I started my current job 19 years ago. I was happy with the job as I no longer had to work two jobs to pay the bills. The one down side was it was second shift; my wife worked first shift so during the work week we rarely saw each other. It also meant lots of free time for me. The great thing is I had a new computer and soon found myself researching wargames, and the hobby became an obsession for me. I soon found the real possibilities of computers and could track down books online, instead of visiting every local bookstore (although I do miss the hunt of going through those bookstores). Most of my earliest books were the classics of wargaming. I soon had a stack next to my bed for late night reading. I built a small shelf for my nightstand to hold my favorites, which still set on that shelf.
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| This is actually my second copy. The first copy is a paperback book. The paperback copy was my second wargaming book I had bought and used for my earliest games. |
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| Of these books, this was the only one I found in a local bookstore; not surprising really considering most of the others were published in the UK. |
What an excellent selection of books.
ReplyDeleteI would like to go through my bookcases and find all the other "Old School" wargaming books I have and have an exclusive bookcase for them.
DeleteThose bring back memories , Tony
ReplyDeleteIf only I could have had some of these books as a child, how much happier my childhood would have been!
DeleteAll classics. My first three wargaming books are there, Battles w Model Soldiers, Charge! And Little Wars. If you look at the thoughts and reasoning behind the rules, these are still full of perceptive, useful ideas and principles.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the only true wargaming books I had as a child was "The Napoleonic Wargame" by G.W. Jeffrey and "The War Game" edited by Peter Young. The first volume was too complicated for my simple mind; the second only had in the appendixes "The principles of war-gaming", that only provided a tease of what could be gamed.
DeleteFour of the titles displayed here I regard as being members of the Top Five Classics of War Gaming, the fifth being Don Featherstone's 'Wargames Campaigns'. The four are 'Little Wars, Charge, War Games, and The War Game. I have three of the five.
ReplyDeleteI would probably add Joe Morschauser's book to a 'Top Six', but I have never seen, let alone read it. UK publications seem easier to get hold of in this country than US ones.
I have both the 'Green Book' and the 'Black' of C.S. Grant's scenario volumes, along with his joint publication with Stuart Asquith, that I call the 'Red Book' (Title, Scenarios for all Ages). Tony Bath's and C.S. Grant's books on campaigns are pretty handy to have, too, full of ideas.
Probably of all the other war games publications I have, George Gush's 'A Guide to Wargaming' is a longtime favourite - excellent bedtime read.
I came to war gaming as we know it as an adult, in my early twenties. Having found a book in the library, a friend got interested in war games, and thought to build up an Airfix army for wargames, I joined in (declaring for the Confederacy), with a couple of other guys, bought our Airfix armies (4 boxes of infantry, 2 of '7th Cavalry', 2 of artillery, and one or two of 'Wagon Train'. Total cost: ten bucks, less some cents.
That was in 1974. I eventually acquired the armies of the other three as they moved on to other things, and have added to them since. Of course, I have branched out into other periods since then...
When I first started looking for books, Donald Featherstone books were on the top of the list. I do have Wargames Campaigns, another great book.I should make a project of collecting all my war-game books to one bookcase. Some books you mention I believe I have; your comments have peaked my interest in wither I have them or not.
ReplyDeleteAll great choices, Battles with Model Soldiers and Practical were the first wargames books that I owned as opposed to borrowed from the library. Both bought in second hand bookshops in North Wales. I cant describe the excitement that I felt walking from the shop with the books in a brown paper bag.
ReplyDeleteI can image; I do believe I have had it every time I opened the above books, even though I was a grown man!
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