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Books at On Military Matters


Updated as of 3/14`/2024

ABBREVIATIONS: dj-dust jacket, biblio-bibliography, b/w-black and white, illust-illustrations, b/c-book club addition.
rct - recent arrival or pending publication, spc - OMM Special Price
Dark Ages

1-PWAR091 PAPER WARS: Issue 91 - Jihad: The Rise Of Islam 632-731 A.D. JIHAD! is a game type simulation of the first century of the Islamic expansion after the death of Mohammad, the Prophet and rounder of the Islamic religion. During this period the holy war of conquest and religious conversion of non-Arab peoples were the mainsprings of Islam and the Arabs progressed from a religious force to a secular great power. JIHAD! covers these events on a grand strategic scale with each turn representing 5 years and military units representing entire armies.

The game is for one or two players with one player controlling the Islamic forces and the other controlling all of the various opposing forces including the Byzantines, Persians, Berbers, Franks, Goths, Kaazars, Sinds, and Turks. Players alternate recruiting forces, engaging in religious conversion, moving their forces, and engaging in combat. The objective of the game is for the Muslim player to at least duplicate the conquests of Islam over the historical time frame while for the opposing player the object is to prevent that level of advance by Islam.

Product Information:
* Complexity: 1-10 (high): 5
* Solitaire Suitability: 1-10 (high): 9
* Time Scale: 5 years per turn.
* Map Scale: 270 kilometers per hex.
* Unit Scale: Armies.
* Players: 1-2.
* Playtime: 2-3 hours. 1 vol, 4 pgs 2019 US, COMPASS GAMES
NEW-softcover with game ......$47.00 with a discount of 10% rct

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1-234570 Allred, Robert MYSTERIES OF THE NORMAN CONQUEST: Unravelling the Truth of the Battle of Hastings and the Events of 1066 Following in the footsteps of the Viking warriors of Harald Hardrada, the knights of William of Normandy, and the Anglo-Saxon soldiers of King Harold, the reader is taken on a journey from Yorkshire to the South Coast. Re-examines what has been written about that momentous year - the intrigues, preparations and maneuvers - which culminated on 14 October 1066 on a bloody hill somewhere in Sussex. Considers challenges to the traditional site of the Battle of Hastings on the slopes of what is today Battle Abbey. Covers three 1066 battles: Fulford, Stamford Bridge, and Hastings. 1 vol, 224 pgs 2022 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-dj ......$43.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-62260 Bachrach, Bernard EARLY CAROLINGIAN WARFARE The author demonstrates how the Pippin II and his successors built upon late Roman technology and surviving military institutions to prepare the way for Charlemagne's empire, biblio, index. 1 vol, 432 pgs 1999 PHILA, UNIV OF PENNSYLVAN
NEW-dj ......$39.00

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1-86910 Benedikz, Benedict VARANGIANS OF BYZANTIUM The author examines the six hundred plus years ofthe Norsemen's service to the Byzantium Empire andEmperor's. B/w illust/maps, biblio, index 1 vol, 256 pgs 2007 UK, CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
NEW-pb ......$55.00

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1-196670 Bernage, Georges LES VIKINGS EN NORMANDIE (911-1066) Oversized at 8.5 x 12 inches, this outstanding work presents a complete study of the Vikings and their culture. Through brilliant illustrations and photographs we will learn about their civilization, their boats, and the various artistic styles unique to each period.

In addition, the book provides an overview of the types of swords used and a historical perspective of the Viking raids in Normandy -- from their first establishment in 911, the first dukes, and the Scandinavian vestiges in Normandy until the English invasion in 1066.

French text, but Heimdal loads its books with full color photos throughout of re-enactors and other imagery. 1 vol, 96 pgs 2011 FRANCE, HEIMDAL
NEW-hardcover, available late November 2011 [French text] ......$30.00 with a discount of 15%

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1-206110 Burne, Alfred The Agincourt War - A Military History of the Hundred Years War from 1369 to 1453 Henry V's stunning victory at Agincourt was a pivotal battle of the Hundred Years War, reviving England's military fortunes and changing forever the course of European warfare.

In this exciting and readable account Colonel Burne recreates the years leading up to Agincourt and its bitter aftermath. He also puts the battle in the perspective of the other important, yet less well known, engagements of the war such as the battles of Verneuil and Fresnay. As with the battles, so with its commanders: Henry V is known to all, but Colonel Burne gives rightful honour to Talbot, Salisbury, Bedford, Chandos and many others. On the French side he details the parts played by Bertrand du Gueschlin and of course Joan of Arc.

Colonel Burne's outstanding reconstruction of the war is written for layman and historian alike and conveys the drama that Agincourt and its heroes have always so vividly evoked. This new edition of a classic text includes a new introduction by Anne Curry, the world's leading authority on the battle of Agincourt. 1 vol, 360 pgs 2014 UK, FRONTLINE BOOKS
NEW-softcover, available early September 2014 ......$30.00 with a discount of 15%

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1-66677 Canales, Francisco SIMANCAS 939 The Battle of Simancas (also called Alhandega or al-Khandaq) was a military battle that started on July 19, 939, in the Iberian Peninsula between the troops of the Christian king Ramiro II of Leon and Muslim caliph Abd al-Rahman III near the walls of the city of Simancas. The battle decided the control of the lands of the Duero.

The battle unfolded after the army of Abd al-Rahman III launched toward the northern Christian territories in 934. Abd al-Rahman III had gathered a large army of Moorish fighters, with the help of the Moorish governor of Zaragoza, Abu Yahya. The Christian king Ramiro II led the counterattack with an army constituted of his own troops, those of the Count Fernan Gonzalez, the Navarrese under Garcia Sanchez I, the Kingdom of Galicia, and the Kingdom of Asturias. 1 vol, 110 pgs 2012 ITALY
NEW-softcover, available late March 2012 [Spanish text] ......$24.00

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1-208850 Carr, John FIGHTING EMPERORS OF BYZANTIUM Fighting Emperors of Byzantium assesses the contribution of those Emperors whose military leadership determined the survival of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire for a thousand years after the fall of Rome. 1 vol, 288 pgs 2015 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-dj, available late June 2015 ......$40.00 with a discount of 15%

