VANISHED ARMIES 1907 - 1914 NEW BOOK

Hi Guys,
Just got the new catalogue from SHIRE PUBLICATIONS and spotted this new title coming in October 2009.

'VANISHED ARMIES'
A Record of Military Uniforms Observed and Drawn in Various European Countries During the Years 1907 to 1914.
Written and Drawn by A E Haswell Miller . Edited by John Mollo.
ISBN: 978 0 74780 739 1 Format: 242 X 190mm, 128 pages. Price : £ 20.00

The background to the book: quote
' In the years immediately before the First World War Archibald Haswell Miller travelled Europe to study painting. On his travels he observed the soldiers of the European armies in the last days of the colourful and eleborate uniforms that were giving way to grey and khaki across the continent. Realising that this was a great military heritage that was slipping away, he set out to record the splendid uniforms as sketches and paintings. Now published together at last, and accompanied by Haswell Miller's own notes and memories, they represent a unique record of the unifroms of the last great age of military dress'

Illustrations of the cover shown in the catalogue ,may be on their website at
www.shirebooks.co.uk

Judging by discussions on this forum I think this will be an interesting subject matter and covers an important period before WW1. The cover illustrations look to be quitre detailed and in colour, however it doesn't mention if the book is illustrated in full colour inside, although at £ 20.00 ,it is about 4 times more expensive than their normal book prices which tend to be paperbacks, so it may be.

Shire Books is owned by Osprey Publishing ,so the titles should be able to be ordered through your normal Osprey dealer or book store.

Bestr Regards,
Les

I couldent find it on Shirebooks but I did find it here:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl/9780747807391.html
http://www.amazon.com/Vanished-Armies-Military-Observed-Countries/dp/0747807396/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244200643&sr=8-1

It's only $23 on Amazon.com vs $35 on Ramdomhouse.com - I think I know which one I will be ordering it from

Hi Chris,
This always fascinates me that published prices can be so much lower when buying fron various suppliers and not the publisher.
I was an official Osprey Book stockist but now it is not worth it as I can buy anything I need personally cheaper from other suppliers and threfore my customers can too.

I checked out the link with Amazon and was interested to see that the author is a local to me. The HLI are my home regiment and the next time I'm in the museum, I'll have a look at his medals and see if they have any of his artwork on display.

Best Regrads,
Les

Les-Art wrote:Hi Chris,
This always fascinates me that published prices can be so much lower when buying fron various suppliers and not the publisher.
I was an official Osprey Book stockist but now it is not worth it as I can buy anything I need personally cheaper from other suppliers and threfore my customers can too.

I checked out the link with Amazon and was interested to see that the author is a local to me. The HLI are my home regiment and the next time I'm in the museum, I'll have a look at his medals and see if they have any of his artwork on display.

Best Regrads,
Les

Agreed, notice how Amazon charges significantly less for most Osprey books then almost every other retailer? Borders, Barnes & Nobles, my local hobby shop, not even Osprey's "discounted" sales come close to the bargain called Amazon.com

Hi Guys,
This just a general announcement to let everyone know that this book is now available from your usual OSPREY PUBLISHING dealer.

I haven't actually seen a copy yet, so if anyone has one already can they please post a review here.

The cover illustrations look good and are in full colour judging by the magazine advert that I saw in a wargaming magazine. I'm hoping that all the internal illustrations are also in colour.

Appreciate any comments on wether this book is worth picking up or not.

Best Regards,
Les

Les-Art wrote:Hi Guys,
This just a general announcement to let everyone know that this book is now available from your usual OSPREY PUBLISHING dealer.

I haven't actually seen a copy yet, so if anyone has one already can they please post a review here.

The cover illustrations look good and are in full colour judging by the magazine advert that I saw in a wargaming magazine. I'm hoping that all the internal illustrations are also in colour.

Appreciate any comments on wether this book is worth picking up or not.

Best Regards,
Les

I don't think it's available in the US yet

Amazon still says 11/17/2009 release date and Osprey only has it available for pre-order in the US.

