Want to know what books we have reprinted this month? Well, you are in the right place, because here you go, a full list of the most recent reprints to land in our warehouse. As ever, quantities are somewhat limited (last month a number of our reprints were completely snapped up by retailers and customers within days of them arriving) so don't miss out!
November 20, 2009 12:00 AM
Over the weekend, the 30% discount that we were running on the site switched itself off prematurely. I blame some feisty trick or treaters personally - but I know that it caused quite a few of you some problems. To rectify this I have turned the discount back on again, and it will run from today through to Wednesday evening, which will hopefully give anyone who missed out on the offer the chance to buy the books that they are after.
November 2, 2009 12:00 AM
Throughout October we have been running a hugely popular 30% off discount on all of our Men-at-Arms, Warrior and Elite titles - and now you only have 48 hours left to stock up your collections using this discount. This is the most extensive discount that we have ever done on this site, and it is not likely to be repeated for a very long time, so don't miss out now, or you could be in for a long wait...
October 30, 2009 12:00 AM
Here at Osprey we like to do whatever we can to support charities involved with supporting the men and women who have fought for their country. In fact, only last week we held a book launch for In the Heat of Battle, which was held in conjunction with and to support the Not Forgotten Association, a charity which provides entertainment and recreation for disabled ex-service men and women.
October 27, 2009 12:00 AM
Last month I launched the first of a new string of blogs dedicated to revealing some hidden gems in our upcoming releases that you may have missed out on. I started off my Hidden Gems series with a very different book to what we usually do - The Blackout Book. But for my next edition I have gone right back to the series that has made Osprey, our most iconic, varied and numerous series. Men-at-Arms.
October 19, 2009 12:00 AM
Another big shipment of reprinted books have started trickling into our warehouses. In fact, this month we have reprinted so many titles that it is taking longer than usual to check in all of our stock. Annoyingly, this means that there is going to be a slight delay in some of these books coming back into stock - but I thought I ought to post up this blog now, before all of the books are gobbled up! So, if one of the books you are after is still showing as out of stock, do keep on checking back - it is possibly just waiting to get checked in!
October 7, 2009 12:00 AM
I took over the Osprey blogmaster role way back in December 2007, when we were still being hosted on an external blog site, with a loyal group of regular readers, and an equally loyal group of contributors.
A lot of things have changed since then. We migrated the blog over to our new website (moving hundreds of posts at the same time... a massive job!) we added to the ranks of contributors and we saw our readership figures soar. Now, nearly two years and over 500 posts later I have decided it is time for someone new to take the reins - to inject some new life into this great blog.
October 5, 2009 12:00 AM
For the last couple of weeks I have been toying with the idea of setting up a few regular blog threads... and this is one of them, my pick of a hidden gem of a book that some of you might have missed. The idea is to pick out a book, give you a bit of background info on it, a sneak preview into it, and a bit of inside knowledge about how the book came into existance, and any interesting anecdotes that cropped up while we were putting the book together.
September 25, 2009 12:00 AM
You will probably know of videogame publisher Square-Enix because of their multi-million selling super-franchise Final Fantasy - a series which has spawned countless sequels, brought the Japanese-style turn based RPG to the western audience and has included some of the greatest games ever. In fact, current rumours are ciculating that Final Fantasy VII - widely considered one of the greatest videogames of all time - is actually due to be remade frame by frame for the next generation consoles as a tribute to just how good a game it was orginally.
September 14, 2009 12:00 AM
We have teamed up with Square-Enix and Wargaming.net in the run-up to the launch of their new World War 2 PC game Order of War. So, with every copy of Order of War that is pre-ordered from Play.com you will receive a free copy of the paperback version of FUBAR: Soldier Slang of World War II.
September 5, 2009 12:00 AM
Phew! It has been a busy month for our Production and Design team who have turned around not just one, but two sets of reprints this month. Admittedly this second batch of reprints is not as extensive as the last batch - but there are still some great titles in the mix, including a number of titles that have been requested on numerous occasions.
September 2, 2009 12:00 AM
This week sees the official UK launch of Battles of World War II, a landmark book collection that chronicles the major military events of World War II. If you live in the UK, you will probably have noticed the extensive TV campaign currently running to promote the collection of 52 books on the greatest battles of the Second World War.
August 21, 2009 12:00 AM
That's right, Osprey have teamed up with the folks at the National Army Museum to bring you a once in a lifetime opportunity. To celebrate the launch of our Raid title Who Dares Wins - The SAS and the Iranian Embassy Siege 1980 we are putting on a special lecture with the author of the book Gregory Fremont-Barnes and with SAS veteran Pete Winner - who was one of the men who went into the Iranian Embassy in 1980.
August 18, 2009 12:00 AM
Peter Dennis is one of our most prolific (and loved) illustrators and has been illustrating Osprey books since way back in 2003 when he was commissioned to illustrate Fortress 5 Japanese Castles. Since then he has gone on to illustrate hundreds of Osprey books, including all of the cover artwork on the Field of Glory series. His bright vibrant colours and intense concentration on historical detail has made him a firm favourite, and over the last few months Peter has very kindly contributed to this blog from time to time. You can read a question and answer session here. Here Peter describes what it is like to be an Osprey illustrator - and describes his illustration for a campaign title. Last, but not least is a step-by-step description of his illustrations of a dark age fortress.
August 10, 2009 12:00 AM
Today the funeral is being held for Harry Patch, the last surviving British soldier to have fought in the trenches of the Western Front during the First World War. Somehow, his death has made that terrible conflict seem all the more distant. As we watch it is slowly passing into history - the number of people who were there is dwindling rapidly and soon their voices will grow silent.
August 6, 2009 12:00 AM
It is that time of the month again where I reveal to you the massive list of titles that we have reprinted and brought back into stock for you. And just to add a bit of flavour you will be pleased to see a bumper list of reprinted New Vanguard titles - just in time for our 30% off offer on all New Vanguards this month!
So here we go!
August 4, 2009 12:00 AM
For a sense of awe and wonder, the Duxford Air Show is the answer: come and admire the very best display of historic and modern aircraft, both civil and military. An outstanding air show, where beauty, prowess and sheer power battle it out above your head.
July 21, 2009 12:00 AM
I know I am over a month late with this blog - but I have a great excuse. This is our first major batch of reprints to be done as 'short-run' or print on demand quantities. We have finally been able to get the print quality to the point that we are happy with the colour - particularly with regard to our colour artwork.
July 18, 2009 12:00 AM
Over the last six months or so we have been testing out a number of ebooks, and the system that we have been using to distribute them. After some extremely positive feedback from a number of you we have decided to launch a bespoke page for all of our e-books so that you can find them as easily as our normal books.
July 14, 2009 12:00 AM
Who do you think is the greatest military force of all time? Let us know, and provide a strong argument and you could win an Osprey book of your choice! Is it the Romans? The Chinese? Napoleon and his armies?