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2-208850 Carr, John FIGHTING EMPERORS OF BYZANTIUM Fighting Emperors of Byzantium assesses the contribution of those Emperors whose military leadership determined the survival of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire for a thousand years after the fall of Rome. 1 vol, 288 pgs 2023 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-pb, available mid August 2023 ......$33.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-234430 Carr, John THE VIKING SAINT: Olaf II of Norway Norway's King Olaf II Haraldsson (c. 995-1030) started out with traditional Viking toughness on raids, but eventually changed his overriding mission to Christianize Norway and extirpate heathenism. He took the Norwegian throne in 1015, when he had barely reached his twenties. For the next 15 years he labored against immense odds to subdue the rebellious heathen nobles of Norway while fending off Swedish hostility. Both finally combined against Olaf in 1030, when he fell in battle not far from Trondheim, still only in his mid-thirties. After his body was believed to possess healing powers, and reports of them spread from Scandinavia to Spain and Byzantium, Olaf II was canonized a saint 134 years later. He remains Norway's patron saint as well as a legendary warrior. 1 vol, 168 pgs 2022 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-dj, available early August 2022 ......$33.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-230150 Coleman, Keith AEDAN OF THE GAELS: King of the Scots This bio is devoted to Aedan mac Gabrain, 6th century king of Dal Riata in Scotland. An associate of St. Columba, he was the first recorded king to be ordained in the British Isles and was the most powerful ruler in his generation. Modern writers highlight Aedan as the father of a prince named Arthur, which has led to his place in Arthurian studies. Aedan's prominence in his era qualifies him as a fascinating figure, whose life and legend are explored.

His astonishing military reach covered Orkney, Pictland, Ireland, Northumbria and the Isle of Man. This book details his dominant career, which came to a shattering end after decades of warfare at the Battle of Degsaston in AD 603. Beyond the record of warfare, there is a unique and tantalizing accumulation of legend concerning Aedan, from stories about his birth to tales of him in battle with Irish heroes. English sources mention him and he is one of the few Gaelic kings to feature prominently in Welsh tradition, where he is remembered as a uniquely powerful player in the north of Britain. 1 vol, 248 pgs 2022 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-dj, available mid April 2022 ......$35.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-217980 Cooper, David BADON AND THE EARLY WARS FOR WESSEX: Circa 500 to 710 Reappraises the evidence regarding the early battles for Wessex territory. It charts the sequence of battles from the c. AD 500 siege of Badon Hill, in which the Britons defeated the first Saxon attempt to gain a foothold in Wessex territory, to Langport in 710, which consolidated King Ine's position and pushed the Britons westwards.

Discussion of the post-Roman British and Germanic factions provides context and background to Badon Hill, which is then covered in detail and disentangled from Arthurian legend. In considering how the opposing commanders are likely to have planned their campaigns, enduring principles of military doctrine and tactics are discussed, using examples from other periods to illustrate how these principles applied in Dark Ages Britain.

Going on to follow subsequent campaigns of the West Saxons in southern Britain, a credible assessment is made of how these resulted in the establishment of a viable Wessex kingdom, two centuries after Badon. Grounded in the latest academic and archaeological evidence, David Cooper offers a number of new insights and ideas. 1 vol, 280 pgs 2018 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-dj ......$35.00 with a discount of 15%

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1-227990 Davis, John Paul KING JOHN, HENRY III AND ENGLAND'S LOST CIVIL WAR In 1204, the great Angevin Empire created by the joining of the dynasties of Henry II of England and his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, was fragmenting. At its height, the family landholdings had been among the largest the world had ever seen. From the border of England and Scotland in the north to south of the Pyrenees, it seemed there was nowhere in Europe destined to escape Plantagenet control.

Yet within five years of his accession, King John's grip on the family holdings was loosening. Betrayal against his father and brother, the murder of his nephew, and breaking promises made to his supporters were just some of the accusations levelled against him. When Philip II conquered Normandy, the chroniclers believed that an ancient prophecy was fulfilled: that in this year the sword would be separated from the sceptre. For the first time since 1066, England's rule over the ancestral land was over.

For John, troubles on the continent were just the beginning of a series of challenges that would ultimately define his reign. Difficult relations with the papacy and clergy, coupled with rising dissent among his barons ensured conflict would not be limited to the continent. When John died in 1216, more than half of the country was in the hands of the dauphin of France. Never had the future of the Plantagenet dynasty looked more uncertain.

As the following pages will show, throughout the first eighteen years of the reign of Henry III, the future direction of England as a political state, the identity of the ruling family and the fate of Henry II's lost empire were still matters that could have gone either way. For the advisors of the young king, led by the influential regent, William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, the effects of John's reign would be long and severe. Successful implementation of the failed Magna Carta may have ensured his son's short-term survival, yet living up to such promises created arguably a more significant challenge.

This is the story of how the varying actions of two very different kings both threatened and created the English way of life, and ultimately put England on the path to its Lost Civil War. 1 vol, 240 pgs 2021 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-dj, available early September 2021 ......$43.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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2-200010 Decker, Michael THE BYZANTINE ART OF WAR Explores the military history of the thousand-year empire of the eastern Mediterranean, Byzantium. Throughout its history the empire faced a multitude of challenges from foreign invaders seeking to plunder its wealth and to occupy its lands, from the deadly Hunnic hordes of Attila, to the Arab armies of Islam, to the western Crusaders bent on carving out a place in the empire or its former lands.

In order to survive, the Byzantines relied on their army that was for centuries the only standing, professional force in Europe. Leadership provided another key to survival; Byzantine society produced a number of capable strategic thinkers and tacticians-and several brilliant ones. These officers maintained a level of professionalism and organization inherited and adapted from Roman models. The innovations of the Byzantine military reforms of the sixth century included the use of steppe nomad equipment and tactics, the most important of which was the refinement of the Roman mounted archer.

Strategy and tactics evolved in the face of victory and defeat; the shock of the Arab conquests led to a sharp decline in the number and quality of imperial forces. By the eighth and ninth centuries Byzantine commanders mastered the art of the small war, waging guerrilla campaigns, raids, and flying column attacks that injured the enemy but avoided the decisive confrontation the empire was no longer capable of winning. A century later they began the most sustained, glorious military expansion of their history.

This work further sketches the key campaigns, battles, and sieges that illustrate Byzantine military doctrine, vital changes from one era to another, the composition of forces and the major victories and defeats that defined the territory and material well-being of its citizens. Through a summary of their strategies, tactics, and innovations in the tools of war, the book closes with an analysis of the contributions of this remarkable empire to world military history. 1 vol, 320 pgs 2012 US, WESTHOLME PUBLISHING
NEW-pb ......$26.00 rct

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2-60580 Devries, Kelly NORWEGIAN INVASION OF ENGLAND IN 1066, THE The victory of Harold over the invading army of King Haraldr, (4) maps, biblio, index. 1 vol, 352 pgs 2003 UK, BOYDEL & BREWER
NEW-pb ......$35.00

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1-1947512 Di Colloredo, Pierluigi LA BATTAGLIA DI CAPO COLONNA 982 The battle of Stilo was fought during the weekend of 13 or 14 July 982 near Crotone, in Calabria, in the area between the forces of Emperor Otto II and his Northern allies, the Lombards, versus those of Abu Al-Ali, Emir of Sicily and the Middle Kalbids.