Hi Chris,
Saw the advert for the book in the Wargames Illustrated magazine and although they have to organise it a month in advance the adverts are usually up to date. As the magazine is available worldwide at the same time I didn't think there would be a delay in the books being available 'over there' (cue for a song here). Sorry to get you all excited for no reason, so it looks like I will get a look at it first and will do a review to let you know if it is worth picking up a copy.

I thought OSPREY was a U.S. Company now?

I don't like the dumbed down content of Ospreys now and some of the illustrations are just garbage, I could do better than these so called professionals, especially the ones that do the plates for the Campaign titles.
The most recent titles I was looking forward to would ONLY go on my bookshelves if I can pick them up cheaply as they are not worth the full price -
WW1 Belgian Army, US Forces in China, Solferino 1859.
They are ONLY worth picking up if you no NOTHING about these subjects and want a starter book. I suppose it is pesonal thing based on how much reading and knowledge of a period you already have, but you always managed to learn something out of an Osprey book until now. Rant Over!!

Best Regards,
Les

I was actually impressed with US Armed Forces in China. The Belgian Army in WW1 however was a total disappointment, so bad in fact that I wanted to cry after I read it. Some of the recent Elite series books have been pretty good as well.

Hi Chris,
I suppose it comes down to your interests really. I've done a bit of reading on the use of US forces sent around the globe between 1870 and 1939 as I like the small wars more than the big ones.So I suppose the 'US forces in China' didn't impress me because I already knew the information, if I remember right the illustrations are just O.K. , can't remeber who the artist is.

Which Elite titles did your like. I don't do anything modern military and by that I mean after 1945. My prefered Military periods being between 1759 and 1938. I expect the new RAIDS series to be mostly modern although the Samurai one might be of interest because it is so unusual.

Best Regards,
Les

Les-Art wrote:Hi Chris,
I suppose it comes down to your interests really. I've done a bit of reading on the use of US forces sent around the globe between 1870 and 1939 as I like the small wars more than the big ones.So I suppose the 'US forces in China' didn't impress me because I already knew the information, if I remember right the illustrations are just O.K. , can't remeber who the artist is.

Which Elite titles did your like. I don't do anything modern military and by that I mean after 1945. My prefered Military periods being between 1759 and 1938. I expect the new RAIDS series to be mostly modern although the Samurai one might be of interest because it is so unusual.

Best Regards,
Les

See those were the Elite books I liked; Bay of Pigs, OSS, Hungarian Revolution, the WWII tactics series books, etc. I can't wait for the upcoming Elite books on US Cavalry in WWII and WWII German Special Forces units.

I havent gotten any of the Raids books but Osprey does have a list of all current and upcoming releases and believe it or not most of them are WWII and earlier. The only modern ones so far are the SAS Assault on the Iranian Embassy in 1980 and Operation Barras in Sierra Leone in 2000. In addition, the US Army Special Forces Raid on the North Vietnamese prison camp at Son Tay in 1970 is a future title. Other then that teh lost is almost entirely WWII with some WWI (Zeebruge) and earlier thrown in (the Samurai one for example).

I didn't think the Osprey "Belgian Army In World War I" was too bad an effort - considering the restrictions of the Men-at-Arms format and the complexity of the subject. One of the two co-authors was Dr Pierre Lierneux of the Royal Army Museum in Brussels which means the coverage of the varigated Belgian uniforms of 1914 was accurate and as detailed as you could expect in fifteen colour figures (the rest were the post 1915 khaki) and a few pages of text.

Looking forward to "Vanished Armies" though.

Hi BuistR,
As I stated it comes down to your interest already in a subject ,then Ospreys can be excellent, good or poor.

I use them as guides to converting and painting Toy Soldiers mainly, so do expect some basic information which isn't always forthcoming. The WW1 Belgian title only had a few photos I hadn't seen before and the plates seem to concentrate too much on Officers uniforms. I do of course realise they have limitations due to the size of the publication, but still think they are not as good source as they used to be.