July 13, 2009 12:00 AM
I have just read this incredible story on the BBC news website - describing how the pilot of a B-47 was forced to jettison the nuclear bomb he was carrying after his aircraft was struck by an F-86.
What I find most fascinating is the fact that the weapon has never been found. Now I have no idea how nuclear weapons work, (I should really read Nuclear Dawn) but I am surprised that there has been no environmental impact resulting from this.
July 6, 2009 12:00 AM
On behalf of everyone here at Osprey I would like to wish all of our American readers a very happy 4th July today. I hope you all have a great day!
And to Joe, our American in exile - and all the Osprey staff in the US - John, Kerry and Shirley - have a great time too!
July 4, 2009 12:00 AM
As I mentioned a while back, we are always looking into ways that we can improve our stock levels so that as few of our books are unavailable as possible. The problems - as you can imagine with over 1.500 books are not always easy to deal with.
But one of our hopes with the construction of our new website was that we would be able to track what you want more effectively - meaning that the more popular requests would be brought back faster and in bigger quantities, which in turn would allow us to do short run printings of the more obscure topics which are still requested on a regular basis.
June 24, 2009 12:00 AM
At the beginning of June I posted up a quick blog about Terry Crowdy, author of Deceiving Hitler and Military Misdemeanours, who was speaking at the International Napoleonic Symposium. in Austria. Set up to commemorate the anniversary of the 1809 campaigns, Terry was due to present a talk about the life of a conscript. The full lecture is due to be published online by the International Napoleonic Symposium (we will link to it as soon as it is available), but until then, Terry has very kindly provided us with a brief synopsis of his talk.
June 19, 2009 12:00 AM
A couple of weeks ago I decided to take a few days off and head north for a bit of a holiday. So I hopped into my car and drove up to Northumberland to visit some friends and family. Having gone to university in the north-east of England I was well prepared....complete with scarves and coats despite the warm weather further south.
I had a great couple of days off...but one of the hazards of loving military history and having a career in military history is that you can never quite let go of it all, and before I knew what I was doing I was proposing a day trip up to Hadrian's Wall "for a bit of a walk and to take some pictures for the blog".
June 16, 2009 12:00 AM
Over the last 40 years we have tried our utmost to cover as many forces, armies, soldiers and conflicts as we possibly can, but whilst I was reading a new Shire book I stumbled across a liberation force which we have never even thought about covering. I was stunned by this fact, especially when I discovered that this liberation movement had developed secretive arms in the United States, Italy, France and the UK. How could such a widespread organization have slipped under our radar?
June 11, 2009 12:00 AM
I was saddened to learn that best-selling fantasy author David Eddings passed away this week, just shy of his 78th birthday. Now I know that a military-history blog might initially seem a strange place to highlight the life and works of a purely fantasy author, but David Eddings played a major role in shaping my love of history, and in particular military history.
June 5, 2009 12:00 AM
As I am sure most of you know, this weekend is the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings. To mark the occasion, Ian Gardner and Roger Day, the authors of Tonight We Die as Men are heading across to Normandy to take part in the remembrance events. They are being accompanied by Bill Galbraith and Manny Barrios, both of whom are 3/506th PIR Normandy veterans, who both featured in and contributed to the book.
June 4, 2009 12:00 AM
For those of you who are not in the UK - you probably won't know about this early evening television show which has gained a cult status and following over the last year or so. But we are extremely excited to announce that for the first time ever, an Osprey author will be appearing on The One Show!
June 4, 2009 12:00 AM
On Wednesday, Osprey author Terry Crowdy is heading to Vienna to speak at the International Napoleonic Symposium. an event that has been organised for the bicentennial of Napoleon's campaigns against Austria in 1809.
On Thursday he will be presenting a paper on 'a conscript's story' - telling the story of a French soldier as he is conscripted, (barely) trained and sent off on campaign.
June 2, 2009 12:00 AM
Mariusz was born in Lublin, Poland, in 1973. From 1989-1994 he studied fine art at the Artistic Lyceum in Lublin, then from 1995-2000 at the Academy Of Arts in Wroclaw, earning his diploma under professor Jospeh Halas in 2000. Mariusz's work has been exhibited extensively in Poland. While he loves traditional painting methods, he began experimenting with computer assisted artwork in 2006. His enthusiasm for military history began as a boy but blossomed with his career and to this day helps him to create some truly gorgeous and original artwork. Mariusz has provided the cover artwork for the first six books in the new Raid series, all of which can be seen at www.ospreyraid.com
May 29, 2009 12:00 AM
This month we have another great list of books that have been brought back into stock - but the news that I know most of you will have been waiting for is an update on the availability of Battle: The Osprey Postcard Collection. When this came out a few months ago we were hit by unprecedented demand, and within days of the collection being on sale we had sold out all of our stock.
May 18, 2009 12:00 AM
Between the 1st and 7th June all of our gold and silver members can get an additional 10% off all of their purchases (in addition to their usual discounts of 15 and 30% respectively). In the members newsletter that you will receive on the 1st June will be details of how to claim your additional discount.
If you are not yet a member - and want 'in' on this great offer, you can take part if you sign up before the 28th May - then you will also receive the email with details of how to claim your additional discount! Become a gold or silver member after that and we cannot guarantee that you will receive details on how to claim the extra discount.
May 17, 2009 12:00 AM
That's right - we have added more new ebooks to our site, as we continue our efforts to make as many of our titles available in digital and / or printed formats. We have added another 7 titles to our ebook list - I know this is a small dent in the 1,500 books that we have published, put going forward we are hoping to ramp up the rate at which we add these books as digital downloads.
May 14, 2009 12:00 AM
This week we have added 17 books to the discount store page. Stock on all of these titles is limited, so pick them up while you still can!
It is a diverse collection of books, but there is one rarity in there - a Men-at-Arms book with the old 'classic' cover. Men-at-Arms 2 The Arab Legion is a true Osprey classic - and was first published in 1972. This is the very last time that this book will be available with its original cover. Once all of this stock has been sold the book will be reprinted with one of the new style covers that grace most of the rest of the Men-at-Arms books, so if you want to pick up a small slice of history you should pick up a copy!
May 12, 2009 12:00 AM
Hollywood is all about rebooting characters at the minute. Batman got a reboot. Then the reboot got a sequel which became one of the most successful films of all time. Bond has been rebooted - the humour and gadgets are gone and replaced by gritty punchy seat of your pants action. Which went on to spawn another film. Star Trek has been rebooted, even Wolverine has been rebooted in a way.
May 6, 2009 12:00 AM
Some say he once challenged Julius Caesar to an arm-wrestling match, and that he eats military history books with milk and orange juice for his breakfast. All we know is that he is the Osprey Quizmaster, and that this month he has really cranked up the difficulty level on his latest military history quiz.
May 2, 2009 12:00 AM
Today is your last chance to take advantage of our 20% off offer on all Campaign books - so don't miss out on the chance to top up your collection of books! A lot of you have taken the opportunity to snap up a copy of Campaign 207 Solferino - which has already become our best-selling title of the year.