Some sources claim that the Muslims would have been helped by the Byzantines in southern Italy, allocated long in retaliation for the invasion of the province of Apulia, but there is no confirmation for this historic indictment. 1 vol, 62 pgs 2017 ITALY, SOLDIER SHOP
NEW-pb, [Italian text, English captions] available late May 2016 ......$32.00

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1-228610 Esposito, Gabriele ARMIES OF THE VIKINGS - AD 793-1066: History, Organization and Equipment Outlines the history of Viking campaigns and battles and examines their strategy, tactics, weapons, armor and clothing. The subject is brought to life by dozens of color photographs of replica equipment in use.

Viking warriors were feared by their contemporaries and their ferocious reputation has survived down to the present day. This book covers the military history of the Vikings from their early raiding to the final failure of their expansionist ambitions directed against England. In that period Viking warbands and increasingly large armies had left their Scandinavian homelands to range across vast regions, including the whole of Northern Europe and beyond, even reaching North America.

The British Isles were terrorized for two centuries and at times largely conquered, in Normandy, Russia and elsewhere they also settled and founded states. Tough, skilled and resourceful, with a culture that embraced the pursuit of immortal fame and a heroic death in battle, their renown as warriors was second to none. As far afield as Constantinople, the Byzantine emperors employed them as their elite Varangian Guard. 1 vol, 176 pgs 2021 UK, PEN AND SWORD
NEW-dj, available mid November 2021 ......$35.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-235480 Esposito, Gabriele ARMIES OF ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND 410-1066: History, Organization and Equipment Provides an overview of Anglo-Saxon military history, narrating the great campaigns, such as those of Alfred the Great of Wessex and Harold Godwinson. Discusses the composition of Anglo-Saxon forces, their tactics, weapons, and equipment, detailing developments across the period. Includes 100 color illustrations.

In the early 5th century, Germanic Angles, Saxons, and Jutes crossed the North Sea in increasing numbers and began settling among the ruins of the former Roman province of Britannia. This led to centuries of warfare as these Anglo-Saxons carved new, independent kingdoms at the point of the sword, fighting the native Britons and each other. From the late eighth century they also had to face the threat of the Vikings, at first as opportunistic raiders but increasingly bent on conquest. The last Viking invasion was defeated by Harold Godwinson at Stamford Bridge but he was defeated in turn by the Normans in that same fatal year of 1066, ending the Anglo-Saxon Age. 1 vol, 176 pgs 2022 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-dj ......$43.00 with a discount of 15% inc

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2-45920 Evans, Stephen S. LORDS OF BATTLE, THE:Warriors & Warbands The Lords of Battle examines the image of the comitatus, or warband, as it is portrayed in literary and historical sources from Britain's early medieval period, attempting to determine the extent to which it reflects an historical reality. Through an extensive use of a variety of source material, literary, historical, and archaeological, the book investigates both the structure of the warband, and the practices and institutions which supported it.

After a review of the historical background of Dark Age Britain, Stephen Evans explores the practical characteristics of the comitatus: its military organisation; its internal social structure and its place within society as a whole; and the lord-retainer relationship, its duties and obligations. He also examines the cultural, social, and economic institutions which produced and supported the warband. Overall, the study provides a number of insights into the ideals and practices of Britain's Celtic and Anglo-Saxon warrior-elites during a turbulent period.
1 vol, 0 pgs 1997 LONDON, BOYDELL & BREWER
NEW-pb, ......$35.00

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1-222830 Fields, Nic GOD'S VIKING: Harald Hardrada - The Life and Times of the Last Great Viking Harald Hardrada is perhaps best known as the inheritor of 'seven feet of English soil' in that year of fateful change, 1066. But Stamford Bridge was the terminal point of a warring career that spanned decades and continents.

Thus, prior to forcibly occupying the Norwegian throne, Harald had an interesting (and lucrative) career in the Varangian Guard, and he remains unquestionably the most notable of all the Varangians who served the Byzantine emperors: in the latter employment he saw active service in the Aegean, Sicily, Italy, Anatolia, Syria, Palestine and Bulgaria, while in Constantinople he was the hired muscle behind a palace revolution.

A man of war, his reign in Norway was to be taken up with a wasteful, vicious and ultimately futile conflict against Denmark, a kingdom (like England) he believed was his to rule. We follow Harald's life from Stiklestad, where aged fifteen he fought alongside his half-brother king Olaf, through his years as a mercenary in Russia and Byzantium, then back to Norway, ending with his death in battle in England. 1 vol, 336 pgs 2020 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-dj, available late February 2020 ......$45.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-86590 Gabriel, Richard A. MUHAMMAD:Islam's First Great General An examination of Muhammad's life as military leader, (12) b/w maps, biblio, index. 1 vol, 288 pgs 2007 US, UNIV OF OKLAHOMA
NEW-dj ......$25.00

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1-666147 Garcia, Eladio COVADONGA 722: Pelagius the Visigoth vs Umayyad Caliphate The Battle of Covadonga took place in 718 or 722 between the army of Pelagius the Visigoth and the army of the Umayyad Caliphate. Fought near Covadonga in the Picos de Europa, either in 718 or 722, it resulted in a victory for the forces of Pelagius. It is traditionally regarded as the foundational event of the Kingdom of Asturias and thus the initial point of the Christian Reconquista (reconquest) of Spain after the Umayyad conquest of 711. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2022 SPAIN, ALMENA
NEW-pb, available early December 2022 ......$32.00 rct

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1-227970 Gardela, Leszak WOMEN AND WEAPONS IN THE VIKING WORLD: Amazons of the North Sets out to investigate the idea of 'the armed woman' in the Viking Age through a comprehensive and cross-cultural approach and weaves a nuanced picture of women's lives in the Viking world.

The Viking Age (c. AD 750-1050) is conventionally portrayed as a tumultuous time when hordes of fierce warriors from Scandinavia wreaked havoc across the European continent and when Norse merchants traveled to distant corners of the world in pursuit of slaves, silver and exotic commodities. Until fairly recently, Norse society during this pivotal period in world history has been characterized as male-dominated, with women's roles dismissed or substantially downplayed.

There is, however, ample textual and archaeological evidence to suggest that many of the most spectacular achievements of Viking Age Scandinavians - in craftsmanship, exploration, cross-cultural trade, warfare and other spheres of life - would not have been possible without the active involvement of women, and that both within the walls of the household and in the wider public arena women's voices were heard, respected and followed.

