ARM Books

This is a compelling, timely and informative work by a knowledgable insider. Kenneth Bergeron explains in this clear, concise narrative the inner workings of our nuclear establishment and why civilian and military uses had been historically kept separate. A policy that is even more important today. He documents the complex and disturbing process that culminated in a 1998 decision to abandon this vital policy and the underlying factors that subordinated the public interest. This is a "must read" work that will move readers to add their voices to those seeking to reverse a dangerous decision before it is too late.

Someone wishing to make a hydrogen bomb needs to obtain some tritium. At the present time, tritium in suitable quantities can only be obtained in the U.S. through the highly guarded nuclear weapons program. In this extraordinarily well written book, Bergeron calls attention to a little-known 1998 decision by then energy secretary Bill Richardson which, when implemented, would shift tritium production to the commercial side of the nuclear industry. One purpose of the great wall that used to separate nuclear power from nuclear weapons was minimizing the chance that third-world countries like Libya could obtain the ingredients to make A-bombs and even the more powerful h-bombs. Bergeron, a nuclear insider, leads his readers through the dark corners and hallways of the nuclear power and nuclear weapons industries. He shows how the great wall would be breached by implementation of this decision. The story is captivating. Bergeron tells it very well. The problem is real. And Bergeron points out that there's still time to do something about it. With the end of the Cold War, the US doesn't need more tritium any time soon.

An excellent work by Mr Edward Emering who has written a detailed history of US Marine Corps medals. Many color photos who help the collector and also a great gift for Officers and enlisted men of the Navy and the Marine Corps! As a military medals' collector and Marine Corps Officer myself, I hope that others will follow Mr Emering's example and write books like this!A++++ for both its quality and detailed information!

I have really enjoyed, and highly recommend, this book. Many medal books focus on personal decorations, but this work, as the subtitle indicates, traces the development of United States Navy and Marine Corps campaign medals from their origin around 1900 through 1996. For each medal there is narrative describing it's creation, usually including a synopsis of the key events of the conflict, requirements to receive the medal, date the medal was issued, and one or more good-sized color photographs. There are also sections on quasi-official pre-1930 commemorative medals, Arctic and Antarctic service medals, attachment devices, unit citations and other ribbon-only awards, foreign campaign medals, and some information for estimating the age or authenticity of old medals.

The emphasis on pre-WWII campaign medals such as China Relief Expedition Medal (the Boxer Rebellion), Nicaraguan Campaign Medals (there are two!) and Yangtze Service Medal (think "Sand Pebbles") along with period photographs of sailors and marines wearing those medals is the most interesting part of the book. In many instances there are lists (but not specific service dates) of specific ships that were awarded certain medals, which adds to the appeal of this book as a source for historical studies.

I enjoy skimming this book frequently for historical tidbits and sharing it with people interested in U.S. Navy and American History. Buy it!

I purchased the book for a friend in Russia. I never saw the inside of the book personally, but my Russian friend was very happy with the book, so I would give it the highest ratings.

Very well photographed and detailed. With very few published books on the subject of Red Army uniforms this is the best! A very good collection of Soviet uniforms in 'color' If you're into WWII Red Army uniforms or are a Red Army reenactor or collector (You need this book!!!!)

EXCELLENT BOOK FOR REFERENCE LIBRARY. GREAT SET OF THREE VOLUMES. SERIOUS BOOK FOR SERIOUS COLLECTORS.

If you've been looking for a book that offers BOTH wartime photographs AND multi angle/ close up studies of uniforms from actual collections, this book (and the two other volumes from that trilogy) is EXACTLY what you need. More than just a splendid coffee table book, it is an outstanding source of information about the history/construction and regulation for each and every variety of uniform issued to the various branches of the SS ( both BEFORE and DURING WW2) and it is worth every single penny I invested in it. As a militaria dealer, I could simply not afford not to add it to my collection. If you are interested by that subject and don't have those 3 books, then you are missing an essential resource. If on the other hand you want to know the subject in depth and do not plan to buy each and every book on the market, you have to get THAT serie. My only regret is that Mr. Michael D. Beaver is no longer among us to share his amazing knowledge of German Militaria.