April 30, 2009 12:00 AM
Over the last couple of months we have received massive amounts of feedback about book shops which are proudly flying the Osprey flag. These stores are a valuable resource for Osprey fans in their quest for military history. Some have a MASSIVE array of books, some have multiple spinners of Osprey books. Some will track down that rare second hand copy of a long out of stock title, and other have staff members who seem to have a photographic memory for the full extent of the Osprey stocklist.
April 27, 2009 12:00 AM
Another great selection of titles have been reprinted this month - including a bumper selection of Campaign titles, which works out pretty well seeing as we are running a 20% discount on ALL Campaign titles until the end of this month.
And don't forget that we are currently asking YOU to choose what you want us to reprint - for all the details, read my blog here.
So, without further delay - here are the books that have been reprinted - hopefully you will all be able to find something that you have been looking for!
April 21, 2009 12:00 AM
I promised last week that I would be revealing details of the upcoming Tonight We Die as Men book tour in the USA, and we have the final dates here now - and some rather exciting news about a special guest appearance at a number of the events.
April 20, 2009 12:00 AM
Last Saturday Ian Gardner and Roger Day, the authors of Tonight We Die as Men held a signing for their new book in the White Horse bookshop in Marlborough.
The day was a great success, with people queuing up to have a quick chat with the authors and get their copy of the book signed. In addition to this, a group of re-enactors also appeared on the scene, kitted up in all of their gear.
April 17, 2009 12:00 AM
Take the opportunity to tell us what books you would like us to reprint - choose one of the books from our list, email us about it, and if we receive enough responses for any of the titles we will reprint it - and let you know when the book comes back into stock so that you can buy it at your leisure.
April 14, 2009 12:00 AM
Everyone at Osprey would just like to wish you all a happy Easter, and a very restful and enjoyable break.
Now, back to all this chocolate that needs munching on!
April 12, 2009 12:00 AM
This Saturday (11th April) Ian Gardner and Roger Day, the joint authors of Tonight We Die As Men: The Untold Story of Third Battalion 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment from Toccoa to D-Day will be signing copies of their book at the White Horse bookshop in Marlborough.
April 8, 2009 12:00 AM
This Monday (6th April), the Osprey website will be up and down intermittently between 9am and 11am GMT. Whilst you should still be able to browse the site our shopping facilities will be affected. This is so that we can carry out some essential maintenance and implement a number of changes to the site.
The site will be up and running smoothly again by lunchtime on the 6th April.
Remember, if you are absolutely desperate to buy a book you could always order by phone on:
+44 (0)1206 256002
April 4, 2009 12:00 AM
It is a Friday afternoon. Only a couple of hours before the weekend. The sun is shining. Summer is here. And we know that you are not really working - just killing time before the weekend.
So, the first person to email us here will get a free Osprey book of their choice. Any Osprey book - provided that it is in stock.
April 3, 2009 12:00 AM
We have a new blogger joining the Osprey blog this week - and I am pleased to say that we have finally been able to recruit a second blogger from our New York office! For the last couple of years John has been the sole blogging voice from across the pond - but he is now being joined by Kerry - whose first post will be going up in the next couple of days.
March 26, 2009 12:00 AM
As promised - this is the latest in my series of blogs letting you know what has been reprinted over the last few weeks and what is once again available to buy. As with last month, most of the titles are available across the world - but there are a handful of books that we did not reprint for our US and Canadian customers - or that have already sold out in the US and Canada!
March 23, 2009 12:00 AM
Last week I sent out a plea for help from all of the Osprey fans who read the blog. We couldn't decide on which cover to use for an upcoming Campaign title on Actium. So we asked all of you to decide for us.
March 18, 2009 12:00 AM
Ian Gardner served for five years in Support Company,10th Battalion the Parachute Regiment as a medic, before leaving the Territorial Army in 1993 due to a parachuting injury. Ian has always loved military history but it was several years after leaving 10 Para that his interest in WWII US Paratroopers really began. Inspired after a visit to Normandy in 2000 he decided to focus on the 101st Airborne Division and in particular the 3rd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Currently a self-employed graphic designer, Tonight we die as men is his first historical work and is co-written with Roger Day. He is married, has two teenage children and lives near Aldershot in Hampshire.
March 12, 2009 12:00 AM
For this month only, all of the books in our three aviation series are 20% off.
So every book in the Aircraft of the Aces series, the Combat Aircraft series and the Aviation Elite Units series is 20% off!
With over 200 books in these three series, there is sure to be something that will catch your eye... oh, and don't forget, if you are a member, you can add this 20% discount to your usual membership discount.
March 11, 2009 12:00 AM
We tried to resist it for as long as we could - but in the end we just had to give in...and the addiction has already started! That's right, Osprey have plunged themselves headfirst into the world of Twitter.
Our user name is OspreyBooks, why not visit us here for all of the latest, breaking news from the office - more or less as it happens! You can also find out what we are arguing about in the office - this morning it is the age old question of what is more effective - elephants or horses. Joe is behind elephants. I am supporting horses.
March 6, 2009 12:00 AM
We need YOUR help to decide on what book cover we use on the upcoming Campaign title on Actium, which is already available for pre-order.
Choosing the covers for our books is quite often one of the hardest things that we have to do, but this particular title really has us stumped. Half of the office like one of the covers. The other half like the second cover. And we can't decide which one we should use. So we thought we should ask you all what you would prefer to see on the cover.
March 6, 2009 12:00 AM
Roger's full name is Roger John Day. He was born in the small English market town of Marlborough, Wiltshire in 1955. His father managed a farm and his mother was a teacher at the local school. In 1956 he moved six miles east to the village of Ramsbury, where he lived for the following 22 years. Roger started work in 1971 and after a four year apprenticeship qualified as an engineering draughtsman. From a very early age Roger had an interest in World War II and by the mid 1970s had started researching the conflict's impact on the Ramsbury area. He soon discovered that the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment had been based in the village and that an airfield had been built on a hill nearby, which was also used by the Americans. In 1999 he self published his first book entitled Ramsbury at War and eight years later published a second book, about a nearby ammunition storage depot, entitled Savernake at War. He married Sandra in 1978 and has two children. Roger now lives in Hungerford, Berksh
March 5, 2009 12:00 AM
The new Shire Publications site has launched - but we owe a massive apology to any Osprey newsletter subscribers who received the Shire newsletter in error!
March 3, 2009 12:00 AM
Day 28
Every day in February we are offering 50% off a different book on our website. Today's 50% off book is Campaign 163 Leyte Gulf 1944
And that rounds up our February savings - I hope you were all able to find something that you were after in the list, and don't forget that if you want to get the latest information on discounts and offers from Osprey you should sign up to our newsletter, where we announce all of our discounts and site updates.
February 28, 2009 12:00 AM
Day 27
Every day in February we are offering 50% off a different book on our website. Today's 50% off book is Men-at-Arms 247 Romano-Byzantine Armies 4th - 9th Centuries.
