Commissioning Editor Nick Reynolds tells us what we can expect from the Men-at-Arms series in 2026!

The 2026 publishing programme holds a fascinating mix of Men-at-Arms subjects, as we move ahead without the presence of the late Martin Windrow. Of the six volumes scheduled for this year, the one I have learned most from is Adrian Jamka’s fascinating study of Renaissance Polish armies at a crucial point in that country’s history. I am delighted with Raffaele Ruggeri’s artwork for the book and very much looking forward to its publication in March.

 

Seleucid Armies 312–63 BC
William Horsted, Adam Hook
29/01/2026

This colourful study describes and illustrates the troops of the Seleucid Empire in West Asia throughout its turbulent 250-year existence.

Founded by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator in 312 BC in the wake of the death of Alexander the Great 11 years previously, the Seleucid Empire came to control much of the territory conquered by Alexander in western Asia, and at its height reached from the Mediterranean to Afghanistan. The colourful armies fielded by Seleucus I and his successors are described and illustrated in this absorbing study of a major power at war in the ancient world.

As the fortunes of their realm ebbed and flowed, Seleucid kings deployed vast armies recruited from diverse peoples that drew upon an array of military traditions, including the mighty phalanx, war elephants, scythed chariots and camel-mounted archers. Illustrated throughout with photographs and drawings as well as eight pages of specially commissioned artwork, this fascinating study draws upon a range of literary, archaeological and artistic sources to explore the organization, tactics, weapons and equipment of the varied units of Seleucid armies over two-and-a-half turbulent centuries in the ancient world.

 

Renaissance Polish Armies 1492–1569
Adrian Jamka, Raffaele Ruggeri
26/03/2026

This fully illustrated study assesses the armies of Poland at war in the first half of the 16th century, during the transition from feudal to standing forces.

Against a background of almost continual warfare, the 80 years after 1492 witnessed the slow transformation of Polish forces from feudal levies to standing armies. The bloody struggle between Poles, Lithuanians, Hungarians, Muscovites, Cossacks, Turks and Tatars culminated in the Union of Lublin in 1569, uniting the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

This crucial period in Polish military history saw the introduction and development of famous troop categories such as the Polish hussars, and a tactical transformation with the introduction of foot and mounted hand-gunners to replace crossbowmen. Drawing upon a wealth of sources, the author explains the social and ethnic composition of armies and their methods of recruitment; their organizational structure, and that of units of different troop categories; their weapons, armour and equipment; their strategies and tactics; and campaign life.

In this engaging book, specially commissioned artwork and rare illustrations combine with authoritative text to bring this under-researched subject to life for an English-language audience.

 

Armies in North Russia and Siberia 1918–20
Phoebus Athanassiou, Adam Hook
18/06/2026

This absorbing study describes and illustrates the US, British, Japanese, French, Italian and Czechoslovak troops deployed to North Russia and Siberia at the height of the Russian Civil War.

Between March 1918 and late 1920, a multinational force was deployed in the former Russian Empire’s Arctic Circle and in Eastern Siberia, becoming drawn into the Russian Civil War. American, British, Canadian, Czechoslovak, French and Japanese troops all took the field as the victorious Allied Powers sought to intervene in the unfolding struggle between the Bolsheviks and their opponents.

In this book, Phoebus Athanassiou surveys the main operations conducted by the expeditionary force before covering the organization, weapons and equipment of each of the contingents involved. Eight plates of specially commissioned artwork reveal the appearance of these troops, many of them World War I veterans, as they lived and fought in the challenging environment of Northern Russia.

 

Roman Army Units in the Eastern Provinces (3): 4th–5th Centuries AD
Raffaele D'Amato, Raffaele Ruggeri
27/08/2026

This fully illustrated volume describes and illustrates the soldiers who garrisoned the Roman Empire’s eastern provinces in the 4th and 5th centuries.