Lavishly illustrated, this pioneering book explores the stories of the female warrior and women's links with the martial sphere of life in the Viking Age, using literature and archaeological evidence from Scandinavia and the wider Viking world to examine the motivations and circumstances that led women to engage in armed conflict. B&w and color images 1 vol, 216 pgs 2021 US, CASEMATE
NEW-dj, available early September 2021 ......$40.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-980021 Gravett, Chris & Nicolle, David NORMANS:Warrior Knights and their Castles Describes the equipment, training, tactics and the daily life of a typical Norman Knight 1 vol, 242 pgs 2003 LONDON, OSPREY PUBLISH'NG
NEW-dj ......$21.00 with a discount of 15%

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1-204680 Hackett, Martin AS TOLD IN THE GREAT HALL: The Wargamer's Guide to Dark Age Britain Includes 125 illustrations (35 in color).

Profusely illustrated, Martin takes us through this little-known period from the collapse of the Roman Empire to the 11th century AD. Looking at the United Kingdom, he covers the Arthurian period, the battles of Dyrham, Heavenfield, Maserfield, Ashdown, Ethandun, Buttington, Maldon, and the battles with the Normans and Vikings between 1066 and 1069. He takes us on a tour of the sites, gives us historical facts to make game play more fun, and includes simple rules and tips on making Dark Ages war games more realistic. 1 vol, 160 pgs 2014 UK, Amberley
NEW-softcover ......$43.00 with a discount of 15%

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2-199540 Hill, Paul THE ANGLO-SAXONS AT WAR: 800-1066 Chronicles the time of the great Anglo-Saxon kings like Alfred, Athelstan, Aethelred, and Edmund Ironside and what was warfare really like - how armies were organized, how and why they fought, how the warriors were armed and trained, and other aspects of the Anglo-Saxon experience of war.

Describes the weapons and armor of the Anglo-Saxons: spears, scramsaxes, axes, bows, swords, helmets, shields, and mail that were employed in the close-quarter fighting of the day. Among the most valuable sections of the study are those dealing, in vivid detail, with actual experience of battle and siege - with the brutal reality of combat as it is revealed by campaigns against the Danes, in the battles of Ashdown, Maldon, and Stamford Bridge, and sieges at Reading and Rochester. Includes the Anglo-Saxon use of cavalry as well as naval warfare and the politics and diplomacy of warfare - the conduct of negotiations, the taking of hostages and the use of treachery. 1 vol, 0 pgs 2012 UK, PEN AND SWORD
NEW-pb edition, available late November 2022 ......$27.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-230370 Hill, Paul THE KINGDOM OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS: The Wars of King Alfred 865-899 Military and political history of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom explores England's birth amidst the devastation and fury of the Danish invasions of the ninth century. Alfred the Great, youngest son of King Aethelwulf, took control of the last surviving Anglo-Saxon kingdom, bringing Wessex and the 'English' parts of Mercia together into a new 'Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons'. This is a story of betrayal and of vengeance, of turncoat oath-breakers and loyal commanders, of battles fought and won against the odds. Includes 30 color & 90 black and white illustrations.

Warfare in Alfred's England changed from attritional set-piece battles to a grander strategic concern. This is explored, demonstrating how defense-in-depth fortification networks were built across the resurgent kingdom in the wake of Alfred's victory at Edington in 878. The arrival of new Danish armies into England in the 890s would lead to campaigns quite unlike those of the Great Heathen Army of the previous generation.

This is a human, as well as a military story: how a king demonstrated his right to rule was important. Alfred sought to secure the succession on his son Edward, who led his own forces as a young man in the 890s. But not everybody was happy in Alfred's England. Despite the ever-present threat from the Danes, the greatest challenge facing Alfred arose from his own kin, centered deep in the heart of ancient Wessex. Alfred knew very well that his was not the only branch of the family who claimed a right to rule. 1 vol, 280 pgs 2022 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-dj, available late April 2022 ......$43.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-235270 Hill, Paul THE FORTRESS KINGDOM: The Wars of Aethelflaed and Edward the Elder, 899-927 Part 2 of his four-volume military and political history of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom follows the careers of Aethelflaed, Alfred the Great's eldest daughter, and Edward the Elder, Alfred's eldest son, as they campaigned to expand their rule after Alfred's death. They faced, as Alfred had done, the full force of Danish hostility during the early years of the tenth century, a period of unrelenting turbulence and open warfare. But through their military strength, in particular their strategy of fortress building, they retained their hold on the kingdom and conquered lands which had been under Danish lords for generations.

Aethelflaed's forces captured Derby and Leicester by both force and diplomacy. Edward's power was always immense. How each of them used forts (burhs) to hold territory, is explored. Fortifications across central England became key. These included Bridgnorth, Tamworth, Stafford, Warwick, Chirbury, and Runcorn (Aethelflaed) and also Hertford, Witham, Buckingham, Bedford, and Maldon (Edward), to name a few. 1 vol, 264 pgs 2022 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-pb ......$43.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-62390 Hollister, Warren ANGLO-SAXON MILITARY INSTITUTIONS A detailed account of the military institutions just prior to the Norman Conquest. 1 vol, 170 pgs 2000 UK, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRS
NEW-dj, reprint ......$16.00

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1-227910 Holloway, Don THE LAST VIKING: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada Combines Norse sagas, Byzantine accounts, Anglo-Saxon chronicles, and even King Harald's own verse and prose into a single story that depicts the violence and spectacle of the late Viking era and delves into the dramatic events that brought an end to almost three centuries of Norse conquest and expansion.

Offers a riveting biography of King Harald that seems more like a movie than history, but truth is often stranger than fiction. The number of narrow escapes he had as a youth and young man boggles the imagination as he fought, fled to Sweden, then to Kiev, and then to Constantinople. He seems to have been a charming rascal who backed his ploys with warrior prowess -- especially as he learned court intrigue in the Byzantine Imperial palace. -- RL 1 vol, 464 pgs 2021 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-dj ......$30.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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2-227910 Holloway, Don THE LAST VIKING: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada Combines Norse sagas, Byzantine accounts, Anglo-Saxon chronicles, and even King Harald's own verse and prose into a single story that depicts the violence and spectacle of the late Viking era and delves into the dramatic events that brought an end to almost three centuries of Norse conquest and expansion.