February 27, 2009 12:00 AM
US Memberships
I am very pleased to announce that memberships for our US and Canadian customers are now up and running - so you are now able to sign up for all of the benefits that the Osprey Membership provides, with up to 30% off all purchases, and access to thousands of aircraft profiles and maps.
February 19, 2009 12:00 AM
I had a massive response to my last post about what books had been reprinted and were now back in stock.l would like to say a big thank you to all the people who emailed me about the list, and I am sorry it has taken us so long to get this up and running on a regular basis. It will now become a monthly feature, which we will also announce in our newsletters, so you will always be able to keep in touch with what is back in stock, as soon as it is back in stock.
February 13, 2009 12:00 AM
Day 2
Every day in February we are offering 50% off a different book on our website. Today's 50% off book is Campaign 120 Towton 1461
February 2, 2009 12:00 AM
Day 1
Every day in February we are offering 50% off a different book on our website. Today's 50% off book is Men-at-Arms 360 The Thracians 700 BC - AD 46
February 1, 2009 12:00 AM
For the whole month of February, we are going to be offering a fantastic 50% off a different book, every day. These 28 books have been chosen by Joe, and will be discounted by a massive 50% for one day only, and only while stocks last.
January 30, 2009 12:00 AM
I have been meaning to write a quick blog on this subject for a while, but it kept on slipping my mind, until the forum post by Adam C reminded me that I should really let you all know what is happening with this.
Over the last couple of years, I have been lucky enough to go to most of the events that Osprey attend in the UK, and at every single one of these events the same questions crop up. But the single most asked question relates to the strange gaps that crop up in a couple of our series - where series numbers have been allocated, but the book has never materialized.
January 28, 2009 12:00 AM
As I promised here, every month we are going to announce what books have been re-printed and have been brought back into print and are once again available to buy online. The Production team here have been working their socks off to get a very sizeable chuck of our books back in stock - 40 titles this month - and nearly 80 titles due in for next month!
January 19, 2009 12:00 AM
Over the past year or so, we don't seem to be able to keep Osprey books off the television. First we spotted an Osprey book in a music video. Then an Osprey book appeared in cult comedy Peep Show. Just a couple of months ago our books were heavily featured in a More 4 news bulletin (also featuring my fellow blogger Richard).
January 14, 2009 12:00 AM
I always like to be the person to post up the first blog of the year - its always the beginning of an exciting year at Osprey. And this year is going to be no different - I can't wait!
So without further delay...Happy New Year to each and every one of you - from everyone here at Osprey.
January 1, 2009 12:00 AM
Our long countdown of the top 25 Osprey books of all time is now at an end - I hope you have found my random facts interesting and entertaining over the last three weeks!
The number 1, bestselling Osprey title of all time is (drum roll please)...
Aircraft of the Aces 29 Bf 109F/G/K Aces of the Western Front
By John Weal
December 25, 2008 12:00 AM
On behalf of everyone at Osprey Publishing, I would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas.
And in particular, all of the bloggers would like to say thank you for all of your comments, support and feedback over the year - we hope to see you all back here soon!
Oh, and here is a picture of most of the bloggers looking very smart at our Christmas party!
December 25, 2008 12:00 AM
The second highest best-selling title of all time is again an obvious title....
Campaign 1 Normandy 1944: Allied landings and breakout
By Stephen Badsey
December 24, 2008 12:00 AM
Into the top three titles of all time - and this is not at all surprising...
Campaign 15 Waterloo 1815: The birth of modern Europe
By Geoffrey Wootten
December 23, 2008 12:00 AM
The fourth most popular book of all time provides the second appearance in this list for the Vikings...
Elite 3 The Vikings
By Ian Heath
Illustrated by Angus McBride
December 22, 2008 12:00 AM
Into the top 5 bestselling Osprey books of all time, and number 5 in the list is....
Men-at-Arms 46 The Roman Army from Caesar to Trajan
By Michael Simkins
Illustrated by Ron Embleton
December 21, 2008 12:00 AM
The sixth most popular Osprey book of all time is another major Second World War battle, this time on the Eastern Front...
Campaign 16 Kursk 1943: The tide turns in the East
By Mark Healy
December 20, 2008 12:00 AM
The seventh bestselling book published by Osprey over the last 40 years is...
Men-at-Arms 34 The Waffen-SS
By Martin Windrow
Illustrated by Jeffrey Burn
December 19, 2008 12:00 AM
Number 8 next...
Men-at-Arms 228 American Woodland Indians
By Michael G Johnson
Illustrated by Richard Hook
December 18, 2008 12:00 AM
The ninth most popular Osprey book of all time is...
Men-at-Arms 170 American Civil War Armies (1) Confederate Troops
By Philip Katcher
Illustrated by Ronald Volstad
December 17, 2008 12:00 AM
We are now into the top 10....and the 10th most popular Osprey book of the last 40 years is none other than...
Men-at-Arms 154: Arthur and the Anglo-Saxon Wars
By David Nicolle
Illustrated by Angus McBride
December 16, 2008 12:00 AM
The next book on our list of top 25 favourite titles is...
Elite 11 Ardennes 1944 Peiper and Skorzeny
By Jean Paul Pallud
Illustrated by D.Parker and R Volstad
December 15, 2008 12:00 AM
The 11th highest selling Osprey book is...
Campaign 5 Ardennes 1944: Hitler's last gamble in the West
by James R Arnold
December 14, 2008 12:00 AM
Unlucky for some, the 13th title in the list sees the first appearance of the New Vanguard series with...
New Vanguard 1 Kingtiger Heavy Tank 1942-45
By Tom Jentz and Hilary Doyle
Illustrated by Peter Sarson
December 13, 2008 12:00 AM
Number 14 in this countdown of the 25 best loved Osprey books is...
Men-at-Arms 173 The Alamo and the War of Texan Independence 1835-36
By Philip Haythornthwaite
Illustrated by Paul Hannon
December 12, 2008 12:00 AM
It is not often that you get the chance to watch a new beach assault craft being tested by the Royal Marines. It is not often that the Ford car company build beach assault vehicles for the military - and then put them on sale to the public. It is not often that a military vehicle is painted a bright lime green...
December 12, 2008 12:00 AM
Today's entry in the top 25 books sees the first appearance of the Elite series...
Elite 23 The Samurai
By Anthony J Bryant
Illustrated by Angus McBride
December 11, 2008 12:00 AM
It's time for number 16 in our countdown, and we revert to type with a Campaign on one of the most famous battles of history...
Campaign 9 Agincourt 1415: Triumph against the odds
By Matthew Bennett
December 10, 2008 12:00 AM
The next title in the countdown of our most enduring, best-selling books is a bit of a departure from usual, with a non-series book making an appearance...
Out of Nowhere: A history of the military sniper
By Martin Pegler
December 9, 2008 12:00 AM
18th on the list of our 25 best selling titles is...
