Back in the mid 1980s, Paddy Griffith conceived the idea of publishing a number of well-illustrated sourcebooks that would be of use to wargamers and amateur military historians. They were published by Fieldbooks and the first (and only) two titles in the projected series were BATTLE IN THE CIVIL WAR: GENERALSHIP AND TACTICS IN AMERICA 1861-65, which was written by Paddy Griffith, ...
... and BATTLE IN AFRICA 1879-1914, which was written by Howard Whitehouse. Both were extensively illustrated by Peter Dennis.
Both books have been out of print for some considerable time, and until very recently they could only be found on sale from second-hand booksellers. That situation has now changed as Howard Whitehouse's book has been republished in a new edition by John Curry's 'History of Wargaming' Project.
BATTLE IN AFRICA: THE OPERATIONAL AND TACTICAL ART OF WAR IN AFRICA 1879-1914 is not a reprint. The book has been re-typeset and reorganised so that rather than being an illustrated book, it is a book with illustrations. As a result, I found it easier to read, although it has lost a little bit of the original's almost comic book style.
It is great that this book is now available again and will appeal to those wargamers who have only recently discovered Colonial wargaming as a genre. In particular, I can see it appealing to wargamers who enjoy using A GENTLEMAN'S WAR (by Howard Whitehouse!), THE MEN WHO WOULD BE KINGS (by Daniel Mersey) and (of course!), THE PORTABLE COLONIAL WARGAME.
BATTLE IN AFRICA: THE OPERATIONAL AND TACTICAL ART OF WAR IN AFRICA 1879-1914 was written by Howard Whitehouse, illustrated by Peter Dennis, and published in 2021 by The History of Wargaming Project (ISBN 979 8 5030 7043 9). It is currently on sale at Amazon in both Kindle and paperback editions.
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Bob,
ReplyDeleteI have the ACW book and think it a splendid introduction to the subject; I recommended it to any of my pupils (or their parents) interested in that war. My one regret is that Paddy and Peter never produced a Napoleonic Wars version - that would surely have been a best-seller.
Whilst it's good that Battle in Africa is being republished, I can't help but feel it a shame that the 'comic-book' style of the original has been sacrificed. To me the clever integration of pictures and text made the books perfect for educational purposes; they should have become a model for history textbook publishers, but the niche market at which they were aimed probably meant they 'slipped under the radar.'
Before he became famous for his military illustration, Peter Dennis did line drawings in a similar style for a series of Latin textbooks called Disce Latinum which I used in my teaching career and still possess.
Best wishes,
Arthur
Arthur1815 (Arthur),
DeleteI agree. I think that a BATTLE IN THE AGE OF NAPOLEON would have been a bestseller … and it’s a pity Paddy never wrote it. Perhaps you might like to take up the challenge one day …
The comic-book style was very accessible, especially to younger readers, and you are right, they would have been an ideal model for history textbooks. The new edition looks far more serious, even though the text seems to be unchanged.
I new that Peter Dennis had illustrated other work, but never knew that he had provided drawings for Latin textbooks … a subject close to my heart since I discovered that one of my forebears wrote ‘Corderii Colloquiorum Centuria Selecta: Or, a Select Century of Cordery's Colloquies’!
All the best,
Bob
“Sounds of grumbling and the movement of change from the Pacific North West.”
ReplyDeleteSteve8,
DeleteIf you haven’t already got a copy of the original book, it is well worth thinking about buying a copy of the latest edition.
All the best,
Bob
I have both of these, they are excellent and I always find something of interest. I lent my colonial edition many years ago to a friend and never got it back (he died suddenly). A few years ago I went to Warfare at Reading and to my surprise found another copy which I snapped up instantly. The diagram and explanation of different distances when firing and the casualties inflicted at different ranges in the Africa book are very useful.
ReplyDeleteRegards Lexi
Lexi,
DeleteBoth books are excellent, and they have valued places on my bookshelves. I 'lost' my copy of BATTLE IN AFRICA a couple of years ago, and ended up buying another copy via eBay. The day it arrived, I found my original copy! It had fallen down the back of a cupboard, and it was not until I had to move the cupboard that I found it again!
All the best,
Bob
I hate it when that happens...
DeleteLexi,
DeleteIt also happened with a couple of Osprey books about the Red Army … although I found them before I bought replacements.
All the best,
Bob
Thanks for the 'heads up' on these, especially the Battles in Africa one. Very timely for me.
ReplyDeleteAlFront,
DeleteCheers! I am hoping that John Curry will republish Paddy’s book in the not too distant future.
All the best,
Bob
I do have this one and I will have to dig it out and have a re-read.
ReplyDeleteGuy
Guy,
DeleteI don’t think that you’ll be disappointed if you do.
All the best,
Bob
Bob, I can't see this list on John Curry's site, but can see Paddy Griffith's ACW reprint...?
ReplyDeleteCheers,
John
Mycenius (John),
DeleteI bought mine via Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battle-Africa-Operational-Tactical-1879-1914/dp/B094T625D3/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1623576235&sr=1-14). It is available in printed and Kindle formats.
All the best,
Bob