I had a quick look at the 'Seminole Indian War' title in my local book store and may pick it up as this is not a period I know too much about and the plates looked interesting. I'll have a read at the content to see what kind of information it covers nad them decide wether to pay full price or get it online cheaper.

Best Regards,
Les

Les-Art wrote:Hi BuistR,
As I stated it comes down to your interest already in a subject ,then Ospreys can be excellent, good or poor.

I use them as guides to converting and painting Toy Soldiers mainly, so do expect some basic information which isn't always forthcoming. The WW1 Belgian title only had a few photos I hadn't seen before and the plates seem to concentrate too much on Officers uniforms. I do of course realise they have limitations due to the size of the publication, but still think they are not as good source as they used to be.

I had a quick look at the 'Seminole Indian War' title in my local book store and may pick it up as this is not a period I know too much about and the plates looked interesting. I'll have a read at the content to see what kind of information it covers nad them decide wether to pay full price or get it online cheaper.

Best Regards,
Les

The Seminole Wars book is not bad either but there is very little in the way of uniform details. I enjoyed it, mainly because it's something not that many people know about and it was a welcome relief from WWII and Napoleonic titles. I have always been fascinated by the Indian Wars and the smaller (and less well known) conflicts in US history.

One of the things I always do before buying an Osprey book in a store is check if I can get it New/Used on Amazon for cheaper and 9 times out of 10 I always end up buying online and saving, even with the cost of shipping included. I have found some Osprey books for as little as $1.00 USD

On looking through the Seminole indian wars book I was more interested in the 'look' of the seminoles than the US army ,as I have many books that cover their uniforms through the years.

Recently I have managed to stop myself from buying in store on impulse to do exactly what you do check it out on line. There is a weird thing that happens in Borders Books over here, they don't get the new Osprey books as soon as they come out to put on the store shelves, but they do offer them online at a discount. So you order and pay for them online, get your discount and then if you want you can pick your book up at your local Borders Books three days later and you don't have to pay any postage. Don't ask me how they make any money doing that seems counter productive from the sales point of view.

OSPREYS for a $ 1.00!!!! They must be older titles.

Best Regards,
Les

Les-Art wrote:On looking through the Seminole indian wars book I was more interested in the 'look' of the seminoles than the US army ,as I have many books that cover their uniforms through the years.

Recently I have managed to stop myself from buying in store on impulse to do exactly what you do check it out on line. There is a weird thing that happens in Borders Books over here, they don't get the new Osprey books as soon as they come out to put on the store shelves, but they do offer them online at a discount. So you order and pay for them online, get your discount and then if you want you can pick your book up at your local Borders Books three days later and you don't have to pay any postage. Don't ask me how they make any money doing that seems counter productive from the sales point of view.

OSPREYS for a $ 1.00!!!! They must be older titles.

Best Regards,
Les

The ones that are less then $10 or so are usually books from the less popular series like Battle Orders, Fortress, and Campaign. Men at Arms and Elite books are usually always at least $8 or so though I have found a few good deals, as you said they are mostly older books in those series. For example, last week I picked up the MAA books Napoleon's Sea Soldiers and Napoleon's Overseas Army both for under $5 plus shipping.

Some Borders are hit and miss, some have almost no Osprey books and yet I have been to others that have entire shelves of Osprey books. Barnes & Noble is the absolute worst though, I have never been to a Barnes & Noble with more then 5 Osprey books on the shelves and half of them be Warrior or Campaign series books which I usually don't buy.

Hi Chris,
Yesterday I was in town checking out the bookstores to see if I could get a look at 'Vanished Armies' before I order a copy up. It looks like it may be a little elusive to track down, which is strange for a new title.

According to Borders Books and Waterstones it was published in the UK on 1st September. Borders tell me they got 5 copies approximately one week after publication date and have SOLD OUT! but haven't ordered anymore, I find this incredible as I am in their bookstore twice a week and didn't find a copy to look at.
Waterstones have it listed on there computer but have NEVER ordered any copies despite the fact that they carry ALL the ranges offered by Osprey as soon as they become available.

