Product Description
The Crimean War (1853-56) between Russia, Turkey, Britain, France and the Kingdom of Sardinia was a diplomatically preventable conflict for influence over an unstable Near and Middle East. It could have broken out in any decade between Napoleon and Wilhelm II; equally, it need never have occurred. In this masterly study, based on massive archival research, David Goldfrank argues that the European diplomatic roots of the war stretch far beyond the 'Eastern Question' itself, and shows how the domestic concerns of the participants contributed to the outbreak of hostilities. ... Read more

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The Crimean War (1854-1856) was the first to be fought in the era of modern communications, and it had a profound influence on British literary culture, bringing about significant shifts in perceptions of heroism and national identity. Stefanie Markovits explores how mid-Victorian writers and artists reacted to an unpopular war: one in which home-front reaction was conditioned by an unprecedented barrage of information arriving from the front. This history had formal consequences. How does patriotic poetry translate the blunders of the Crimea into verse? How does the shape of literary heroism adjust to a war that produced not only heroes but a heroine, Florence Nightingale? How does the predominant mode of journalism affect artistic representations of 'the real'? By looking at the journalism, novels, poetry, and visual art produced in response to the war, Stefanie Markovits demonstrates the tremendous cultural force of this relatively short conflict. ... Read more

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Although many Russian regiments of the Crimean War won much-deserved battle honours, the real heroes were the officers and men of the Black Sea Fleet, who for 349 days in improvised earthworks held a stronger and better-armed enemy at bay. Robert Thomas explores the tactics and organisation of the Russian army of the Crimean War, and some of the heroes that emerged, in a volume containing plenty of illustrations, including eight full page colour plates by Richard Scollins. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Russian Army of the Crime of Wars 1854-56 (Men-at-Harms)
I just saw The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) and they had Russian Army of the Crimean War 1854-56 in uniforms from 1912.What an insult.

This book is a good detail on what they were really wearing. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is a broad comprehensive photographic essay regarding surviving artefacts of the Crimean War, fought 150 years ago between Russia and the combined power of Britain, France, Sardinia and Turkey. The authors have spent nearly two years locating and photographing artefacts in national museums, regimental museums, and private collections throughout Great Britain and Ireland. Each artefact is presented as a highly detailed colour photograph, shot from various angles with the researcher in mind, coming alive from the page to the reader. Each photographic image is accompanied by detailed and informative text regarding physical properties, history, and specific origin. The photographs are catalogued under descriptive chapters introducing the British soldier's clothing, accoutrements, necessaries, camp equipment, and weapons, and each is accompanied by detailed and informative text regarding physical properties, history, and specific origin of the item. This definitive work will provide an invaluable resource for serious military researchers and historians. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Long overdue work on the Crimean War
Enjoyable book, well written and photographed.I'm primarily a button collector, esp. of Crimean War buttons, so was disappointed to not see any pages devoted to them.You've got to squint pretty hard to make some of them out in the shots and with so many British regiments having distinctive buttons, unlike many other wars, I'd like to have seen that.The introduction clearly states that they had to leave certain aspects of collectibles out, buttons included.That in mind, the authors then do exactly what they hoped to accomplish- the best photo essay of Crimean War uniforms ever done.It was a monumental tasking for Will and all to accomplish what they did and the text about the war in general is well done and a great summary for those not knowing much about this war other than the famous charge of the Light Bde.I'd love to see one of these days a follow-on to it covering all of the different bullets used during the war, the buttons, and other smaller items; but unless they do it, can't see anyone else undertaking it; too bad for me!Look forward to reading Will's two novels, one about the Crimean War and the other about the American Civil War. It warms the heart to see Will and all clearly so passionate about the Crimean War, seldom studied by Americans but one that did impact how we fought our own Civil War (few lessons from one carried over to the other).

