Recommended Reading List
(Taken from Forlorn Hope 2nd Edition)
Over the last 20 years or so, ideas and perceptions of the martial side of the English Civil War have undergone, arguably, the most complete revision in the study of any military period.
What is unique is the sheer number of small publications, on aspects of the period, relating to war-gaming and re-enacting, as well as the influence that non-academic, enthusiastic, 'amateur' authors have had on the period. ' Partizan Press' is the acknowledged catalyst for all this, gathering in, as it did, the first generation of enthusiastic researchers to be gleaned from gaming and re-enactment.
The following is a suggested reading list delving deeper into the military side of the War. Anyone who considers him or herself a serious English civil war enthusiast, either a War-gamer or Re-enactor, should have a number of these titles in their library. However, you don't have to rush out and grab them all at once; the membership fee for a posting on the various ECW internet chat sites can be as little £4.00. !!!!
Though there are some very good vintage histories of the war in the localities and some very useful older biographies, war, most ECW material, older than 1980, is of little initial value to the gamer. With a couple of notable exceptions, all the material is currently in print - and of course readily available from the world's favourite ECW bookshop!
Dave
Ryan
Caliver Books
| ABERDEEN 1644: The Battle at Justice Mills/ S Reid. The battle for wargamers. |
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| ALL THE KING's ARMIES/ S Reid. -A comprehensive campaign history of the Civil War. The 'Young & Holmes' for the C21st. (An essential acquisition) | |
| ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE ECW/ P Harrington. | |
| ARMS & ARMOUR OF THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR/ D Blackmore. Illustrations from the Royal Armouries collection. | |
| BELLUM CIVILE/ Hopton. Sir Ralph gives us a personal account of how he won the war. | |
| BRASSEY's HISTORY OF UNIFORMS: THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR/ PElliot-Wright. Good and recent look at uniforms, weapons and equipment. | |
| BY THE SWORD DIVIDED/ JAdair. Eyewitness accounts of the Civil War. | |
| CAMPAIGNS OF MONTROSE/ J Reid. Throw away your shortbread-Highlanders and research a real Scots/Irish-Scots & /or Scots-Irish army. | |
| CAMPAIGNS OF WILLIAM WALLER'S SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION/ L Spring CAVALIERS: The Royalist Army at War/ J Barratt - and not an ostrich feather in sight. | |
| CHIEF STRENGTH OF THE ARMY: Cavalry in the Earl of Essex's Army/ A Turton | |
| COMMON SOLDIERS CLOTHING OF THE CIVIL WAR/ S Peachey. - (Contentious!) | |
| CONFEDERATE CATHOLICS AT WAR 1641:49/ Lenihan. Material siege-craft and battle. | |
| CROMWELL's JAMAICA CAMPAIGN/ A Sutton. All Blunderbusses and no water bottles. | |
| DEALING IN DEATH: The arms trade & The British Civil Wars/ Edwards. In depth study of the supply of arms, uniforms & equipment, -Every anorak's bedtime reading! I'm on my third copy!! | |
| DIRECTIONS FOR MUSTERS: Facsimile drill book. Get out that broomstick & full-length mirror. Also includes unit drill. | |
| EDGEHILL/ P YOUNG- the Book that started it all off!! Still full of useful background information. | |
| EDGEHILL/ J Tincey & K Roberts. Most recent major ECW battle study. | |
| ENGLISH ARMY FOR IRELAND 1641-42/ I Ryder. A wealth of detail. | |
| ENGLISH CIVIL WAR: An Illustrated Military History/ P Haythornthwaite. Though beginning to show its age, in particular the plates, the various cheap editions of this floating around make it enough of a bargain to be worth buying. | |
| ENGLISH CIVIL WAR FIREARMS/ S Reid. | |
| ENGLISH CIVIL WAR FLAGS & COLOURS 1) ENGLISH FOOT/ S Peachey & L Prince 2) SCOTS / S Reid Known and attributed Foot Colours and all known coat colours. Essential. | |
| ENGLISH CIVIL WAR TIMES - Latest incarnation of ENGLISH CIVIL WAR NOTES & QUERIES, (the magazine that caused the 2nd ECW publishing Revolution) | |
| ENGLISH CIVIL WAR RE-CREATED IN COLOUR PHOTOS- Useful only in parts but very pretty and a very good painting guide. -Very useful for the serious wargamer. | |
| FILE LEADER/ P Berry. Company level (1:10) Wargames rules with more than a hint of amusement. | |
| FOR GOD & THE NORTH/ M Lawson. The War North of Watford Gap | |
| GOING TO THE WARS: The experience of the British Civil Wars 1638-1651/ Carlton. Though badly edited with some suspect figures the wealth of detail makes this a recommended read | |
| GRANADOE! / S Bull. Mortars in the Civil War - and, unusually, covers the Channel Islands as well. | |
| GUNPOWDER TRIUMPHANT: Infantry in the English Civil War/ S Reid. Ok, so the title gives the ending away but Stuart isn't exactly Agatha Christie! | |
| HIGHLAND CLANSMAN 1600-1745/ SReid. | |
| IRONSIDES: English Cavalry 1588-1688/ JTincey. | |
| THE KING'S WAR & THE KING'S PEACE/ C V Wedgewood. -There are more modern general histories of the war, but this account is told in a very distinctive way. | |
| LONDON & LIBERTY: The London Trained Bands/ K Roberts. Includes complete flag sets. | |
| MATCHLOCK MUSKETEERS 1588-1688/ K Roberts | |
| MILITARIE DISCIPLINE or THE YOUNG ARTILLERYMAN/ W Barriffe. One of the most important drill manuals of the war. (Not for the fainthearted!) | |
| NASEBY: The Decisive Campaign/ G Foard. Superb battlefield study. | |
| OFFICERS & REGIMENTS OF THE ROYALIST ARMY/ S Reid. 5 volumes | |
| REGIMENTAL HISTORY OF THE NEW MODEL ARMY/ C H Firth. As of Early 2002 the only title in the list out of print - and the most expensive. | |
| REGIMENTS OF THE EASTERN ASSOCIATION/ L Spring | |
| REGIMENTS OF SAYE; MELDRUM; OVERTON; LLOYD: MONK & THE COLDSTREAM GUARDS/ Barry Denton. One of the 'originals'. A valued historian and sadly missed friend. | |
| RUPERT: Portrait of a Soldier/ Sir F Kitson |
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| SCOTS ARMIES OF THE C17th/ SReid. 1) Covenant 2) Regiments & Colours 1647-1651 3) Royalist armies. (Some of which is now accompanied by the superb colour plates in the Osprey Men at arms SCOTS ARMIES OF THE ENGLISH CIVIL WARS) | |
| SEALED KNOT BATTLE DETECTOR. Like Wargamers, re-enactors have to take a decision on how to clothe and flag the majority of unknown regiments. This is a cheap and useful guide, in colour. | |
| SOLDIERS OF THE CIVIL WAR 1) Infantry / K Roberts 2) Cavalry / J Tincey. Should be in any gamer or re-enactor's top 10. | |
| STUART PRESS PUBLICATIONS: Publish a wealth of basic battleguides that cover events that even the locals haven't heard of | |
| SYMONDS: The Military Memoirs/ S Peachey (ed). Note books of this famous Royalist Officer - with the boring bits taken out. | |
| WAR IN THE WEST/ S Peachey & A Turton. 8 Volume series | |
| YOUNG HORSEMAN or HONEST PLAIN DEALING CAVALIER/ J Vernon. 1644. Cavalry manual |
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