Men-at-Arms158 Rome's Enemies (2) Gallic and British Celts
By Peter Wilcox
Illustrated by Angus McBride
December 8, 2008 12:00 AM
Into the teens of our countdown of the 25 top books in terms of sales over Osprey's 40 years, with one of the greatest airborne assaults ever launched, and certainly one of the greatest airborne failures of the Second World War...
Campaign 24 Arnhem 1944: Operation Market Garden
By Stephen Badsey
December 7, 2008 12:00 AM
Considering how many reenactors appear dressed up in the garb of these particular soldiers at the events we attend in the UK over the summer, it is probably not too surprising that the 20th bestselling book of all time is...
Men-at-Arms 139 German Airborne Troops 1939-45
By Bruce Quarrie
Illustrated by Mike Chappell
December 6, 2008 12:00 AM
The 21st most popular of all of our books, is a Men-at-Arms title...
Men-at-Arms 85 Saxon, Viking and Norman
By Terence Wise
Illustrated by Gerry Embleton
December 5, 2008 12:00 AM
The 22nd bestselling book in the Osprey list is not a surprising one...
Campaign 52 Gettysburg 1863: High Tide of the Confederacy
By Carl Smith
Illustrated by Adam Hook
December 4, 2008 12:00 AM
The next title in this advent calendar style countdown of our 25 top titles throws up a bit of an unexpected curve-ball - which took a number of my colleagues by surprise. Number 23 in the list is none other than...
Aircraft of the Aces 8 Corsair Aces of World War 2
by Mark Styling
With artwork and illustrations by Iain Wyllie, John Weal, Mark Styling and Mike Chappell
December 3, 2008 12:00 AM
Number 24 in our countdown of all time Osprey best sellers is...
Campaign 7 Alexander 334-323 BC: Conquest of the Persian Empire
By John Warry
December 2, 2008 12:00 AM
Slightly late, slightly out of breath - but it is here nonetheless! The Osprey advent calendar has arrived!
This year, rather than trying really hard to find artwork from our books which reflect the spirit of Christmas (which can be a rather big challenge considering our artwork is about war), I am going to use the calendar to answer a regular blog reader's question about the most popular or bestselling Osprey books of all time.
So I am going to do a countdown of the top 25 books in the Osprey list - and include an interesting factoid about each book too.
December 1, 2008 12:00 AM
For the last couple of months we have been talking about the imminent arrival of a fabulous, limited edition version of the Men-at-Arms Celebration.
And it has now arrived. Only 40 copies of this fantastic book have been produced. Each book is bound in goat leather, with 23 carat gold embossing. Signed and numbered by the Men-at-Arms editor Martin Windrow, this is the most exclusive Osprey book ever.
November 24, 2008 12:00 AM
The latest UK and US Osprey catalogues are now available to download on the website. Detailing all of the new releases and the latest Osprey news, why not download it now and find out what is coming in 2009.
You can also download a complete stocklist of everything that is currently in print.
November 19, 2008 12:00 AM
That's right, if you have pre-ordered the Men-at-Arms Celebration from the Osprey site - then your copy of this 388 page, cloth bound, slip-cased extravaganza will be winging its way through the post to you already. On Monday the copies were released from the warehouse and the pre-ordered copies have been sent out over the last couple of days.
November 15, 2008 12:00 AM
We are currently experiencing a technical fault on the website which is causing problems for people who are trying to log in to the site, and in particular with anyone who is trying to place an order on the site.
Members who have subscribed to silver and gold memberships are being particularly affected while ordering - you will be able to enter items into the cart, but in stage 5 of the process the site is being caused to 'hang' and orders are not being fully processed.
November 14, 2008 12:00 AM
At 11am today the Osprey office will observe a two minute silence to mark Remembrance Day. This year, the respect paid to the men and women who have given their lives for their country is made even more poignant by the fact that today is the 90th anniversary of the end of The First World War.
Please join us in honouring the fallen.
November 11, 2008 12:00 AM
Alejandro de Quesada is a Florida-based military history writer, an experienced researcher and collector of militaria, photos and documents and runs an archive as a secondary business.
He has written 12 books and over 50 articles, including Elite 137 The Mexican Revolution 1910–20 and Elite 161 The Us Home Front 1941-45. In 2009 Alejandro is set to publish another two books with Osprey. In January his book Elite 166 The Bay of Pigs is out. Later in the year he will turn his hand to the Warrior series with a book on Roosevelt's Rough Riders. When Alejandro and I went through these questions he also kindly provided me with this photo - of him in the Falklands between two Argentinian mess kitchens.
November 10, 2008 12:00 AM
Just a quick post to wish everyone a very happy Halloween! A perfect opportunity to dress up, and eat some pure sugar - but this year we are giving one lucky customer the chance to win an Osprey book of their choice.
October 31, 2008 12:00 AM
All members can get an extra 10% discount - read about it here!
October 30, 2008 12:00 AM
Lynn Brittney is the author of the Nathan Fox series of books, published by Macmillan. The hero, Nathan Fox, is a boy-actor in the same company as Will Shakespeare. Recruited into Walsingham’s fledgling secret service, he is sent to a School of Defence run by Master Robey. Here he is taught sword fighting, the use of daggers, archery, riding and code breaking...
October 25, 2008 12:00 AM
The January-June 2009 catalogues have been printed. The massive posters have been packed. The Sales and Rights team are on the plane. The Frankfurt Book Fair has arrived, and as usual Osprey are going to be there (with Shire Books as well of course!).
October 14, 2008 12:00 AM
This weekend a friend me sent a link to a couple of really interesting articles on the blog Weaponized Culture. It is an interesting blog, and worth a browse – but what really caught my eye was one of the links that appeared in this article.
October 8, 2008 12:00 AM
I know it is really early to already be talking about Christmas and Christmas cards...but bear with me! Over the last couple of years we have sent out Christmas cards which feature some Osprey artwork on the front. But last year we ran into a problem. We had narrowed the choice of artwork for the card down to three snow-filled scenes. But we just couldn't decide which was the best. So, we threw caution to the winds and asked you to choose which piece of artwork to use. Then we tallied up the votes, drew a name out of a hat and selected one lucky blog reader who won 50 copies of the completed card.
September 30, 2008 12:00 AM
Anyone who has been a regular reader of this blog over the last year or so will know that I am a bit of a movie nut. I will regularly attempt to plough my way through as many films as possible in any given week. And, as ever you come across some great films. And some absolute stinkers. This week I have come up against both.
September 25, 2008 12:00 AM
September 19, 2008 12:00 AM
Whenever the first copies of a book arrive in the office there is always a bit of a buzz. For some of us it is an exciting time, a chance to pick up a book that we probably first heard about two years previously. Sometimes the time between a title being approved for production at what we call a “Publishing Meeting” and the arrival of the book seems to take an age. Sometimes it just seems to fly by...
September 17, 2008 12:00 AM
For aught that I could ever read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The course of true love never did run smooth.
