This particular edition is part of Osprey's 'Men at Arms' series and is on a subject that I would imagine few of us are familiar. The Mamelukes were a rather short lived unit in Napoleon's army and were basically a light cavalry. These men were remnants of the Ottoman Empire in Egypt that were there to defend the country when Napoleon invaded in 1799.

Their strengths were that they were fierce fighters and superb horsemen, just the sort of thing that any country would want in their service. When the French were forced out by the British, these men had no where to go so Napoleon invited as many as wanted to come to France. Quite a number did, bringing with them their families and settling in France. From there several units were formed and they fought in many of Napoleon's campaigns.

The author does a superb job of telling the story of these men and even manages to detail the wounds and injuries sustained in various battles. Their dress is just as much an intrigue as are their exploits and thanks to the outstanding illustrations of Patrice Courcelle, we are able to see the bewildering modes of dress that these men wore.

As with all of the books in this series, in-depth detail work on the various weapons and strategies used by the Mamelukes are fully covered. Much of what we know about their dress is thanks to the illustrators of the early 19th century who were as captivated as I'm sure you will be when you finish reading this book.

It is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and I'm sure you will agree with me. As with all of Osprey's efforts, this one is highly recommended.

March, 2006

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