Offers a riveting biography of King Harald that seems more like a movie than history, but truth is often stranger than fiction. The number of narrow escapes he had as a youth and young man boggles the imagination as he fought, fled to Sweden, then to Kiev, and then to Constantinople. He seems to have been a charming rascal who backed his ploys with warrior prowess -- especially as he learned court intrigue in the Byzantine Imperial palace. 1 vol, 368 pgs 2023 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb edition, available mid February 2023 ......$16.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-240820 Hollway, Don BATTLE FOR THE ISLAND KINGDOM: England's Destiny 1000-1066 Recounts the clashes of Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, Normans, their warlords, and their conniving queens. Begins with the Viking Cnut the Great, forging three nations into his North Sea Empire while his Saxon wife Aelfgifu rules in his stead and schemes for England's throne. Her archenemy is Emma of Normandy, widow of Saxon king Aethelred, claiming Cnut's realm in exchange for her hand in marriage. Their sons become rivals, pawns in their mothers' wars until they can secure their own destinies.

And always in the shadows is Godwin of Wessex, playing all sides to become the power behind the throne until his son Harold emerges as king of all of England. But Harold's brother Tostig turns traitor, abandons the Anglo-Saxons and joins the army of the last great Viking, Harald Hardrada, where together they meet their fate at the battle of Stamford Bridge. And all this time watching from across the water is William, the Bastard, fighting to secure his own Norman dukedom, but with an eye on the English crown. 1 vol, 432 pgs 2023 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-dj, available mid November 2023 ......$30.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-198330 Jacobsen, Torsten Cumberland A HISTORY OF THE VANDALS The fifth century AD was a time of great changes in the Mediterranean world. In the early 400s, the Roman Empire ranged from the lowlands of Scotland to the Upper Nile and from Portugal to the Caucasus. It was almost at its widest extent, and although ruled by two emperors-one in the West and one in the East-it was still a single empire. One hundred years later, Roman control of Western Europe and Western North Africa had been lost. In its place, a number of Germanic kingdoms had been established in these regions, with hundreds of thousands of Germanic and other peoples settling permanently inside the former borders of the Western Roman Empire.

One of the most fascinating of these tribes of late antiquity were the Vandals, who over a period of 600 years had migrated from the woodland regions of Scandinavia across Europe and ended in the deserts of North Africa. In A History of the Vandals, the first monograph in English covering the entire history of the Vandals from their emergence to the end of their kingdom, historian Torsten Cumberland Jacobsen pieces together what we know about the Vandals, sifting fact from fiction.

In the middle of the fifth century the Vandals, who professed Arianism, a form of Christianity considered heretical by the Roman emperor, created the first permanent Germanic successor state in the West and were one of the deciding factors in the downfall of the Western Roman Empire. Later Christian historians described their sack of Rome in 455 and their vehement persecution of Catholics in their kingdom, accounts that were sensationalized and gave birth to the term 'vandalism.'

In the mid-sixth century, the Vandals and their North African kingdom were the first target of Byzantine Emperor Justinian's ambitious plan to reconquer the lost territories of the fallen Western Empire. In less than four months, what had been considered one of the strongest Germanic kingdoms had been defeated by a small Roman army led by the general Belisarius. Despite later rebellions, this was the end of the Germanic presence in North Africa, and in many ways the end of the Arian heresy of Christianity. For the Romans it was the incredibly successful start of the reconquest of the lost lands of the Western Empire. 1 vol, 344 pgs 2012 US, WESTHOLME PUBLISHING
NEW-dj, available late May 2012 ......$30.00

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1-84450 Jones, Charles FORGOTTEN BATTLE OF FULFORD 1066 Account of the third battle of 1066 that saw the Earls of Mercia and Northumbria defeated by a Viking army of Hardrada and Harold's brother Tostig, b/w illust/maps, glossary, biblio, index. 1 vol, 260 pgs 2006 UK, TEMPUS PUBLICATIONS
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1-236920 Jones, Margaret FOUNDER, FIGHTER, SAXON QUEEN Alfred the Great's daughter defied all expectations of a well-bred Saxon princess. The first Saxon woman ever to rule a kingdom, Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, led her army in battle against Viking invaders. She further broke with convention by arranging for her daughter to succeed her on the throne of Mercia.

To protect her people and enable her kingdom in the Midlands to prosper, Aethelflaed rebuilt Chester and Gloucester, and built seven entirely new English towns. In so doing she helped shape our world today. Examines her life from her childhood in time of war to her remarkable work as ruler of Mercia. The final chapter traces her legend, from medieval paintings to novels and contemporary art, illustrating the impact of a legacy that continues to be felt to this day. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2023 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-pb, available late April 2023 ......$30.00 with a discount of 15% inc

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1-190790 Kaegi, Walter BYZANTIUM AND THE EARLY ISLAMIC CONQUESTS Study of how the Byzantine Empire lost Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia and Armenia. The problem of strategic and tactical cohesion is studied using the battle of Yarmuk. Maps, biblio, index 1 vol, 313 pgs 2009 UK, CAMBRIDGE UNIV
NEW-pb, reprint edition ......$45.00

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1-223600 Kay, Helen The 1066 Norman Bruisers - How European Thugs Became English Gentry The 1066 Norman Bruisers conjures up the vanished world of England in the late Middle Ages and casts light on one of the strangest quirks in the nation's history: how a bunch of European thugs became the quintessentially English gentry.

In 1066 go-getting young immigrant Osbern Fitz Tezzo crossed the Channel in William the Conqueror's army. Little did he know that it would take five years to vanquish the English, years in which the Normans suffered almost as much as the people they had set out to subdue. For the English, the Norman Conquest was an unmitigated disaster, killing thousands by the sword or starvation. But for Osbern and his compatriots, it brought territory and treasure - and a generational evolution they could never have imagined.

Osbern's descendants settled in Cheshire, which played a pivotal role in medieval England as the launch pad for Edward I's Welsh wars, the chief recruiting ground for royal armies and Richard II's regional powerhouse. Successive members of the Boydell family fought for monarchs and magnates, oversaw royal garrisons, traveled abroad as agents of the crown and helped to administer the laws of the land. When they weren't strutting across the stage of northwestern England, mingling with great men and participating in great events, they engaged in feuds, embarked on illicit love affairs and exerted their influence in the small corner of the country they had made their own. By 1378, when William Boydell died from wounds sustained in combat, the nation he defended was England and the enemy he opposed dwelled just forty miles from the place where Osbern had probably grown up. 1 vol, 272 pgs 2020 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-dj, available late May 2020 ......$43.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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2-212980 Kim Hjardar, Vegard Vike VIKINGS AT WAR A depiction of how the Vikings waged war: weapons technology, offensive and defensive warfare, military traditions and tactics, fortifications, ships, and command structure. It also portrays the Viking raids and conquest campaigns that brought the Vikings to virtually every corner of Europe and even to America.

Contains over 380 color illustrations including beautiful reconstruction drawings, maps, cross-section drawings of ships, line-drawings of fortifications, battle plan reconstructions, and photos of surviving artifacts including weapons and jewelry.

