I admit to being somewhat uneducated when it comes to the Napoleonic period. But one thing I do know is that this period of time was probably the most colorful when it comes to uniforms and equipment used by soldiers; something that continued up until the early 20th century.

To the uninitiated, the bewildering display of colors and designs of the uniforms of the French Army under Napoleon can be quite confusing. It is a subject that has been debated for a considerable amount of time and is the subject of many books. This one from Historie & Collections covers the livery of the 9th to 14th Regiments from 1804-1812 as well as those of the The Hundred Days and The Restoration.

There is a short introduction to the period and then we get into the units and uniforms themselves. This means page after page of superbly and clearly drawn illustrations of each of the uniforms of the unit in question. This means you get illustrations of every major rank from standard soldier through the officer ranks.. Both side and front views of each of the uniforms is provided as well as mounted profiles as you can see from the front cover illustrations.

The author has done an excellent job of providing this material in a manner that is easy to understand and the book makes a superb reference without breaking the bank. It is a book that anyone with an interest in the period cannot do without. It is especially useful for model makers and wargamers who want their figures to be absolutely correct. It is a book I found to be a more interesting read than I'd originally thought and one that I can recommend to you without reservation.

December 2007

Review book courtesy of  Casemate Publishing, where you can order your copy of this and many other superb books.

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