When this book appeared in the mails along with a number of 'standard' Osprey titles, I wasn't really sure just what to think about it. However, I'm always willing to give things a go and so I sat down one evening and read it.

What Osprey provides is an introduction that includes the main players, a background of the conflict and a more detailed look at the weapons that were involved. At the end we get how the event was important and the aftermath. There is a glossary and where to go for more information.

The major part of the book is the preamble to the battle and the battle itself. Most of us know about the Monitor and the Virginia, yet this book tells it in a way that not only does not scrimp on factual details, but offers us an idea of just what the battles were like. More than one can get from just prose.

While I have the feeling that this book is aimed at the younger market, it also has a place with those of us who have read quite a bit on the subject. I have to say that when I started I was somewhat skeptical about the genre, but I think that it has a place in our libraries. This is especially true if you have youngsters in the house and want them to get interested in history. Like other Osprey titles, this is one you can buy with confidence.

February 2007

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