Other Nations
    • The Federal Forces of the USA
    • The Kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden
    • The Kingdom of Bavaria
    • Saxony and Westphalia
    • The Kingdom of Wurttenberg
    • The Grand Duchy of Warsaw
    • The Kingdoms of Italy and Naples
    • The Kingdoms of Spain and Portugal
I already own several books about Napoleonic uniforms that were published many years ago by Blanford, as well as the famous two-volume Napoleonic uniform books by Funcken, and I was not sure that this book would add much to my existing collection or knowledge. In fact, it covers aspects of the Napoleonic Wars that the other books do not, and I am very pleased that my wife bought this book for me.

AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF UNIFORMS OF THE NAPOLEONIC WARS: AN EXPERT, IN-DEPTH REFERENCE TO THE OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY AND NAPOLEONIC PERIOD, 1792-1815 was written by Digby Smith and published in 2019 by Lorenz Books (ISBN 978 0 754 81571 6).

12 comments:

  1. Two very nice looking volumes Bob. I always find the "Other Nations" sections of such books fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maudlin Jack Tar,

      I agree about the ‘Other nations’ section. It can give all sorts of inspiration for the odd additional unit - or even small army - to add to your collection.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  2. One of my favourite books good to skim through for inspiration! I have two others in the series, Uniforms of the 19th Century and uniforms of the American Revolution - both just as good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stryker,

      I also have the 19th century volume, and have found it inspirational.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  3. If it's anything like as good as the AWI one, then it must be superb. I might treat myself to a copy...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steve J.,

      The AWI book is one that I haven’t bought ... yet!

      I find books like this easy enough to read to get some basic background and I can gain inspiration from the illustrations.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  4. Hi Bob,
    A fine book chosen by Sue to present to you Bob- it sounds very comprehensive covering all those Nations that were involved in the Napoleonic Wars. Fascinating. My foray into Napoleonics was with AIRFIX OO/HO Figures - the Highlanders were my favorite- later I did paint up an Austrian Army- Minifigs 15mm. Best Wishes. KEV.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kev Robertson (Kev),

      It is a great book ... and Is did make me think about getting some of my Napoleonic figures out of their storage boxes and onto a tabletop.

      I never owned any Airfix Napoleonic figures, but I know a lot of people who used - and still use - them. I almost bought some Minifig 15mm figures when they first came out, but in the end I opted to buy ACW figures instead.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  5. Bob,
    I bought that book for myself late last year and it's a very handy resource for when I finally succumb to entering the fray of the Napoleonic era.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TamsinP,

      Knowing your skill with a paintbrush, I look forward to seeing any Napoleonic figures that you paint.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  6. In this series, the 19th Century book is my favorite.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jonathan Freitag,

      I’m not surprised. It is an excellent book.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete

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