Author PROFILE
Ruth

Ruth

Having enjoyed every minute of my degree course studying ancient and modern history, I left university wanting to be able to combine my love of history and books. I was very lucky to be offered a position at Osprey, where I quickly felt at home, so at home in fact that five years later I'm still here. I have worked my way up and I'm now commissioning editor, commissioning and managing new books for our generals list. Though I'm sure I'll suffer from my colleagues for saying such a sacrilegious thing, I'm not really one for military hardware, I'm more interested in the human experience of war, and also the comparisons and parallels that can be drawn through the history of warfare, and across the globe. Interests and information which I'll be sharing with you over the coming months, as each new book I work on tells me something new.

BLOG POSTS

Somali pirates, oil tankers and AK47s

The rapidly unfolding events off the horn of Africa has once again brought piracy back into the news. For decades pirates off the coast of Somalia have been wreaking havoc, but over the last twelve months they have increased the frequency and ambition of their attacks, culminating in the hijacking of one of the biggest man made machines, the Sirius Star.

November 22, 2008 12:00 AM

New book appears in the Daily Mail and The Times

Last week one of our latest books made a big splash, getting reviews and extracts in both the Daily Mai and the Times. Fighting Talk: The military origin of everyday words and phrases (also known as Sticklers,Sideburns and Bikinis: The military origins of everyday words and phrases if you happen to live in the USA or Canada) has been one of favourite books this year so we are really pleased that it is getting the exposure it deserves.

October 24, 2008 12:00 AM

A cunning plan - a metal tree

I stumbled across this blog the other day (actually someone posted it on the Osprey Facebook page) and thought I would share it with you. It is an amazing story of ingenuity and I particularly found the pictures of a desolate landscape poignant. An earlier entry provides some more background information...

September 20, 2008 12:00 AM

We need Librarians

We are interested in making our new electronic database available to libraries and academic institutions. Are you a librarian who would be interested in joining our Libraries Advisory Board, or who would be happy to share your thoughts with us in a less formal capacity? If you are interested please contact Joanna Sharland....

August 4, 2008 12:00 AM

Pirate radio - Angus Konstam on BBC Radio Scotland

Angus Konstam, author of our new book Piracy: The Complete History, which is available to pre-order now, was interviewed on Friday afternoon by the BBC Radio Scotland team...

July 23, 2008 12:00 AM

Brushes and Bayonets on the BBC!

It is nice when a book that you really believe in begins to take off. I’m sure some of you remember me raving about Brushes and Bayonets on the blog a few months ago. It is a selection of 250 World War I images from the archives of the Illustrated London News, arranged thematically by the author, Lucinda Gosling. It is a new and really unique way of looking at the First World War...

April 9, 2008 12:00 AM

Counterinsurgency in Modern Warfare

Apologies if this reads a little like a proud parent showing off a small child’s new trick, but I think it’s warranted! Last week the advance copies for Counterinsurgency in Modern Warfare arrived in the...

March 13, 2008 12:00 AM

Playing at War

Further to Richard’s posts about military history being in fashion, or not, and the comments about teaching of military history in schools, the other day I saw something which I thought might be perfect for getting a younger...

August 29, 2007 12:00 AM

People's stories bring history to life for me

This Friday afternoon I'm (alongside eating biscuits, of course) working on a book we're publishing next summer, a new English translation of a memoir by Moritz Nachtstern, a Norwegian Jew who survived the Holocaust...

August 10, 2007 12:00 AM

Anyone for weevils?

Most Friday afternoons will see the editorial department struggling through our remaining tasks for the week whilst stuffing our faces with sugary treats. It's a bit of a tradition really, usually someone comes back from...

July 13, 2007 12:00 AM

When there’s a war going on, the last thing you need is watered down alcohol…

Watching British TV quiz show QI last week, there was a question about a Defence of the Realm Act, which was passed in Britain in August 1914 and gave the government wide-ranging powers during the war...

July 7, 2007 12:00 AM

Bairnsfather, Brushes, Bullets, Bayonets and Billets!

I was interested to note some of the comments on Joe’s blog which expressed hope that Bruce Bairnsfather’s work would be collected and published in a similar way to that of Bill Maudlin's. Well… we aren’t publishing a...

July 2, 2007 12:00 AM

Is this beauty just in the eye of the beholder?

As an editor of illustrated military history books, I’ve looked through, selected, captioned and arranged a lot more photos of military themes than most (though probably not as many as some of you have). Often authors have a ...

June 22, 2007 12:00 AM
SITE ARTICLES

Samurai: The World of the Warrior - Guest Stars on Peep Show!

A couple of months ago I got an email from the Production Controller workinng on the fifth series of Peep Show, asking for permission to use Stephen Turnbull's book Samurai: World of the Warrior in one of the episodes...

May 19, 2008 12:00 AM