The review in the Armourer magazine gives the same info as I already listed about the author and his intentions but additionally tells us that there are 83 colour plates with notes by Andrew Mollo related to them, so if they are as nice as the ones on the cover it should be worth the £ 20.00 retail or whatever discount your can get online.

Best Regards,
Les

I just checked out Waterstone's website and noticed that they have alot of out of print Osprey titles. Im actually thinking of placing an order with them. If so I will include Vanished Armies within.

Do they accept orders from outside the UK and Ireland?

Got my copy from Amazon a couple of weeks ago.
Well worth the money!!!!
The only disappointment was that Plate 15 was missing, replaced by a duplicate of 14.
I contacted the publishers and they have provided the plate on a website.

I can only hope they do more of these because Haswell Miller is an excellent artist.

Hi Sean,
Maybe the error in the book has meant that they have withdrawn it to correct the problem. Amazon may have been supllied first as they are such a big compnay.

Is the missing plate shown on the Shire Publications website ?

According to the write up on the book it states that as an artist he worked with the British Artmy to produce many pieces of artwork on the unifroms of the various regiments at the time and was involved with the Imperial War Museum when it started up. He was well respected as a Mikitary artist, so with this snippet of info I would think that there are plenty of his illustrations around to make up several books.

Best Regards,
Les

Hi Guys,
First , in answer to your question Chris, Waterstones do send outside the UK ,check out the shipping part of their website the overseas details are near the bottom of the page. I would expect that the cost of shipping would mean that any saving on the cost of the books will be eaten into by the shipping charges.

Sean, was on the Shire Publications website and they are showing two plates from the book, when I looked at them I recognised the artists style and have just realised that the Imperial War Museum sells a set of postcards 'British Uniforms 1914 - 1918' series which are A.E. Haswell Miller illustrations done by him between 1919 and 1922. I have a few in my collection but have discovered that they are still available direct from the IWM, in their shop plus most Military Museums in the U.K. also sell them. I think there are 12 postcards in a set.

I'm now going to have to look throiugh my military postcard collection and see if I have anything else by him.

Best Regards,
Les

Just found 13 Haswell-Miller WW1 British Military uniform plates here;

http://www.vads.ahds.ac.uk/results.php?cmd=search&words=A+E+Haswell+Miller&mode=boolean&submit=search

I think they may be differnt illustrations from the ones in the book.

Regards,
Les

Just found this rarity, it is a sketch done by A.E. Haswell-Miller of the proposed new version of the parade dress uniform of the 'Strathcona Horse' Regiment of Canada in 1909.
https://i.servimg.com/u/f88/13/98/25/75/strath10.jpg

It looks to be a quick sketch and isn't as refined as his usual pieces of artwork.
The uniform is similar to the 'Mounties' uniform ,as a large portion of those serving in the regiment during the Boer War were volunteers from the North West Mounted Police. The facing colour is Green and the chain 'wings' are a cavalry feature of the time. The hat, trousers called 'Banana Pants' , for obvious reasons, and 'Congress' boots with spurs are the same as issued to the 'Mounties' for there walking out Dress uniform.

Best Regards,
Les

The missing plate

https://i.servimg.com/u/f82/12/22/09/10/haswel10.jpg

Hi Sean,
Thanks for posting this plate.
All we need to do now is to figure out how to paste it into the book

Best Regards,
Les

Yes - thanks indeed Sean. My copy is working its way from Amazon to the far ends of the earth (New Zealand) and I wouldn't expect to see it for a few weeks yet. However grateful if someone who has already got the book could identify figure 3, row 1 (Scottish territorial battalion?) and figure 5, row 2 (English territorial in old grey Volunteer uniform?). I think that I have the others right: Two Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), Carabineers (6th Dragoon Guards), Coldstream Guards, another Cameronian in khaki, West Surrey Regiment, Welsh Regiment and still more Cameronians.

Cheers