After the 50-year chaos of the mid-3rd century AD, Emperor Diocletian (r. AD 284–305) and his successor, Constantine I (r. AD 306–37), the first Christian emperor, undertook major administrative reforms to reflect new realities and improve defensive strategy. These changes saw the Roman Army completely reorganized, with its old structure of legions and auxiliary units giving way to central mobile field armies and various classes of garrison troops. In addition, the Army also began recruiting ‘allied barbarians’ in ever-increasing numbers, some of whom rose to positions of supreme command.

In this book, Doctor Raffaele D’Amato draws on the latest archaeological and extensive material from the unique Notitia Dignitatum to explore the armies associated with the Roman Empire’s eastern provinces in the two centuries before the demise of Emperor Romulus Augustus in 476. Illustrated with photographs and drawings of surviving artefacts and imagery, this latest entry in a series charting the Roman Army’s evolution also features eight newly commissioned colour plates.

 

Ground Forces in the Korean War 1950–53 (3): The Republic of Korea Army and the United Nations Command
Benjamin Lai, Johnny Shumate
24/09/2026

This book describes and illustrates the ground forces of the Republic of Korea and its United Nations allies during the Korean War, as well as the UN medical contingents in the conflict.

The North Korean invasion of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in June 1950 prompted an enormous international response, as first the United States and then a host of allied countries contributed combat troops or medical personnel to the United Nations effort to support the South Koreans. In this book, Benjamin Lai examines the ROK ground forces and their UN allies, briefly describing each contingent’s organization, appearance, and service record in the Korean War. His incisive commentary is complemented by specially chosen photographs and specially commissioned full-color artwork depicting the various national contingents involved.

While the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Ethiopia, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France, Greece, Turkey, Colombia, the Philippines, and Thailand provided combat troops, India, Italy, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden sent medical teams to support the UN effort. All of these national contingents are described and illustrated in this concise guide to a complex and important element of the UN forces involved in the Korean War, a conflict that shaped the course of international relations for decades.

 

Ptolemaic Armies 305–30 BC
William Horsted, Adam Hook
17/12/2026

This colourful study describes and illustrates the troops fielded by the Ptolemaic regime in North Africa throughout its turbulent 275-year existence.

Founded by Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian general who was a close companion of Alexander the Great, the Ptolemaic Empire encompassed Egypt, northern Libya and parts of the Levant for nearly three centuries. In the first part of this period, its armies fought in the drawn-out and bloody Wars of the Diadochi, as Alexander’s successors disputed his conquests. Intermittent conflicts with the empire’s neighbours, notably the Seleucids, characterized the following decades, with the Ptolemaic Empire steadily falling under the influence of the Roman Republic during the 1st century BC. The death of Cleopatra VII, the final ruler of the dynasty, saw the end of the Ptolemaic Empire and its incorporation into the Roman Empire.

At the beginning of this period, Ptolemaic armies closely resembled the Macedonian forces that had accompanied Alexander on his conquests, with the pike and phalanx at the heart of their tactics. Alongside the phalanx, light-armed troops, cavalry and elephants took the field in the Ptolemaic Empire’s campaigns. The initial army of Alexander’s veterans were granted lands throughout the Empire, their small numbers boosted by the foundation of military colonies and the use of mercenaries. When manpower shortages compelled the Ptolemaic Empire to field Egyptian forces, the Machimoi, alongside its Greek troops, the Egyptian warriors demanded improved status and conditions, weakening the regime. The Ptolemaic Empire increasingly relied upon hired troops and attempted to follow Roman military practices in the decades before the battle of Actium and the final eclipse of Cleopatra’s realm in 30 BC.

In this book, William Horsted describes the evolution of the Ptolemaic Empire’s armies, investigating the various troop types that fought for the regime, from their initial successes in the Wars of the Diadochi to their eventual decline in the 1st century BC. Specially commissioned artwork reveals the colourful appearance of these warriors over nearly three centuries of conflict in the Near East.