I was sorting out my bookshelves the other day and came across this rather battered slim volume , This book set me off painting ACW armies - a process still in motion to this day . Published by the now defunct Almark publications in December 1970 (soft back - I could not afford the hard backed edition back then) for the princely sum of 17s 6d or 87 and a half New Pence . In this age of the Internet and Amazon it is hard to imagine what a influence and resource this small book was to a beginner wargamer , colour prints of exotic Zouave uniforms and regimental organisation all thing almost impossible to find then but just a few taps on the keyboard now. It had me repainting my plastic Airfix ACW collection and reinforcing it with numerous other units .Almark were a giant of the modelling- wargaming hobby back in the early 70s , but somehow just disappeared to be replaced by Blandford and Osprey, I had to wait a couple of years for the accompanying ACW cavalry book to come out and the artillery one never appeared (click on photo to enlarge).
The one they did on the WW2 German Army was re-printed a couple of years ago. Here's hoping some more of their titles get the same treatment.
ReplyDeleteThey do appear on EBay now and again - I think they have stood the test of time .
ReplyDeleteA great book indeed.My dad brought me one home from John Menzies where he had bought it to help with my airfix painting when it was first published!
ReplyDeleteI have been lucky enough to pick up most of the old Almark books over the years - the late 19th Century German cavalry ones were the inspiration from my Franco-Prussian army.
ReplyDeleteAlmark also did a later version split between Union and Confederate Infantry in the late 70s in a larger format, but sadly I only have the Union Army one
Yes i have Union one somewhere - didn't know they did a Confederate one
DeleteSomewhere I have the advert when the published the Union one and announced the Confederate companion volume - but just done a web search and can't find anything, so maybe they never published it
ReplyDeleteIan