An "Oldie" From 1970

Back when any decent form of reference work, in English, was very difficult to find for budding modeler's and wargamer's, René North published this delightful little book. "Military Uniforms 1686 to 1918" was certainly not encyclopedic, nor was it the last word on the subject. But it was a very well-done little "teaser", if you will, on the study of uniforms with some charming illustrations by John Berry (I believe a member artist of the Company of Military Historians). The book was published simultaneously in 1970 in the United States, Canada and the UK; by Grosset & Dunlap in the "colonies" and by Hamlyn Publishing in the UK. I'm not sure what the UK copy sold for, but the US copy originally retailed for $3.95, and I picked my copy up a couple of years later "remaindered" for a single dollar!

Imagine my surprise when this little gem from the past turned up on Scribd.com under their available downloads. For those not familiar, Scridb (with the "i" pronounced hard , as in "subscribe") is an online community, free to join, that allows users to both upload and download virtually any type of material. Educators use it for examples of papers, accountants for examples of balance sheets, and hobbyists for things like Msr. North's book as well as some Ospreys and others. Well worth checking out if you have some time to kill. The site is searchable and this book, along with the site, of course, can be found here. Now, if I could just find Henry Harris' old book on Model Soldiers and of course Garret's masterpiece.

Bill