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
September 1, 2008 12:00 AM
Following the success of the Military History Carnival last week, the Osprey blog is very proud to be hosting the September edition of the History Carnival.
August 26, 2008 12:00 AM
The Olympic Military History Carnival has arrived at the Osprey Blog. With Beijing 2008 in full swing, this is the ideal chance to look back at the history of the Olympics and the role that war has played in the development of the Games!
Every four years it seems as if the world goes mad. All normal television broadcasts are cancelled. Newspapers and magazines stop delivering news. Whole populations become couch potatoes overnight. And everyone (well everyone in Britain anyway) suddenly become interested in some of the most bizarre sports. Like rowing. Or shooting. Or sailing. Yes, it is time for the Olympics, that sporting World War, where once again it is perfectly acceptable for countries to violently compete over natural resources… well bronze, silver and gold anyway...
August 18, 2008 12:00 AM
In the American Civil War being in combat was sometimes referred to as ‘Seeing the Elephant’. The reason given was that battle, like an Elephant, was hard to describe, but you knew it when you saw it.
I thought I knew an Elephant too. As an illustrator, they’d come up from time to time, I had a favourite reference book or two and I could nick a pose from a photograph when I needed it. When the New Vanguard title ‘War Elephants’ appeared on my radar though, I knew it was time to up my elephantine game....
August 16, 2008 12:00 AM
There is only a couple of weeks left before the Military History Carnival arrives at the Osprey Blog. We have already had a bunch of great submissions, but time is running out! If you would like to submit an article or blog then just drop me a line here to do so...
August 5, 2008 12:00 AM
On the day that we launched the new Osprey site, we were inundated with calls, emails, blog comments, forum posts, faxes and letters all pleading for the 'Forthcoming Titles" section to be included. Well, we are happy to admit that we totally misjudged how many of you used the upcoming titles feature on the site - so firstly we would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who took the time out to let us know that they really missed the section of the website. We really appreciate the feedback... and your patience as we worked towards fixing the problem!
August 1, 2008 12:00 AM
Ross Laidlaw was born in Aberdeen and educated at The King’s School (founded 676 by St Etheldreda and refounded 1540 by Henry VIII) and Cambridge University where he read history. He worked and travelled extensively in Southern Africa, and on his return to Britain taught Geography and Science before becoming an archivist. Ross is a qualified archery instructor and currently lives in East Lothian...
July 29, 2008 12:00 AM
With everything that has been happening on the new website - the bloggers have only just been able to get together and choose a winner for the Osprey Blog Birthday Competition.
And the winner is....drum roll please...
July 24, 2008 12:00 AM
Nearly a month ago Osprey shipped me out to my first overseas event - A Weekend of Heroes 2008, which was held in Glendale California on the 21st and 22nd June. Now, I tend to go to most of the Osprey events in the UK - and have done over the last couple of years. I have already clocked up appearances at Salute and Who do you think you are? Live! and I am booked in to visit Military Odyssey and possibly Euro Mil this summer, so I am not new to doing events, but this was a bit of a departure for Osprey, and I was a bit nervous about the reception we were going to get.
July 22, 2008 12:00 AM
Everyone at the Osprey blog...and for that matter at Osprey Publishing in general, would like to congratulate Ed and Kate on their wedding on Saturday. If they are foolish enough to email any of their wedding pics I will certainly post them up here...
July 19, 2008 12:00 AM
There has been a lot in the news recently about the battle between Boeing and Airbus, both in civilian aviation, and more recently in the battle over who will supply the US Airforce with its next generation of midair refueling tankers...
July 18, 2008 12:00 AM
Following the success of the Military History Carnival that we hosted on the Osprey site last year, we are once again teaming up with the Military History Carnival to bring you a selection of the best military history blogs from across the world...
July 10, 2008 12:00 AM
We have been receiving reports that some customers are unable to sign up for our new membership service. This is down to a technical problem that has developed in the subscription shopping cart. We are working on this problem at the moment and will hopefully have the service up and running again shortly. Book purchases remain unaffected...
July 4, 2008 12:00 AM
June 28, 2008 12:00 AM
To celebrate the fact that the Osprey Blog is now a year old, we are running The Osprey Blog Birthday Competition where one lucky reader can win a book from every month that the Blog has been running...
June 19, 2008 12:00 AM
How time flies, it only seems like yesterday that the Osprey Blog launched. Now, 200 odd posts later it has dawned on me that the blog is now officially a year old - and going strong. In fact, the biggest challenge I have is keeping the bloggers from posting a stream of articles every 20 minutes. We don't want to overwhelm you...and they should be editing that New Vanguard on their desk...
June 16, 2008 12:00 AM
I spotted these photo articles this morning - depicting the effects of the bombing of Laos during the Vietnam war, both on the landscape and on the people living in Laos today. Many of the people in Laos now make a living from the debris left over from the biggest bombing campaign in history. Old bombs and cluster bombs are dismantled and sold for scrap, or to engineering companies for their explosive...
June 13, 2008 12:00 AM
We interviewed James Holland a few weeks ago in a Q & A post, where he mentioned his upcoming historical fiction project - a series of novels set in the Second World War and featuring infantryman Jack Tanner. James very kindly arranged to have a review copy of the first book in the series, The Odin Mission sent to the Osprey blog - and I have just finished reading it...
June 10, 2008 12:00 AM
I am sure most regular readers will have spotted that change is afoot.
In between recruiting beta testers, switching our image hosting over to Flickr and our ongoing promises that very soon the Osprey site will evolve it has probably become quite obvious to most of you that we are on the verge of launching a brand new website...
June 10, 2008 12:00 AM
I love the Dambusters film. And this clip suggests that Peter Jackson is getting closer to filming a remake. Which could be great...like the Lord of the Rings. Or not so great - like King Kong. Fingers crossed he doesn't mess it up because he has a lot to live up to here...
June 2, 2008 12:00 AM
A few days ago I wrote a blog post about how new laws being considered by the government could mean the end of the re-enacting hobby as we know it in the UK. As a matter of courtesy I sent the Home Office a quick email to let them know that I was blogging on the subject, and giving them the opportunity to respond....
May 31, 2008 12:00 AM
Peter Dennis was born in 1950. Inspired by contemporary magazines such as Look and Learn, he studied illustration at Liverpool Art College. Peter has since contributed to hundreds of books, predominantly on historical subjects. He is a keen wargamer and modelmaker and is based in Nottinghamshire, UK...
May 23, 2008 12:00 AM
In recent years the re-enactor or living history hobby has come under fire. Following the 2007 edition of the War and Peace show there was a huge outcry about the number of people who went to these events dressed up as German World War II soldiers. Richard commented on the reaction and the news coverage here.
May 19, 2008 12:00 AM
James Holland is a writer and historian. In April 2003, he published his first work of history, Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege 1940-43 (Orion), which became a Sunday Times top ten bestseller. In January 2004, his first novel, The Burning Blue, set to a backdrop of the Battle of Britain, was published by William Heinemann. In May 2005, his second work of history, Together We Stand: North Africa 1942-1943 – Turning the Tide in the West, was published. His second novel, A Pair of Silver Wings, was published in March 2006...