This set is even more grand than Dr. McChristian's previous work on the earlier (1870's) Indian War army. This time he literally doubled the size of the work and went into even greater detail on the subject. He includes plenty of examples of my favorite part of this type of research, that is, soldier modified and soldier fabricated items. There are numerous photos that I had never seen before, and I have studied this subject as an enthusiastic amateur for over three decades. See also the links below:

The U. S. Army In The West 1870-1880 Uniforms, Weapons, and Equipment

The U.s. Army in the West, 1870-1880: Uniforms, Weapons, And Equipment

ARMING & EQUIPPING THE UNITED STATES CAVALRY 1865-1902

The Horse Soldier, 1776-1943, Volume II The Frontier, The Mexican War, The Civil War, The Indian Wars 1851-1880

The Horse Soldier, 1776-1943: The United States Cavalryman : His Uniforms, Arms, Accoutrements, and Equipments : The Last of the Indian Wars, the Sp

Doug McChristian's magnificent new two-volume history of the uniforms, arms and equipment of America's army in the West is another brilliant example of how comfortably the mantle of the late Don Rickey as our foremost authority on that subject fits McChristian's shoulders. This two-volume follow up to his outstanding 1995 book, The U. S. Army in the West, 1870-1880: Uniforms, Arms and Equipment, expands McChristian's detailed coverage of the subject from where that book left off. At over 600 pages in two well-organized, beautifully-produced, over-sized volumes, the latter era of the frontier army (1880-92) is exceptionally well covered. Eight full color images and 433 black & white photographs provide historians, collectors and just about anyone interested in the frontier army with a wealth of highly-detailed and valuable information. McChristian's narrative is superb, and goes well beyond merely describing in depth the uniforms, arms and accoutrements of the troops. He sets the stage for his coverage of the era and propels his narrative by explaining the problems that faced military and civilian decision-makers who were desperately trying to come to grips with a "frontier constabulary" force that would soon be forced to emerge on the world stage as the guardians of America's global interests. McChristian's book describes an army on the eve of the War with Spain, the conflict that made the United States a world power.
Divided into 15 chapters and 5 appendices, McChristian's book is an outstanding reference for collectors and museum curators, as well as being a fascinating account for anyone interested in the history of America's frontier army. My recommendation: Buy this new 2-volume set and McChristian's earlier The U. S. Army in the West, 1870-1880. They represent the "must have" references on America's frontier army and deserve a place in any military history enthusiast's library. And while you're at it, pick up a copy of McChristian's outstanding book, Fort Bowie, Arizona: Combat Post of the Southwest, 1858-1894 (all available on amazon).

This is a great book. It has full color photographs of practically every medal issued by the government since 1939. It also gives the criteria for each award. If you collect medals or are just interested in thier history, this is an excellent book.

Shows color plates of all medals, ribbons awarded by the United States. Also shows Foreign Awards authorized as part of U.S. military uniform. The basic criterion for each award is given so you can see if you might be eligible for this award. There are also sections on devices (oak leaves etc.), their meaning and wear, how to wear medals in proper order and on civilian clothing. (a pin is considered appropriate) A section is devoted to the issue of U.S. Medals to Veterans, Retirees and thier families. A Hardcover book which only costs a bit more than the softcover. Generally a well done book. My only criticism as a collector is that it does not show the reverse side of medals. Ed Jones Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 753

This work is a splendid example of the new emphasis of the publisher on producing comprehensive works in a handy cheap format compared with the earlier broad brush treatments which covered too much in too little detail.
The new emphasis is on sets covering various national armed forces in as much detail as is available, consistent with the current purpose of the works in the series, which have evolved from an original emphasis on serving the military miniature maker market into works intended to enlighten the general reader in enough detail to satisfy the merely curious and to point the way to further reading.
Most of us, including myself, have little need for, or the patience to read, voluminous studies, often in foreign languages, covering many eras and nations. My main interest is in the US forces, their allies and their enemies in the twentieth century.
That said, these works should be purchased as presented, in sets within the series. Since they are produced as a set, the volumes cover only relevent parts of the general history and the clothing and individual equipment is covered as it appears in each period. The French Army, US Army, British Army, and Italian Army series all have three volumes, covering the major theatres and time periods of the war. The German set has five.
If you want more detail on Army clothing then see Shelby Stanton's World War II work reviewed on this site. Unfortunatly I have yet to find a comprehensive study of US individual equipment which is not riddled with errors of omission, misidentification, and unproved speculation. Though a great exception is Scott Meadow's work on holsters which is more than most want to know and is expensive to boot. Not for the general reader.
If you want an introduction to the fascinating variety of clothing and equipment of the forces covered, this set is for you.

