After my review of THE SPANISH PASSION: A WARGAMER'S GUIDE TO THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR 1936-1939, I started thinking about the third edition my own book – LA ULTIMA CRUZADA – which was published some nine years ago.
The most recent edition of LA ULTIMA CRUZADA: SPANISH CIVIL WAR MILITARY SOURCE BOOK was published in 2017 by Eglinton Books, and is the third and most heavily revised edition. The first edition was published in 1989 and the second edition was published by Caliver Books in 1993. The third edition has 276 pages, 73 black & white photographs, 138 black & white/monochrome line drawings, and 7 black and white/monochrome maps.
The book is intended to be a source book of information that will be useful to military historians and wargamers with an interest in the Spanish Civil War, and comprised six parts and a bibliography:
- Part 1: The major political parties and main events of the Spanish Civil War
- The Republicans and the Nationalists
- The Republican Political Parties
- Some leading Republican Politicians
- The Nationalist Political Parties
- Some leading Nationalist Politicians
- The main events of the Spanish Civil War
- Part 2: The Armies of the Spanish Civil War
- The Spanish Army in July 1936
- The Republican Army (1936 to 1939)
- Leading Republican Commanders
- The Nationalist Army (1936 to 1939)
- Leading Nationalist Commanders
- Part 3: The Navies of the Spanish Civil War
- The Spanish Navy in July 1936
- The Republican Navy (1936 to 1939)
- The Nationalist Navy (1936 to 1939)
- Warships of the Spanish Civil War
- Silhouettes of the major surface ship classes
- Part 4: The Air Forces of the Spanish Civil War
- The Spanish Air Force in July 1936
- The Republican Air Force (1936 to 1939)
- The Nationalist Air Force (1936 to 1939)
- Part 5: The Spanish Police and Security Forces
- The Spanish Police and Security Forces in July 1936
- The Republican Police and Security Forces (1936 to 1939)
- The Nationalist Police and Security Forces (193 to 1939)
- Part 6: Uniforms of the Spanish Civil War
- Introduction
- Uniforms worn in 1936
- Republican Uniforms (1936 to 1939)
- Nationalist Uniforms (1936 to 1939)
- Some typical uniforms
LA ULTIMA CRUZADA: SPANISH CIVIL WAR MILITARY SOURCE BOOK was written by Bob Cordery and published by Eglinton Books in 2017 (Hardback: ISBN 978 0 2446 4645 5; Softback: ISBN 978 0 2440 7031 1; Kindle: ISBN 978 0 2446 7050 4).
NOTE: Although the Kindle version is available for immediate download from Amazon for £5.99, the hardback is now only available as 'print on demand' for £74.92 ( N.B. this is not a price set by me!) and the paperback is no longer available. However, the hardback and softback editions are available for sale from Lulu.com for £37.18 and £19.74 respectively.
This makes me wonder if it might be time to think about making a cheaper edition of LA ULTIMA CRUZADA available to potential purchasers via Wargame Vault OR possibly producing an updated and expanded fourth edition. It's certainly something for me to give serious thought to.
Bob,
ReplyDeleteWhen I research different periods for my Dominion series, the single most useful resource that I look for is clear information on the various battles. From reading multiple battle details, I can come to an understanding of the armies and warfare of that time, as well of, of course, writing up the battles for Dominion. So some more details on the main battles would be my plea!
Just my two pennies worth!
Steve!
Steve,
DeleteNow that’s an idea! It’s certainly something that I’ll look into.
All the best,
Bob
That’s a great idea, but I think Steve’s suggestion is something the period from a gaming view point would really benefit from. Tbh as I tried to highlight in my comments on the Helion publication details of weapons, forces etc are already available. It’s helping anyone looking for ideas/how to game the SCW which are in short supply. I personally would love to see a revisit/update of Arriba Espana combined with design notes and more scenarios.
ReplyDeleteNigel,
DeleteThanks very much for your comment ... which has given me several things to think about.
I could certainly revise/update ARRIBA ESPANA! as well, but that might take a bit more time than I currently have available to undertake such a project.
All the best,
Bob
Bob, If you do take forward a revised edition, it might be worth adding some of the following to your bibliography:
Delete[a] For the war at sea:
* Leonard R Heinz, The fleet that fought itself: the Spanish Navy and the civil war of 1936-39 (Seaforth, 2025). The most detailed study in English.
* Michael Alpert, The Spanish civil war at sea: dark and dangerous waters (Pen & Sword Maritime, 2021).
* Paul Heaton, Spanish civil war blockade runners (Heaton, 2006).
* Adrian J English, The Spanish civil war - at sea (Partizan Press, 2013).
[b] And on land:
* James W Cortada, ed., Modern warfare in Spain: American military observations on Spanish civil war 1936-1939 (Potomac Books, 2012). Transcripts of much contemporary reporting by US officers.
* Michael Alpert, The Republican army in the Spanish civil war 1936-1939 (Cambridge UP, 2013).
* James Matthews, Reluctant warriors: Republican Popular Army and Nationalist Army conscripts in the Spanish civil war 1936-1939 (Oxford UP, 2012). Concludes that both sides made successful efforts to build conscript armies, but that the Nationalists were more effective, particularly in retaining their conscripts.
* Charles J Esdaile, British battles of the Spanish civil war: fighting Franco (Pen & Sword Military, 2023).
* Jose E Alvarez, The betrothed of death: the Spanish Foreign Legion during the Rif Rebellion 1920-1927 (Greenwood Press, 2001). How the Legion began. The same author has also written about the Legion in the Civil War (The Spanish Foreign Legion in the Spanish Civil War; Univ of Missouri, 2018), but I don't yet have a copy.
* Judith Keene, Fighting for Franco: international volunteers in Nationalist Spain during the Spanish civil war 1936-1939 (Leicester UP, 2001).
* Ben Hughes, They shall not pass: the British battalion at Jarama (Osprey, 2011).
* Richard Baxell, Unlikely warriors: the British in the Spanish civil war and the struggle against fascism (Aurum, 2012).
* Christopher Othen, Franco's international brigades: adventurers, fascists and Christian crusaders in the Spanish civil war (Hurst, 2013).
* Robert A Stradling, The Irish and the Spanish civil war 1936-1939: crusades in conflict (Mandolin, 1999). While some Irish volunteers joined the International Brigades, others formed a battalion of the Nationalists' Foreign Legion.
* Frank Thomas (ed. Robert Stradling), Brother against brother: experiences of a British volunteer in the Spanish civil war (Sutton Publishing, 1998). Thomas was an unusual Welsh participant in the Spanish conflict, as he fought for the Nationalists.
[c] Meanwhile, in the air:
* Michael Alpert, Franco and the Condor Legion: the Spanish civil war in the air (Bloomsbury Academic, 2019).
Toby E,
DeleteThanks for the list of books to add to the bibliography. I already have some of these books and there are some that I really must read!
I am debating whether just to make a PDF of the existing book available soon - which I think would be a reasonable seller - or to wait until I can produce a heavily revised and expanded fourth edition.
Its something that I need to give considerable thought to.
All the best,
Bob
What is needed is a proper historical atlas, covering the campaigns and battles.
ReplyDeleteTrebian,
DeleteVery true ... but probably beyond my current level of ability.
All the best,
Bob
BOB,
ReplyDelete$150 AUS for a single book sounds an awful lot - I'd see about changing that to a lesser amount. I'll be doing a 6mm Project. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteI have no idea why Amazon has set such a high price. It certainly doesn't reflect the income I get from each copy sold, which is related to Lulu.com's much lower price.
All the best,
Bob