May 9, 2008 12:00 AM
I recently mentioned that at the London Book Fair this year three of the blogging team would be wearing a suit of armour. We each took it in turns. Phil took Monday, Richard the Tuesday and I took the Wednesday...
May 4, 2008 12:00 AM
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 1, 2008 12:00 AM
Gordon L Rottman entered the US Army in 1967, volunteered for Special Forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. He served in the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam in 1969–70 and subsequently in airborne infantry, long-range patrol and intelligence assignments until retiring after 26 years. He was a special operations forces scenario writer at the Joint Readiness Training Center for 12 years and is now a freelance writer, living in Texas...
April 27, 2008 12:00 AM
As I mentioned in a previous post, Fighting High Magazine is a great free aviation e-zine. Steve Darlow has just emailed to tell me that the second issue is available to download here.
April 21, 2008 12:00 AM
Next week is the London Book Fair - one of the two biggest events of the year for the Osprey team based in the UK. So, most of the office is currently running around with a strange look in their eyes - probably not blind panic, but there is a certain amount of stress involved in getting ready for the fair. Virtually every department has been working towards this event for months. The marketing department put together the trade catalogues and posters for the event with the help of our production and design team...
April 11, 2008 12:00 AM
News is filtering in from Stockholm that the Osprey Men-at-Arms series is due to be honoured at this years Nobel Prize Ceremony. The shock decision to nominate the Men-at-Arms series for the Nobel Prize for Literature has come as a shock especially as it is the first time that the prize is being awarded to a group of books rather than an individual author....
April 1, 2008 12:00 AM
That might sound like an ambitious statement, but Osprey have teamed up with Slitherine and Wargames Factory to bring you the chance to win some fantastic prizes which are sure to set pulses racing....
March 28, 2008 12:00 AM
I have just been sent details about a fantastic new online aviation magazine, Fighting High. It is completely free to download and is well worth a look. Fully illustrated and with production values rarely seen in a free online magazine
March 27, 2008 12:00 AM
Martin Pegler has a BA Hons in Medieval and Modern History and an MA in Museum Studies, both from University College, London, and was for many years the Senior Curator of Firearms at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds. He now lives in the Somme, France, where he and his wife run a small bed and breakfast, which is situated on top of the old German front line...
March 21, 2008 12:00 AM
Last Wednesday we held the official launch for SAS Heroes - which was a great opportunity to meet up with Pete and some of his colleagues. With uniform displays showing the evolution of SAS kit, a genuine Pink Panther, and a demonstration of the tactics used to end the Iranian Embassy siege the day went off brilliantly...
March 10, 2008 12:00 AM
One of the best features in our aviation books must be the detailed plane profiles that make up the middle slice of the books. The profiles include aircraft markings and nose art, and are excellent source material for modellers. A great deal of research goes into ensuring that these profiles are as accurate as possible. However, there are usually too many aircraft built to be able to include every plane profile. But, one of our books does actually contain a profile image of every single aircraft ever built - Combat 64: B-2A Sprirt Units in Combat...
February 26, 2008 12:00 AM
Osprey Aviation Editor since 1989, Tony Holmes is a native of Fremantle, Western Australia. Responsible for devising the Aircraft of the Aces, Combat Aircraft and Aviation Elite Units series, Tony has also written more than 25 books for Osprey in the past 17 years...
February 23, 2008 12:00 AM
Angus Konstam hails from the Orkney Islands, and is the author of over 50 books, 30 of which are published by Osprey. This acclaimed and widely published author has written several books on piracy, including The History of Pirates. His most recent work is a full-length piratical biography: Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate. A former naval officer and museum professional, he worked as the Curator of Weapons at the Tower of London ...
February 10, 2008 12:00 AM
Let battle commence...
February 10, 2008 12:00 AM
This week was the 50th anniversary of Lego, the building blocks which kept many of us occupied for hours on end while we were growing up. I know Lego is not the most obvious subject for a post on a military history blog, especially as throughout its history Lego has maintained its distance from 'realistic' military subjects...
January 29, 2008 12:00 AM
Steve White has worked for Marvel UK on such comics as The Real Ghostbusters, Thundercats, Transformers and The Punisher. He has also written Rogue Trooper for 2000 AD. He currently works for Titan Publishing, working firstly as a graphic novels editor on such series as Modesty Blaise and Dan Dare, as well as the first collection of legendary British comic strip, Charley’s War...
January 25, 2008 12:00 AM
Something lighter for the weekend - the story of a bear who served in the Second World War...
January 25, 2008 12:00 AM
One of the plates for the Campaign title on the Athenian’s ill-fated adventure on Syracuse deals with a moonlit Hoplite battle on the Epipolai plateau. I’d last had a go at a moonlit scenario in the Airborne Tactics...
January 19, 2008 12:00 AM
I was recently forwarded this article about the AK-47. Having been brought up in Africa, I have always seen the 'AK' command a great deal of respect as a weapon (it notably features on the Mozambican flag) and so I was surprised to see it being written off as not commanding respect...
January 13, 2008 12:00 AM
Born in 1944, David Nicolle worked in the BBC’s Arabic service for a number of years before gaining an MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, and a doctorate from Edinburgh University. He has written numerous books and articles on medieval and Islamic warfare, and has been a prolific author of Osprey titles for many years...
January 11, 2008 12:00 AM
One of the facets of military history that I personally find fascinating are the numerous small conflicts that occur from time to time around the globe. One of these small conflicts barely crept onto newspaper pages recently – that over the disputed Bakassi Peninsula...
January 5, 2008 12:00 AM
Harry Pearson has produced five books, contributed to a dozen more, written a weekly sports column in the Guardian for ten years and helped make the football magazine When Saturday Comes half-decent for nearly two decades. When not painting toy soldiers, building a Wild West town in 1/72 scale...
December 28, 2007 12:00 AM
Steven J. Zaloga received his BA in history from Union College and his MA from Columbia University. He has worked as an analyst in the aerospace industry for over two decades, covering missile systems and the international arms trade, and has served with the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federal think-tank...
December 14, 2007 12:00 AM
Welcome to Osprey’s Military History Carnival! I have had a really tough job choosing a selection of blogs this month – a massive thank you to everyone who has contributed! I am going to try to list the fantastic posts we have received in a vague semblance of historical order, so here we go...
December 11, 2007 12:00 AM
Terry Crowdy has an unconventional background for a historian. Former bassist in a rock group, and a history enthusiast since childhood, he has long been fascinated by different aspects of military history and takes great pleasure in delving into obscure sources to pluck...
November 30, 2007 12:00 AM
Over the last couple of weeks I have been avidly watching The Long Way Down – the TV documentary which follows Obi Wan (aka Ewan McGregor) and Charley Boorman as they ride motorcycles from John O’Groats (the northernmost point of the UK) all the way down through Africa to Cape Town...