This book is part of a set covering the US Army of WW II. The set covers the clothing, individual equipment, small and heavy arms, vehicles, and campaigns.
Of course, much more detailed information can be found in other works such as Shelby Stanton's definitive work on clothing but a complete collection covering these items would cost several hundred dollars at least and still not cover everything in detail.
Compared to the earlier volumes published by Osprey, it is an A compared to a D. The other volumes were superficial and suffered either from trying to cover too much or too long a period or written by authors who simply were not familiar enough with the period covered.
This is written by a knowledgable author and is superbly illustrated by the magnificent Mike Chappell. Drawing on multitudinous sources, these three volumes will satisfy those who want to know what grandaddy looked like in the war and give a useful overview for those not needing more detailed knowledge.
As a long time specialist in the period, I learned things and recommend this highly.
See my reviews of the other two volumes in this set.

OK, I own a copy of this book because I was one of the models who posed for the photos. My room-mate and I were stationed in Germany in the early 90s. He was a friend of Dan Peterson. We spent the day changing uniforms and posing in front of the tanks around the army museum on post. It was a lot of fun, I didn't get a dime for my work and best of all, I'm on the back cover. I'm the guy on the right.

Though a good knowledge of SS Uniforms would be heplfull, this is certianly the best book you can get to start with if you're interested in learning more about SS Cammo uniforms. The pictures are very good (about the best I've seen in a book about this subject), and the less informed won't get bogged down with too many details. If you're looking for a comprehensive work about the specific paterns and evolution there of, you might want something else. The best book for this type of research is expensive, but well worth the money.

This is a great book, and my husband loves it. Excellent for references, and information.

The book is well written. Each procedure is clearly presented in both prose and pictures. Highly recommended. Best of all, it's brief and to the point and is very reasonably priced.

This Osprey book takes a look and the uniforms and regimental colors of the regiments of Scottish Highlanders that served in the British Army c. 1787-1815. It opens a with a fairly brief introduction to the origins, weapons, and character of these Regiments, and then goes on to examine their uniforms and colors in great detail; this latter section of the book would admittedly be of little use to someone lacking a strong interest in or knowledge of the Highland Regiments.

As is always the case with Osprey, the color plates are well done and enjoyable to look at. Plate 'F' is particularly neat for its focus exclusively on the Highland Pipers of this era. I would also recommend the men-at-arms titles 'Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders' (volume 3) and the recently-published 'Queen Victoria's Highlanders' (volume 442)for somone interested in this book.

I am not a fan of Osprey publications. There was a time when I would buy every Osprey Napoleonic title. This was until, when doing research in primary sources on my own, I found that many of these books, and their attendant art work, to be generally average at best, and sometimes not reliable at all.

I found the volume on Wellingtons Highlanders troops fascinating. The Highland recruited, developed, or thrown together to combat the swarms of very effective are meticulously listed in this volume and it gives a very good picture of the units that gradually developed into the 79th Cameron and effective 92nd Gordons and infantry regiments of the Wellingtons Army. What is also interesting is the varieties of both clothing and uniforms these varied corps wore (and there is a difference), being influnce by their culture(Scottish). It is a true menagerie for uniformologists.

I'm sure everyone is very familiar with the Men-at-Arms format, but I'll briefly review it for anyone not familiar with it. The Men-at-Arms series is a general, somewhat brief (limited to 48 pages) uniform history of famous units and/or armies in specific wars or campaigns. They are profusely illustrated with relevant illustrations of uniforms, as well as eight color plates of the subject in question by a contemporary military artist. The narrative describes the uniforms in detail, sometimes with a brief history of either the unit, personalities, or both. Additionally, the plates are explained and there is a necessarily brief note on sources. In the hands of an expert such as Stuart Reid, this can be a narrative overflowing with useful, very accurate, and sometimes newfound information. All of the 48-page volumes have excellent color plates; however, my favorites are those by Eugene Leliepvre,Bryan Fosten and Francis Back. These are very talented artists give us very realistic renderings of what soldiers undoubtedly looked like on campaign and in combat.

These book is thorough studies, written in a scholarly manner with well thought out illustrations and color plates.Stuart Reid and Osprey have done us a great service with these volume and all of them belong on our bookshelves. They are accurate, packed with information, written by an acknowledged authority of the periods covered, who is a meticulous researcher and an entertaining author. What these volumes proved to me is that we really shouldn't judge a book (or a series, for that matter) by its cover or its title. Osprey has once again, in my mind, placed itself in the top notch of military history books available for research purposes, as well as entertainment.

Anyone who consider himself a fan of the Highlanders Regiments would enjoy this fascinating book I also recomened the Highland Clansman 1689-1746 from the same author excellent and very informative.