Currently in its fourth printing in Norwegian, the translation presented here makes it available for the first time in English. Awarded the Norwegian literary prize 'Saga Prize' in 2012.
1 vol, 400 pgs 2019 US, CASEMATE PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover edition, available mid September ......$30.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-69270 Leprevost, Thierry & Bernage, George HASTINGS 1066:Norman Cavalry and Saxon Infantry 9x12, plenty of color and b/w illust/drawings of re-enactments. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2002 FRANCE, EDITIONS HEIMDAL
NEW-hardcover ......$20.00 with a discount of 15%

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1-227070 Livingston, Michael NEVER GREATER SLAUGHTER: Brunanburh and the Birth of England Late in AD 937, four armies met in a place called Brunanburh. On one side stood the shield-wall of the expanding kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons. On the other side stood a remarkable alliance of rival kings -- at least two from across the sea -- who'd come together to conquer England once and for all. Brunanburh may not today have the fame of Hastings, Crecy, or Agincourt, but those later battles, fought for England, would not exist were it not for Brunanburh.

Generations later it was simply called the 'great battle,' but its location has been lost for centuries. Today, an extraordinary amateur and professional effort, uniting enthusiasts, historians, archaeologists, linguists, and other researchers may well have found the battle site of Brunanburh. This new book describes the discovery and delves into the battle.
1 vol, 224 pgs 2021 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
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1-226350 Livingston, Michael and Kelly DeVries 1066: A Guide to the Battles and the Campaigns The Battle of Hastings and its surrounding campaigns. Covers the journeys by which Harold Godwinson and William of Normandy came to the battlefield, and the latest reconstructions of the course of the fighting on that momentous day. Also a visitor's guide for to the battlefield and various associated sites. Includes 130 color illustrations 1 vol, 224 pgs 2021 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-pb, available late January 2021 ......$29.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-190960 Marechal, Jacques HASTINGS 1066:Battle for a Kingdom 9x12, fully illustrated in color with 160 photos of 2000+ re-enactors. 1 vol, 132 pgs 2009 FRANCE, H&C
NEW-paperback ......$35.00 with a discount of 15%

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1-84340 Marren, Peter BATTLES OF THE DARK AGES Author examines the battles and shows how they were fought, where they were fought and why, b/w maps/illust, biblio, index. 1 vol, 210 pgs 2009 UK, PEN & SWORD BOOKS
NEW-pb ......$40.00 with a discount of 15%

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1-86770 Marsden, John HARALD HARDRADA:The Warrior's Way Author reconstructs the military life of this hard-fighting Norse leader. Scandinavia to Byzantium to his death at Stamford Bridge in 1066, b/w maps and illust, biblio, index. 1 vol, 256 pgs 2006 UK, TEMPUS PUBLICATIONS
NEW-dj ......$43.00

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1-61320 Mersey, Daniel ARMIES OF MEDIEVAL BURMA: AD700-1300 Burmese armies 700-1300AD, includes Army composition, Tactics, Troop types, and the obligatory color plates. 1 vol, 40 pgs 2000 UK, OUTPOST WARGAME SERV
NEW-softcover ......$24.00

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1-68880 Patterson, Benton Rain HAROLD AND WILLIAM: The Battle for England 1064-66 A highly entertaining narrative, 25+ b/w illust, biblio, index. 1 vol, 260 pgs 2001 NY, COOPER SQUARE PRESS
NEW-dj ......$29.00

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1-200260 Peers, Chris OFFA AND THE MERCIAN WARS: The Rise and Fall of the First Great English Kingdom In England in the eighth century, in the midst of the so-called Dark Ages, Offa ruled Mercia, one of the strongest Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. For over 30 years he was the dominant warlord in the territory south of the Humber and the driving force behind the expansion of Mercia's power. During that turbulent period he commanded Mercian armies in their struggle against the neighboring kingdoms of Northumbria and Wessex and against the Welsh tribes. Yet the true story of Offa's long reign and of the rise and fall of Mercia are little known although this is one of the most intriguing episodes in this little-recorded phase of England's past. 20 illustrations. 1 vol, 256 pgs 2012 UK, Pen & Sword
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1-65380 Pollington, Stephen ENGLISH WARRIOR, THE:From early times to 1066 This book is for the most part an examination ofweapons & warfare from about 500AD to 1066AD, lotsof useful information, b/w drawings, biblio, index 1 vol, 268 pgs 1996 UK, ANGLO SAXON BOOKS
NEW-pb ......$25.00

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1-223710 Potter, Philip The Mighty Warrior Kings - From the Ashes of the Roman Empire to the New Ruling Order The Mighty Warrior Kings traces the history of early Europe through the biographies of nine kings, who had the courage, determination and martial might to establish their dominance over the fragmented remnants of the Roman Empire.

The book begins with Charlemagne, who united large regions of current-day France, Germany and Italy into the Holy Roman Empire and ends with Robert the Bruce, who gallantry defended Scotland against the attempted usurpation of England. There are many famous warrior kings in the book, including Alfred the Great of Wessex, whose victories over the Vikings led to the unification of England under a single ruler, William I of Normandy, whose triumph at Hastings in 1066 changed the course of English history, while Frederick I Barbarossa led his army to victory in Germany and Italy solidifying and expanding the lands under the suzerainty of the Holy Roman Emperor.

Among the lesser known monarchs discussed in the work are Cnut, whose victory at the battle of Ashingdon won the English crown and resulted in the creation of the North Sea Empire, which ruled over the kingdoms of England, Denmark and Norway, while during the reign of Louis IX of France the knights of Europe answered his call for the Seven Crusade to expel the Muslims from the Holy City of Jerusalem.

