Staying Busy ...

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Due to my constant checking of Napoleonic related items for sale on Amazon, that site will, on occasion, send me an email with recommendations. Most are not really interesting, some are.

The two books shown above were most definitely something I was interested in. The price of the book on the left was somewhat off-putting so I decided to sleep on it. (Not the book itself, but the idea of buying the book.)

The next day I awakened and decided that both books fell into the category of "must have." So I ordered them, they arrived Monday eve. I was not disappointed.

The book on the right was about what I expected, a number of diagrams, cool drawings, and a nice overview of the topic. it's really the drawings which made it worth the price. (I'm still looking for the drill manual used by Napoléon's army, I have a couple of leads.)

After receiving the book on the right, I was ecstatic for two reasons. Firstly, though I paid a pretty price for it the Amazon price was quite a bit lower than the price listed on the book itself. (I used some Amazon points as well, which helped.)

Seventy-five dollars, list price. I paid about two-thirds of that. Having seen the book, would I have paid full price for it knowing the content?

Why yes, yes I would.

The second reason was - the book has all the sorts of little uniform and equipment details that I am absolutely enthralled by.

Par exemple -

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While this is the kind of thing that my old history professor at Colorado State would have termed "historical minutiae," it's the kind of little detail which brings history to life for me. He understood that, he just didn't care for the types of historians who could cite detail after detail for this sort of thing but had no idea of the "big picture."

The book talks about what happened to the French army after Napoléon's first abdication, which is important to understand why the army at Waterloo had its issues, It talks of many things (like even how many horses the cavalry regiments were short of!), things which I shall devour, when I have the time.

For a trip to Maryland is in the offing!

It's high time I met my youngest grandson and that opportunity has presented itself. I'm due for a spot of leave and I aim to celebrate the conclusion of my 70th trip about the sun in conjunction with meeting the littlest member of my tribe in person.

Yes, I'm bringing my laptop and hope to continue the novel while ensconced in the comfort of Chez Nuke et Tuttle in the woods on the banks of the South River, down Annapolis way. Doesn't mean that I'm taking the rest of this week off either, not by any means.

Just that I've been a little busy with the paying gig and, well, perusing new books. So it's two "Short Burst" posts in a row. As any MG crewman will tell you, short bursts are best for accuracy and to extend barrel life. Not that my brain is overheating or anything (well, it is, a little), but sometimes it's hard to be creative when one is busy with multiple endeavors.

Anyhoo, that's my excuse ...

Ciao!