A work of impeccable scholarship
The collaborative work of Will Hutchison, Michael Vice, and B.J. Small, "Crimean Memories: Artifacts Of The Crimean War" is a deftly assembled and superbly presented 272-page compendium of color photographs showcasing the uniforms, camp equipment, weaponry, accouterments, and miscellany of the British military engaged in the battlefields of the Crimean War. The informed and informative accompanying text provides context along with notating the history and origins of the items referenced and illustrated. Of special note is that several angles are offered providing an unusual visual depth for highlighted items, making "Crimean Memories" an impressive and reliable reference resource of military scholarship and novelists seeking historical accuracy for stories set with the context of the Crimean War. A work of impeccable scholarship, "Crimean Memories" is a seminal work of impressive merit and very strongly commended for both academic and community library Military History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

This is a marvelous photographic essay of the Crimean War
Reviewed by William Phenn for Reader Views (02/10)

What these men, Hutchison, Vice and Small, have done is amazing. I was in awe from the first high-quality page to the last. "Crimean Memories" is one of the most complete volumes of uniforms, weapons, badges and other artefacts of the Crimean War that I have ever seen. In the book, it says the authors spent nearly two years doing the research that went into this comprehensive book. The pictures are of such high quality that it would put Britannica to shame. The authors have scoured museums and books from many different sources and their tedious work paid off in a fine volume of knowledgeable art.

I was very impressed with the thoroughness of each of the descriptions. They were very detailed and included a bit of the history. This gave the pictures life and brought it all into perspective.
The way the book was compiled with all the different sections, makes it a convenient tool for any researcher. I found that I could easily access any item that I wanted to look up. This was a major plus because with its 349 pages, it would take forever to find a particular photo had it not been sectioned off in this way.

"Crimean Memories" is a fantastic book; the quality of the print, the excellent binding and especially the photographs and writing, all combined to form a top-shelf product. It is an impressive collector's piece that one can be proud to own and add to their library. I recommend this picture book of the Crimean War highly to old and young alike and gave it my highest rating of A+.

Fantastic Double-Play-History and Narrative
Crimean Memories takes you back in time to places not often reached.The magnificent color photography of the artifacts will stand by itself, but this book is far more than its consummate photographic art.It is packed full of poignant stories about these artifacts and the soldiers who used them.I was amazed - even at times dazzled by the splendor and clarity of the photographs, and moved by the stories behind the artifacts.My compliments to Will Hutchison on his photography and writing, and to his co-authors who produced this singularly attractive, yet studiously written academic work.

Must Have Book for Serious Collectors
A couple of respected colleagues of mine bought this book at the 29th Annual Chicago Toy Soldier Show and told me "you gotta have this book."They were right! Hutchison's photography is outstanding.The narrative is not the run of the mill sort, it's interesting and detailed.I was most impressed with the way the book brings a certain humanity to the photographed artifacts.The historical summary by Colin Robins is accurate and eloquent.One of the great aspects of the book is the collections that have never been photographed or even seen by the general public.Schiffer Publishing put the book out, so the high quality is a given.Although this is a "must have" book for military historians, collectors and artists, I believe anyone that picks it up will enjoy and appreciate the photography of the artifacts, and stories about the men that used those artifacts. I have been collecting for 28 years and have a ton of reference books, this one is now my favorite for my Brit projects. I highly recommend it. I also checked out Hutchison's other books, you might want to take a look at Follow Me To Glory and The Gettysburg Conspiracy. ... Read more

Product Description
Although the Crimean War is best-known for the Charge of the Light Brigade and other disasters, the author of this work concentrates on the lessons learned by the British army and the successful responses made to the difficult conditions encountered during the campaign. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A re-evaluation of the war from a British perspective.
I took a lot of time to read this thin volume.This is a reprint of a book published the the 1960s.It basically re-evaluates the British role in this war on the Crimean peninsula.It does show the Turks as a more gallant ally in the fight against the Russian Empire.It also gives due credit to the French and the Sardinians (Italians).

The book reviews the campaigns and why they were failures.It shows how both the French and British failed to take advantage of the Russians disorganization and capture the vital port.The British settled into a long siege, which also caused thousands of deaths from sickness.A truly terrible state existed in the siege compound.