November 25, 2007 12:00 AM
Just a quick note to let you all know that Osprey's new November titles are now available to buy online or at any good book store. With 14 new releases, it is a bumper month - and it is tough to pick out any clear favourites...
November 21, 2007 12:00 AM
In our continual quest to discover exactly what is it about military history that stimulates us we decided to widen the net and ask a few others. So we talked to Osprey authors and artists, the great and the good of military history and anyone we could find really. We asked them a set of carefully crafted questions, a mix of the serious, stupid and bizarre and this is what they came back with. First to go: Garth Ennis...
November 16, 2007 12:00 AM
At last years IPMS Telford event a customer came up to me and asked me if I had Osprey Aircraft books. At the time I was standing next to a spinner packed with our Aviation titles so I pointed at it, telling the gentleman to take his pick. Unfortunately I got the wrong end of the stick – and our customer had to explain (rather slowly and in words of one syllable) that he was referring to the V-22 Osprey...
November 7, 2007 12:00 AM
As many of our British readers have probably noticed, this year the Royal British Legion have re-launched their Poppy Appeal with a series of touching adverts featuring ‘Poppy Man’ ...
November 7, 2007 12:00 AM
Next weekend (10th and 11th November) Osprey are attending IPMS Scale Modelworld 2007 at the International Centre in Telford. Primarily an aviation modelling show, I was lucky enough to go along with a stand last year and it was a fantastic success...
November 3, 2007 12:00 AM
In secret trials last week, the Army said it managed to make a tank completely disappear and predicted that an invisible tank would be ready for combat service by 2012.
According to AHN, this new technology uses cameras and projectors to beam images of the surrounding landscape onto the tank in question. The tank itself is coated in silicon to maximise its reflective capabilities.
October 31, 2007 12:00 AM
It was suggested that it might be a nice idea to have a regular-ish slot on the blog where you get to hear about the doings of an Osprey illustrator, focusing the scribbling on a particular piece of illustration. I’m into blogs at the moment and I can’t resist a challenge, so here goes...
October 25, 2007 12:00 AM
Chris at Mixing Memory (and indeed Gavin at Investigations of a Dog gives his thoughts on the matter) has posted about a psychological study which suggests playing First Person Shooter Games (such as Half-Life and Medal of Honor) improves spatial reasoning abilities, which in turn leads to improvements in mathematical abilities...
October 24, 2007 12:00 AM
Tomorrow evening, war is due to break out in Paris. The battered, bruised English face the confident, on form South Africans for the biggest prize in rugby – the Rugby World Cup. To celebrate this epic encounter (and because it is a Friday) we have produced a one-off special edition Osprey Duel cover for the final...
October 19, 2007 12:00 AM
October 18, 2007 12:00 AM
Next week I have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. On Monday we have arranged to have a sit down with Pete Scholey, former SAS soldier, where I get to quiz him about his life in the Regiment...
October 16, 2007 12:00 AM
Following the enthusiastic response to my last post, Top three worst war films, I thought it would be worthwhile continuing the war film theme. A comment from Gene suggested investigating the three war films that you would like to see on the silver screen. So, without further ado, here are my suggestions...
September 28, 2007 12:00 AM
Welcome to Osprey’s History Carnival. You will always find history-related postings at the Osprey Blog. As the official blog of military history publisher Osprey Publishing, the topics are mostly military-related in some way, but reflect our contributors' wide interests. From “Women of the Military History Fanclub Unite” through to “What’s your Top 3 worst war films?”, there will always be something you can relate to...
September 21, 2007 12:00 AM
Following Richard's post on the Weekend Nazis TV programme, I was intrigued to see what others thought out there in the blogosphere. During my search, I came across historian James Holland's post on his Second World War Forum...
September 21, 2007 12:00 AM
Avast you scurvy bilge rats. Well shiver me timbers me hearties, it be a fine morning and I am in the mood for a cup of grog! For it be Talk like a Pirate Day today see...
September 19, 2007 12:00 AM
As mentioned in my profile, I am a bit of a film fan – particularly war films. Whilst Hollywood’s output seems to move in cycles with some genres falling out of favour (Westerns – where did they go?) and others becoming popular (biopics…who needs two films about Trueman Capote in one year?) the war film never seems to go out of fashion...
September 18, 2007 12:00 AM
An extra post from me this month, just to let you know about the wonderful time that we had at Military Odyssey over the bank holiday weekend. After worrying for days about the distinct possibility of rain, the weather was a dream – lovely warm days that were great for all things re-enactorish...
September 7, 2007 12:00 AM
I saw this story about the delivery of a post box to British troops in Afghanistan a few weeks ago and it got me thinking. Initially I thought that such a simple and rather crazy decision by the MOD could never drastically improve troop morale. But, traditionally mail has been one of the best ways to maintain morale...
September 2, 2007 12:00 AM
On Sunday 22nd July I hauled myself out of bed and set off for Blenheim Palace. But, I had no intention of spending the day wandering through majestic halls and gorgeous gardens. I was there to attend the air display at Fly to the Past: Festival of Flight...
August 20, 2007 12:00 AM
Now some of you may have seen this already, but for those of you who haven't, I thought I would share with you my new tank girl discovery – the mammoth beast that is the CRUSHER. The Crusher is an unmanned ground vehicle that operates autonomously in off-road terrain. Or as described by The Olive-Drab blog: it's a six-ton behemoth that moves out, up and over whatever gets in its way...
August 14, 2007 12:00 AM
Thanks to all those who e-mailed me - the answer to the question in my post "Osprey sells beer" was Warrior 16: British Tommy 1914–18, and the winner who e-mailed me first was Gene Liptak. We'll be talking to the landlord in due course... I was also reminded about the Silly Titles competition we ran in December, and seeing as I think the cover of the winning title: Boobenfloppinschtoppen: The History of SS Brassierres, suggested by Jim Carr, is so funny (Aurelie did a great job, I'm sure you'll agree ;-)) I thought I'd post it up for anyone else who missed it when the winner was announced.
August 6, 2007 12:00 AM
I haven’t had much of a chance to skim through the news pages this week because I have been on holiday on the Greek island of Crete. Packed with places to visit, from the Minoan palace of Knossos to Byzantine castles and Venetian fortresses, the island is steeped in history....
July 20, 2007 12:00 AM
Just a quick note to let you know what we've been up to lately. A couple of weeks ago, a few of us went to BEA in New York, which is the largest book fair in America. Publishers exhibit, and booksellers, librarians and teachers go to find out what new books are coming out. A great part of the show for me is that you get to check out the competition, meet everyone in one place, and pick up some great free books, because there are lots of advance copies being given away...
June 27, 2007 12:00 AM
I thought I would get this out of the way in my first post. Come clean so to speak. I go crazy over old buildings. A sunny Sunday afternoon won’t see me sitting outside a pub by a river. Instead, I am probably out snooping round an old house or castle...
June 21, 2007 12:00 AM