From Charlemagne to Robert the Bruce, the warrior kings created a new Europe with a centralized power base and set the stage for the following Age of Absolutism.
1 vol, 320 pgs 2020 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-dj, available early June 2020 ......$35.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-71390 Pullen-Appleby, John ENGLISH SEA POWER 871-1100 AD This work examines English sea power prior to the Norman Conquest, detailed account about the appearance and use of fighting ships, b/w maps and illust, biblio, index. 1 vol, 128 pgs 2005 UK, ANGLO-SAXON BOOKS
NEW-dj ......$30.00

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1-66642 Saez, Ruben illust by J.L. Serrano Silva LAS CAMPANAS DE ALMANZOR 977-1002 'Osprey' type book with (8) color plates with several figures per plate, many b/w illust/maps, covers the battles/campaigns. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2012 ITALY
NEW-pb in SPANISH ......$24.00

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1-90130 Short, william R. VIKING WEAPONS AND COMBAT TECHNIQUES The author and his colleagues at Hurstwic, a Viking-Age living history group, have reconstructed the various techniques. Copiously illustrated, battle maps, biblio, index. 1 vol, 232 pgs 2004 US, WESTHOLME PUBLISHING
NEW-dj ......$35.00

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1-90080 Stephenson, I.P. LATE ANGLO-SAXON ARMY, THE (16) pages of color including photos/line drawingsof uniform equipment, b/w photos/illust/drawings. 1 vol, 160 pgs 2007 UK, TEMPUS PUBLISHING
NEW-softcover ......$35.00

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1-200640 Stephenson, Ian VIKING WARFARE Comprehensive study of the weapons and warfare of the Vikings, examining the types and range of weapons and armor found to build a complete picture of the warfare of the period. The quantity and quality of the finds allow us to build a picture of not simply an individual's panoply, but also of army structure and tactics. Alongside this, the artifacts allow us to examine the cultural interaction between the Roman and Barbarian worlds, which, as the finds show, was not a simple one-way process: each side impacted on the other. 46 illustrations (25 in color) plus 16 pages in color. 1 vol, 128 pgs 2012 UK, AMBERLEY
NEW-softcover ......$30.00 with a discount of 15%

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2-211850 Storr, Jim KING ARTHUR'S WARS After months of field work and map study, discusses how the Anglo-Saxons conquered England; county by county and decade by decade. 'King Arthur's Wars' exposes what the landscape and the place names tell us. As a result, we can now know far more about this 'Dark Age'.

What is so special about Essex? Why is Buckinghamshire an odd shape? Why is the legend of King Arthur so special to us? Why don't Cumbrian farmers use English numbers when they count sheep? Why don't we know where Camelot was? Why did the Romano-British stop eating oysters? What does this have to do with Napoleon's Ulm campaign of 1805, or the Prusso-Danish War of 1864? 'King Arthur's Wars' tells that story. Includes 96 figures, maps, and 16pp color illustrations. 1 vol, 320 pgs 2019 UK, HELION & COMPANY
NEW-pb edition ......$35.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-222420 Syvanne, Llkka BRITAIN IN THE AGE OF ARTHUR: A Military History Starts with the assumption that King Arthur existed and that Geoffrey of Monmouth's account has preserved details of his career that are based on real events. He then interprets these by using 'common sense' and the perspective of a specialist in late Roman military history to form a probable picture of what really happened during the period (roughly AD 400-550). Includes 50 b/w drawings and diagrams, and 16 pages of plates.

This approach tests the entire literary evidence for the existence of Arthur to see if the supposed events of his career match what is known of the events of the period, the conclusion being that in general they do. Arthur's military career is set in the context of the wider military history of Britain and Europe in this period and along the way describes the nature of armies and warfare of the period. 1 vol, 256 pgs 2020 UK, PEN & SWORD
NEW-dj, available mid January 2020 ......$45.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-914147 various VAE VICTIS # 147: La Conquete de la Saxe par Charlemagne Wargame : Lex Saxonum

Lex Saxonum is a two player game that simulates the conquest of Saxony by Charlemagne in the last quarter of the 8th century. One of the players represents the Carolingians of Austrasia, Hesse, Thuringia and West Friesland, the other player controls the different Saxon tribal federations and their Danish and Frisian allies. The goal of Charlemagne is to integrate Saxony into the Carolingian domain, including through terror and exemplary massacres.

Game
* Complexity: 4/10
* Solitaire suitability: 2/10
* Duration: 2 to 3 hours
* Game turn equals one year
* A unit equals a few hundred men

Boardgame Articles
* Thunder in the East and interview auteur
* Hitler's Reich
* Santa Cruz 1797
* Twillight Imperium
* Less than 60 Miles and interview auteur
* Korea and Vietnam Rumor of War
* ASL SK4
* Dog Sector
* AMIR (Para Bellum)

Scenarios
* Advanced Squad Leader - Finlande 1942
* Memory 44 - France 1940
* What a Tanker - Normandie 1944

Miniatures
* DonnyBrook and scenario Guerre de 30 ans
* Oil War
* Presentation comparative des boites Hit the Beach et Fury
* La liberation d'Aubagne 1944 and scenarios Bolt Action
* La Moskowa and scenarios 1 vol, 84 pgs 2019 FRANCE, CERIGO EDITIONS
NEW-softcover ......$26.00 rct

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1-914162 various VAE VICTIS # 162: Basileus II Included Wargames: Basileus II

Basileus II is the sixth module of the game system A la Charge!
* Andrassos 960: Arabs under Sayf al-Dawla vs Byzantines under Leo Phokas in Cappadocia.
* Battle of the Orontes 994: Turks under Manjutakin attacks Byzantines under Michael Bourtzes on 15 September near Apamea.
* Azaz 1030: Byzantines under emperor Romanos III Argyros retreat toward Antioch but is trapped by the Mirdasid army on 10 August 1030.
* Manzikert 1071: On 26 August, the Byzantines clash with the Seljuks near Manzikert, at the eastern edge of the empire, north of Lake Van.
* Zombos Bridge 1074: The Byzantines commanded by Caesar Jean Doukas confront a company of Norman mercenaries commanded by Roussel de Bailleul.

Articles:

NEWS: Tank Duel NA; Piacenza; ASL; Race to Moscow; Salerno 1943
BOARDGAMES: Deadly Wood; Waterloo et Bismarck solo; Storm above the Reich; 1942- USS Yorktown; Absolute War; 3rd Winter
FIGURINES: Campagne au Mali; CR Hail Caesar; Art de la Guerre V4 2e partie; Epic Waterloo; CR What a Tanker; Trois regles pour la 3e GM 1re partie; DAK Attack
HOBBY: Jeux d'histoire : jeux aleatories (2)
RULES: Impetus volume 3; Lion Rampant Vikings; Fighting for Mexico; Rapid Fire! Blitzkrieg Battlegames
SCENARIOS: M44; ASL; Next War Poland
ART of WAR: Byzantine Empire 10-11th centuries 1 vol, 84 pgs 2022 FRANCE, CERIGO EDITIONS
NEW-softcover, [Magazine in French, Rules in English] ......$28.00 rct

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1-930342 various STRATEGY & TACTICS # 342: Carolingian Twilight - Decline of an Empire AD814 Two- to six-player game covering the decline of the Carolingian Empire following the death of Charlemagne (Charles the Great) in AD 814. The Salic Law of the Franks required that at a man's death, his property was divided among all his sons, which led to civil wars among Charlemagne's descendants when the inheritance in question was the Empire itself. From the various wills, wars, and treaties dividing and redistributing the Empire during the 800s, emerged the nuclei of the modern states of France, Germany, and Italy.

