I've just finished reading this new Osprey title and thought I'd give it a quick review. It's not bad but I was disappointed by the artwork, which features some small side profiles, a couple of cut away diagrams and some nondescript colour plates, although the latter are quite atmospheric. For some reason the profiles have a strange light grey sheen effect on the hulls, which doesn't really look right, even if it is designed to accentuate the details.
The text isn't bad either, with a very brief overview of the different classes of broadside ironclad, but all of this information is available in much greater detail elsewhere. There are, however, some useful chapters on armament, armour, propulsion and conditions on board ship for the crew, which together make this a good introduction to the subject. For the asking price, this makes the book worth buying,
Overall, I'd give this a score of 3/5 but it does provide a useful overview for anyone who is new to the subject or would be interested in wargaming during the period. It's just a shame the artwork isn't more inspirational. I hope that a companion volume on the French navy follows sooner rather than later, as that would cover a subject that is far less documented yet just as interesting.
Thanks for the review Jim. If you want some really good info on these ships look out for a series of articles by Admiral Ballard in the magazine "Mariner's Mirror" from the 1920s (yes the flapper era). I found them in my Uni library as an undergrad and then years later lucked on to a lovely volume that reprinted them all in a single large hardcover book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. I'll see if I can track them down.
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