This is an OK read about this war.It explained the war well, but was not a page turner. ... Read more

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Combining journalistic insight with historical hindsight, "The History of Modern Warfare" is an authoritative record of world military history from 1854 - the year in which photography was introduced into the battlefield - to the current day. Presented in a dramatic newspaper style and covering all major battles, from the Crimean War to the War on Terror, the book is packed with information on important developments as well as details about the personalities who influenced the outcomes of wars across the world. With its novel approach, "The History of Modern Warfare" will appeal to both the military enthusiast and the general reader looking for a comprehensive yet dramatic depiction of the campaigns and conflicts that have changed the face of the world since the beginning of the photographic era. Drawing on unique resources of original photographs, it allows the reader to experience warfare as it was lived. ... Read more

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Written by the leading authority in the field, this study offers a fresh account of the Crimean War in its widest European and World contexts. Arguing that the modernity of the Crimean War has consistently been overlooked in comparison to the American Civil War, while in fact many of the battlefield technologies used in the latter were developed in the former, Baumgart probes the conflict's key issues: its origins and diplomacy, the war aims of the combatants, the capacity and characteristics of their armies, and the nature of the fighting itself. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A world war?
The Crimean War was fought not just on the peninsula with that name.It extended deep in the European heart and fighting took place on the Pacific and the Baltic.Even in the Caribbean the clash of interest between the United States and the United Kingdom brought those nations close to a military engagement for the Mosquitia (Mosquito Coast in Central America, from Belize -formerly called British Honduras- passing through Honduras to Nicaragua). Wimfried Baumgart offers the best book I've read on the subject.Clear and concise, the text covers not only the military aspects of the war (where the famous charge of the British Light Brigade and the Russian defence of Sebastopol took place), but also the geopolitical factors that surrounded the conflict.British, French and Turkish fought the Russians, but American (who sided with the Russians) and Austrian, Swedish, Spanish and Prussian attitudes toward the conflict are also covered.A marvelous piece of history, this is an excelent read on a conflict which resembles a real World War. ... Read more

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General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1855Original Publisher: H.G. BohnSubjects: RussiaSoviet UnionHistory / Europe / EasternHistory / Europe / Russia ... Read more

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2004 marks the 150th anniversary of the Crimean War and this book covers the events from the complex causes of the war and the declaration of war by Turkey in 1853, through the involvement of Britain and France in 1854 and the war itself including the bloody battles of Alma, Balaclava and Inkermann to the declaration of peace in 1856. Unlike the vast majority of books on the war this story is told from both the Russian and British sides, giving a new and balances perspective on this famous and ill-fated conflict. It is the first ever Anglo-Russian book to be written on the Crimean War. The book contains rare photographs not seen before from Russian archives in Moscow and Simferopol. It has detailed accounts of the major battles such as Alma, Inkermann Balaclava and Tchernaya. The book also features modern battlefields photographs ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A frustrating read....
I picked up my copy of this weighty book with a great deal of expectation.I have always held an interest in the mid-19th century including the great conflicts of the Crimean War and the American Civil War.I hoped this work would provide a definitive history.

Undoubtedly well researched, the book makes good use of Russian sources to illustrate the experiences of the defenders of Sevastapol.Political entanglements that led to the war and ultimately dictated its peace are thoroughly detailed and discussed.

Nevertheless, for all its careful research, I found this book frustrating to read.The book manifests a number of problems that a good editor should have dealt with long before publication.Words are repeated in the same sentence, quotes and illustrative statments stand isolated in blocks of text without further explanation and anecdotal material is often awkwardly placed.The syntax is especially poor.An example from Chapter 4 -

"It was a scene superbly captured in the 1968 feature film, "The Charge of Light Brigade", which captured the spirit of the march - and its agonies - superbly."

Mistakes such as these would be frowned upon in an undergraduate paper.Far too many of them litter the book and detract from the narrative, making the work a difficult read.

