Tuesday, 6 December 2011

Archibald Forbes and the War of 1877


The man himself - from a caricature in Vanity Fair

I am currently reading, via my ebook reader, Czar and Sultan by Archibald Forbes. It is an account of the Russo Turkish War of 1877 and is a cracking read. Aside from the enthralling story (I will not give anything away as you can download the same for free) it is a subject of much personal interest and with many ideas I shall incorporate into the ongoing saga of Fezia and Rusland. A brief overview of the life of this fascinating gentlemen can be found here Archibald Forbes and he certainly 'got around' in his role as a War Correspondent. During 1877 he covered the war from the Russian side and was present at most of the major actions. The book is available to download at czarsultan and it comes with my most definite recommendation!


Archibald Forbes and a random selection of Eastern European types 

Reading this book has made me realise just what a boon having an electronic reader is (mine is the Sony PRS 600) as many books that would be hard to get hold of in paper form can be obtained, with a little digging, via the net. Don't misunderstand me - it will never replace the sheer delight in buying and reading a good book (and as students of military/naval history we all read a lot of books about our chosen interest) but from a convenience perspective and for the ability to be able to access those hard to find titles it is a blessing.
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4 comments:

  1. Conrad Kinch6 December 2011 at 12:10

    I've resisted the ereader so far. It would feel like a betrayal of the old dead tree and ink method.

    Forbes is always fun. I am a big fan of his "Battles of the Nineteenth Century". I have five volumes of the seven and they are well worth the read.

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  2. Peter Douglas6 December 2011 at 13:04

    DC

    HAve you downloaded the older editions of Brassey's Naval Annual yet? There's several on line.

    PD

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  3. David Crook6 December 2011 at 20:11

    Hi CK,

    It was a jump for me to cross the technological divide but I am very pleased I did. I shall have to see if I can find the series you mentioned - Czar and Sultan is a cracking read and very inspirational.

    All the best,

    DC

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  4. David Crook6 December 2011 at 20:14

    Hi Peter,

    I was not aware of that but will make it my next mission for sure! Many thanks for the heads up!

    All the best,

    DC

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