About Me

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London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
A mythical beast - a female wargamer! I got back into wargaming in the summer of 2011 after a very, very long break and haven't looked back since. I must admit that I seem to be more of a painter/collector than a gamer, but do hope to correct that at some point in the near future. My gaming interests span the ages, from the "Biblical" era all the way through to the far future. I enjoy games of all sizes, from a handful of figures up to major battles (see my megalomaniacally sized Choson Korean and Russian Seven Years War armies).

Tuesday, 30 July 2013

Henry Hyde's "The Wargaming Compendium"

Bzzzzzzzz Bzzzzzzz
Bzzz Bzzz Bzzzz

"Hello!?"
"Postman = I've got a big parcel for you"
"On my way down"

That was the bleary-eyed and scraggy-tailed conversation I had this morning, a few minutes before heading off to work.

"But what was in this heavy parcel?" you ask. Well, obviously this was:



but also a few Ospreys, "Achtung, Schweinhund!" and an ultra-sonic cleaning bath. the last will be used for a number of purposes - cleaning jewellery, assisting with stripping paint from minis and if I ever get into airbrushing for cleaning the parts. But let's return to the main event.

After a much prolonged gestation (how many times did Amazon put it up for pre-order then take it down again?) and then delays in actually getting the printed copies to the publisher, Henry's masterpiece is finally available for sale to the great unwashed grateful public. How Henry found time in between editing issues of MW to buckle his swash and wrest the shipping containers from the pirates that held them up is beyond my knowledge.

I've got to admit that so far I've only had a quick leaf-through of the book, but I'm definitely impressed. As one would expect from Henry, the illustrations and photographs are superb (and lots of them). The text is printed in a large enough font that it should be easy for everyone to read comfortably, with good line spacing. Equally impressive is the "heft" of the book - 1.47kg of glossy goodness. And it is just the right height to slip under that wonky table leg (just kidding Henry!).

I'm definitely looking forward to reading this at home over the next few weeks. It certainly looks to be well worth the wait, the weight and the full cover price of £35 (although it is available for £16 on Amazon).
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25 comments:

  1. Diplomatist30 July 2013 at 22:25

    This is exciting. I got an e-mail last Fri from Amazon saying that it's been dispatched, but no sign of it yet...

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  2. Curt30 July 2013 at 22:50

    Thanks for the heads up on this, Tamsin. I'll have to pick up a copy.

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  3. Ray Rousell30 July 2013 at 23:07

    Looks good, I may even have to shake the moths out of my wallet!!!

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  4. GaryA30 July 2013 at 23:11

    Well, thinking about buying it, but still not convinced (Now £22.40 0n Amazon). I'm an old curmudgeon, I know. Nevertheless, here's an extract from one review:

    "Henry shows the world that some wargamers are erridite"

    Maybe not in everything . . .

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    Replies
    1. TamsinP31 July 2013 at 20:51

      Well, that reviewer may not have been among the "some" to whom he referred ;)

      Delete
  5. CelticCurmudgeon30 July 2013 at 23:16

    Tamsin,
    YOU'RE BACK!! First, I thought you were kidnapped by a roving band of itinerant bloggers. Then I re-thought and realized that you, more than likely, were fixated by the first two week long game of SAGA. Surely that would be so memorable that Henry would include it in the next magazine. But then I realized that the heat had probably robbed you of the strength to type anything up to your consistently funny and high standards. Glad you're back.
    I'm expecting my issue of the issue in a day or so from Barnes & Noble. Glad you liked it.
    Jerry
    A/K/A The Celtic Curmudgeon

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    Replies
    1. TamsinP31 July 2013 at 20:54

      Your final guess was pretty much spot on. I just didn't feel like painting or blogging last week. As for the roving band of itinerant bloggers, I managed to see them off with a swift parry and a witty riposte :)

      Delete
  6. john de terre neuve31 July 2013 at 00:34

    Well thanks for posting, I was just wondering about the book this morning and there is your post.

    John

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  7. marinergrim31 July 2013 at 07:24

    The book does look and feel great. several of my fellow gamers had a look at it the other night. Most very favourable only one against. I'm happy with my purchase.

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  8. Paul´s Bods31 July 2013 at 07:30

    What in the Name of all things sacred is an Ultra-sonic cleaning bath?

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  9. BigLee31 July 2013 at 08:56

    Good stuff, I'll be heading over to Amazon in two shakes of lambs tail....

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  10. Juan Mancheño31 July 2013 at 09:39

    It appears to be a great book; very good reading for the summer!

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  11. jmilesr31 July 2013 at 10:36

    Looks like I've got a new order to place with Amazon

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  12. Rodger31 July 2013 at 12:12

    Now that's something to add to the shopping list! Nice one Tamsin!

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  13. fireymonkeyboy31 July 2013 at 13:27

    You're a bad person, to be flaunting such temptations . . . .

    FMB

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  14. Axtklinge31 July 2013 at 16:07

    "Achtung, Schweinhund!"
    Just finished reading that, and absolutely loved it!

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  15. The Happy Whisk31 July 2013 at 19:06

    I love getting books in the mail. Very cool.

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  16. TamsinP31 July 2013 at 20:55

    Thanks all - for those who are buying it, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

    @ Whisk - books in the post are always a pleasure :)

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    Replies
    1. The Happy Whisk4 August 2013 at 03:27

      So true. Tim just ordered a cookery book for me from the UK. They don't have it here and if and when they do, it won't be in metric. I love metric, so I order the books I like.

      So fun to get them in the mail.

      Hope your weekend is going well. Cheers and boogie boogie.

      Delete
  17. The Angry Lurker31 July 2013 at 21:04

    You're such a tease and a buzzer sound genius!

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  18. Herkybird31 July 2013 at 22:53

    Phil, a friend from the club, gifted me a copy at work today! looking forward to reading it too!

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  19. Sidney Roundwood2 August 2013 at 08:33

    Very timely head's up! It's on my Amazon Wish List!

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  20. PanzerKaput3 August 2013 at 23:26

    Its good you have something to fix the table now and it does look like a good book

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  21. Markus Schenk7 August 2013 at 22:43

    Sounds good. Let us know how it reads

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  22. Alessandro "Callaghan"10 August 2013 at 10:57

    A nice surprise in the morning: the book is really magnificent!
    But.. you really have a buzzer that rings with: "Bzzzzz"?

    ReplyDelete

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