Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Napoleon's Cavalry

I stumbled upon this eBay offering a few weeks ago.  While I have many of the Osprey MAA Napoleonic paperback editions, I had not seen this one.

What is it?  Napoleon's Cavalry is a 248 page, hardback edition published by Presidio Press, 1979 by Bukhari and McBride.  It contains an amalgamation of five of the Osprey MAA's booklets.  Included are chapters on,
  • (1) Cuirassiers and Carabiniers
  • (2) Dragoons and Lancers
  • (3) Line Chasseurs
  • (4) Hussars
  • (5) Guard Cavalry

Napoleon's Cavalry contains the same artwork that illustrates the paperback MAA series only in a larger format.  Great to have this collection in one, hardback edition.
With the equivalent of five Ospreys in one hardback edition, I thought I was getting a great bargain via eBay.  As my father used to say when we were hunting in the mountains, "never take a drink from a creek and then walk upstream."  Well, after I made the purchase, a quick internet search surfaced a number of copies in very good condition. Some were about half the price I paid.  The upside with my eBay purchase was that I received plenty of photos so I knew exactly what I was getting.  That detail is something most of the smaller online booksellers do not provide.

Next time a book catches my eye, search first, bid second.
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12 comments:

  1. NatholeonJuly 28, 2015 at 8:46 PM

    Great score! I love it when books appear that you had no idea existed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. GonsalvoJuly 28, 2015 at 9:28 PM

    I have all 5 of the component books, but I'd say if you got this nicer volume at well less than the sum of its parts, you need not feel too much $ pain!

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    Replies
    1. Jonathan FreitagJuly 29, 2015 at 5:41 AM

      Quite right. The book was still MUCH less than buying the five individual booklets. Hardcopy too!

      Delete
  3. DeanMJuly 29, 2015 at 8:24 AM

    That's a great looking compendium. I have a few of the books, but an all-in-one is nice.

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    Replies
    1. Jonathan FreitagJuly 29, 2015 at 12:46 PM

      It is nice to have multiple MAAs in one volume. Hardback makes it even better.

      Delete
  4. LasgunpackerJuly 29, 2015 at 1:12 PM

    I quite liked this book when I read it a couple of years ago, and it is quite the bargain compared to five £10 books (provided you want all five!)

    I wish that they did this for their other related books. I guess having them all with one author made it easier.

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    Replies
    1. Jonathan FreitagJuly 29, 2015 at 5:31 PM

      I like your overview of the book. It is a bargain when considering the cost of five individual titles.

      Osprey has combined a few other titles too. One I recall is the soldiers of the Revolution that contains (I believe) works from six Ospreys on the AWI. Three for the Brits and three for the Rebels.

      Delete
  5. Christopher(aka Axebreaker)July 29, 2015 at 1:24 PM

    Looks like a nice package. Wouldn't worry too much about not getting it cheaper.

    Christopher

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    1. Jonathan FreitagJuly 29, 2015 at 5:27 PM

      It does make a nice book with all of the terrific color plates.
      I paid a fair price. Actually, I thought I was getting a great bargain!

      Delete
  6. Ray RousellJuly 30, 2015 at 5:10 AM

    Didn't even know that Osprey amalgamated any of their books like this?? Still a great book though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jonathan FreitagJuly 30, 2015 at 5:50 AM

      Ray, I have seen a few other amalgamations but not this one.
      Nice surprise. Maybe there are others?

      Delete

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