Each scenario depicts the period following a particular division of the empire, with each player taking on the role of one of the heirs. The object of the game is to reunite the Empire under a single ruler, while fending off not only fraternal Frankish rivals, but also the hostile surrounding foreign powers. Each game turn represents 1 year. The map scale is one inch to 75 miles. Each area is an historical region. Each unit represents 100-5000 soldiers (plus camp followers, etc.).

Components: One 22x34-inch game map, 280 1/2-inch counters, and magazine. 1 vol, 84 pgs 2023 US, DECISION GAMES
NEW-pb, available late July 2023 ......$50.00 with a discount of 10% rct

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1-201190 Venning, Timothy AN ALTERNATIVE HISTORY OF BRITAIN: The Anglo-Saxon Age Explores the various decision points in a fascinating period of British history and the alternative paths that it might have taken. While necessarily speculative, all the scenarios are discussed within the framework of a deep understanding of the major driving forces, tensions and trends that shaped British history and help to shed light upon them. In so doing they help the reader to understand why things panned out as they did, as well as what might have been.

For example, was a reconquest by the native British ever a possibility (under 'Arthur' or someone else)? Which of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms might have united England sooner and would this have kept the Danes out? And, of course, what if Harold Godwinson had won at Hastings? 1 vol, 256 pgs 2013 UK, PEN AND SWORD
NEW-dj ......$40.00 with a discount of 15%

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1-228680 Whitehead, Annie WOMEN OF POWER IN ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND Hardcover. Explores and restores reputations of remarkable women who ruled, schemed, sought peace, and waged war as warriors. Anglo-Saxon women were prized for their bloodlines - one had such rich blood that it sparked a war - and one was appointed regent of a foreign country.

Includes the wife of Aethelred the Unready, who was an anointed queen and powerful regent, but was also accused of witchcraft and regicide, Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, who was queen in all but name, Eadgifu, wife of Edward the Elder, who influenced the reigns of both her sons, Queen Seaxburh, who ruled Wessex, and Queen Cynethryth, who issued her own coinage. 1 vol, 240 pgs 2021 UK, PEN AND SWORD
NEW-dj, available mid November 2021 ......$50.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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2-228680 Whitehead, Annie WOMEN OF POWER IN ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND Softcover. Explores and restores reputations of remarkable women who ruled, schemed, sought peace, and waged war as warriors. Anglo-Saxon women were prized for their bloodlines - one had such rich blood that it sparked a war - and one was appointed regent of a foreign country.

Includes the wife of Aethelred the Unready, who was an anointed queen and powerful regent, but was also accused of witchcraft and regicide, Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, who was queen in all but name, Eadgifu, wife of Edward the Elder, who influenced the reigns of both her sons, Queen Seaxburh, who ruled Wessex, and Queen Cynethryth, who issued her own coinage. 1 vol, 240 pgs 2021 UK, PEN AND SWORD
NEW-pb, available mid November 2021 ......$30.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-972027 Williams, Gareth 027 VIKING WARRIOR vs ANGLO-SAXON WARRIOR: England 865-1066 In the two centuries before the Norman invasion of England, Anglo-Saxon and Viking forces clashed repeatedly in bloody battles across the country. Repeated Viking victories in the 9th century led to their settlement in the north of the country, but the tide of war ebbed and flowed until the final Anglo-Saxon victory before the Norman Conquest.

Using stunning artwork, this book examines in detail three battles between the two deadly foes: Ashdown in 871 which involved the future Alfred the Great; Maldon in 991 where an Anglo-Saxon army sought to counter a renewed Viking threat; and Stamford Bridge in 1066, in which King Harold Godwinesson abandoned his preparations to repel the expected Norman invasion in order to fight off Harald Hard-Counsel of Norway.

Drawing upon historical accounts from both English and Scandinavian sources and from archaeological evidence, Gareth Williams presents a detailed comparison of the weaponry, tactics, strategies and underlying military organization of the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, and considers the developments which took place on both sides in the two centuries of Viking incursions into Anglo-Saxon England. 1 vol, 80 pgs 2017 UK, OSPREY PUBLISHING
NEW-pb, available late August 2017 ......$20.00 with a discount of 15%

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1-225940 Wright, Arthur ENGLISH COLLUSION AND THE NORMAN CONQUEST Comprehensive analysis of 11th century warfare as exposed in the record of the Norman Conquest of England. King William I experienced a lifetime of conflict on and off so many battlefields. Examines whether he received an undeserved reputation bestowed on him by clerics ignorant alike of warfare, politics, economics, the secular world, and writing 50 years after events reported to them by doubtful sources. How much of this popular legend was actually created by an avaricious Church?

Was William just a lucky, brutal soldier, or was he instead a gifted English King who could meld cultures and talents? This tale of blood, deceit, ambition, and power politics pieces together the self-interested distortion of events, brutalizing conflict, and strategic concerns by analyzing extensive contemporary evidence.

By 1072, King William should have been secure upon the English throne, so what went wrong? How did a Norman Duke and a few thousand mercenaries take and hold such a wealthy and populous Kingdom? Even in the 'Harrowing of the North', which probably saw the death of tens of thousands, who was really to blame and why did it happen? 1 vol, 224 pgs 2020 UK, FRONTLINE BOOKS
NEW-dj ......$45.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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1-235710 Wright, Arthur THE BATTLES THAT CREATED ENGLAND 793-1100: How Alfred and His Successors Defeated the Vikings to Unite the Kingdoms Examines how the Saxon kingdoms, which had maintained their independence for generations, were compelled to unite their forces to resist the external threat of the Viking incursions. The kingdoms of East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria, Kent, Essex, Sussex, and Wessex were gradually welded into one as Wessex grew in strength to become the dominant Saxon kingdom.

From the weak Aethelred to the strong Alfred (rightly deserving the epithet 'Great') to the strong, but equally unfortunate, Harold, this era witnessed brutal hand-to-hand battles in congested melees, which are normally portrayed as unsophisticated but deadly brawls. In reality, the warriors of the era were experienced fighters often displaying sophisticated strategies and deploying complex tactics.

Our principal source, replete with reasonably reliable reportage, is the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, which are comprehensive in collation though subject to oral distortion and mythological excursions. This narrative does not appear to flow continuously, leaving too much to imagination. However, by creating a complementary matrix of landscapes, topography, and communications, it is possible to provide convincing scenery into which we can fit other archaeological and philological evidence to show how the English nation was formed from the bloody slaughter of battle. 1 vol, 256 pgs 2023 UK, FRONTLINE BOOKS
NEW-pb, available late January 2023 ......$43.00 with a discount of 15% rct

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