The academic standard of the work is high and the use of Russian sources most welcome.With careful editing and closer proof reading this book could yet become the definitive work it aspires to be, and this makes it all the more frustrating to read in its present form.

If you are looking for academic study of the Crimean War, this book provides it.However, if you also enjoy a good read, you may lose paitience with this book before the end.

A well researched and authentic account.
Oh what images the Crimean War evokes and has evoked for 150 years. For myself, with scant knowledge of specific events, I well remember visiting the Officers Mess of the Royal Regiment of Wales some years ago where I stood for over an hour ignoring my hosts just gazing at the detail of the most outstanding piece of regimental silverware I have ever seen.Made of solid silver, the piece must have measured at least 3 feet by 2 feet and easily over 1 foot high. It depicted in full relief the Battle of Inkerman and showed those attacking and those defending that strategic hill.It was simply called "The Inkerman Piece."

Elsewhere, those with a far greater knowledge of the Crimean War have acclaimed this book as a great work. Of course, only those who have studied the subject in great detail can vouch for the accuracy of the content.Personally, I have taken note of the fact that the Bibliography alone runs to 7 pages and have also taken a close look at the authors and the qualifications and background they bring to the work. In this case it is very impressive.

Ian Fletcher was born in London in 1957 and comes to this work as the author of 17 books and editor of several more.His list of credits is impressive by any standards; Member of the British Commission for Military History, Fellow of the International Napoleonic Society, he also runs battlefield tours specialising in pre-20th century military history and is often found escorting clients to the Iberian Peninsular, Waterloo and the Crimea.

Natalia Ishchenko's credits are equally impressive; Born in the Crimea, she graduated from Taurida National V. I. Vernadsky University and obtained he PhD in Philology in 1989. Today she is an assistant professor at her old university and author of over 40 works encompassing literary, historical and cultural studies.

In short, these two people know their subject and have formed the perfect partnership for producing such a book. On top of all that - and in spite of the passing of 150 years since the Crimean War, the book is described by the no less a person than the Prime Minister of the present day Crimean republic as "The first accomplished mutual investigation of the events of the Crimean War of 1853-1856."

I do believe, therefore, this book will come to be seen as a great literary work - in addition to being a damned good read. It should, therefore, be seen as required reading for all those with an interest in the Crimean War in addition to anyone else who enjoys a fine read on a factual subject.

NM

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Customer Reviews (1)

An O.K. book
Overall, I would say that I was disappointed in this book.

Predominantly, this book is about the diplomacy between England, France, and Russia.The desciptions of the battles were brief, and mostly seemed to frame the diplomatic discussions.Much of the book was hard to follow as the author introduced diplomats and political leaders throughout the book.It was hard to keep track of who was important and who was only going to show up for a page or 2.

If you are intersted in the Crimean War, I would recommend a different book. ... Read more

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Product Description
This Dictionary is an excellent window into the political, national, and military intrigue that surrounded one of the most costly campaigns of all time. Includes a chronology, maps, and a comprehensive bibliography full of primary sources, as well as classic sources and histories that will allow researchers to trace the changing perception of the war through history. ... Read more

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'Of the soldiers of the world-the Zouaves are the first and bravest'

This is a rare and unusual account compiled principally from the writings of Cler, who became a General of the French Army and who fell in battle at Magenta. The book concerns his earlier career and the experiences, campaigns and battles of his beloved regiment of Zouaves during their campaigns against the hostile tribes of colonial French North Africa, and afterwards during the gruelling Crimean War. The Zouave style has been often emulated-particularly during the American Civil War-but these troops, the original Zouave regiments, held a long tradition as a corps d'elite within the Imperial French Army. They had a reputation for the finest standards of soldiering to uphold and this sense of élan was never absent from every single member of the regiment. Bravery and aggression was a prerequisite and the worst of punishments was to be left out of the attack. Equally, this was a unit that ensured they were the most comfortable in camp. This is a story of consummate soldiers at war and is a fascinating insight into the mid-nineteenth century wars of a continental European power. ... Read more

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In March 1854, a British army of 30,000 men sailed for the Crimea to defend the crumbling Turkish empire from Russia. It was led by Lord Raglan, a verteran of Waterloo. The campaign quickly degenerated into a series of military disasters caused by incompetence at the highest level, bitter personal rivalries among the divisional commanders and inadequacies of transport, clothing and military and medical supplies. To enable to the British government to survive, Raglan was made the scapegoat. This text presents the story of the tragic campaign. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Must-read Military Biography and History
The Crimean War brought the armies of Britain, France, Turkey, Russia, and eventually Sardinia (Italy) to fight on the shores of the Black Sea's Crimean Peninsula.One product of this conflict was the creation of tens of thousands of letters, personal memoirs, official histories, and modern accounts of the battles and the related war that today fill the shelves of the world's libraries, archives, and perhaps even today its attics.

This resulted in great part not only from the efforts of Mr. Russell of The London Times, the first modern war correspondent, and his colleagues, but also from the many literate veterans of this conflict, especially from England.The Crimean War was probably the first war to produce so many accounts from the soldiers in the ranks instead of just the army commanders and senior officers.With such raw material to work with it is little wonder that the library on the Crimean War has continued to grow as historians continued to work through it.

Over his career, historian Christopher Hibbert has written many excellent works recounting the history and/or biography of places, events, and individuals both British and non-British. He presented his contribution on the Crimean war in 1961 in the form of this biography/military history centered upon the role the of the British Army's Commander, Lord Raglan, before and during the war in the Crimea.Curiously, Hibbert's book appeared at about the time that I first read Cecil Woodham-Smith's "The Reason Why" and discovered the body of scholarship on this conflict that was relatively forgotten and unknown in the United States at that time.Woodham-Smith's work was an important contribution to scholarship and popular literature on the war, first published in 1953, and telling the story of the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava (immortalized in Longfellow's poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade).

I really regret that it took me this long to discover Hibbert's book because having finally read it I consider "The Destruction of Lord Raglan" to be one of the best English-language histories of the Crimean War.If you want to study this conflict, you have to include `Lord Raglan' in your readings.Published almost 50 years ago, Hibbert's work obviously does not reflect the scholarship of recent years.However, he was the first author to make extensive use of Lord Raglan's own correspondence and papers in both the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle, but also those held at the Royal United Services Institute.In his acknowledgements, the author makes further note of the many other sources upon which he drew in researching Lord Raglan and the Crimean War.The Sources listed in the published work extend for almost eight pages and include English, French, and Russian language sources.

Christopher Hibbert writes that no one interested in learning and writing about the Crimean War can avoid W.A. Kinglake's masterful nine volume history, "The Invasion of the Crimea," published 1877-1888.Having discovered "The Destruction of Lord Raglan," I would dare to amend his advice to add, "nor can the serious student of this conflict ignore Christopher Hibbert's "The Destruction of Lord Raglan."

Outstanding account of largely forgotten events
Hibbert does an excellent job covering the British role in the Crimean War.He provides clear insight into the poor state of the British army at the time, the strategic and tactical considerations and dilemmas of the Crimean campaign, and the delicate diplomacy involved in maintaining a coalition of Brits, French, and Turks.His accounts of the battles of Balaclava and Inkerman are particularly engrossing and he sensitively conveys the confusion and waste of both battles.As the title suggests, the central figure in the book is Lord Raglan, whose reputation was battered by the war.Hibbert cogently and convincingly argues that, while Raglan's staid personality was not ideal for his role, he was in fact a diligent and conscientious commander who was in an impossible position. ... Read more

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It is 1855 and the Crimean War is raging. Lost and hungry, young orphan boy Omar is found by Mary Seacole. Like Florence Nightingale, Mary has gone to the Crimea to nurse the soldiers. Risking her life, and with Omar's assistance, she goes to the battle front to tend the wounded and dying. From Mary, Omar learns about real bravery - and forgiveness. ... Read more