John Kettler Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Back when I was in high school, long before there was even an Internet, I somehow discovered Hamilton Books, whose catalog was a mailed newsprint marvel akin to some of those community guides you find in coffee shops and such. It was overflowing with a world I knew nothing of, drastically discounted books covering strange and wonderful topics. I seldom had money for books, since I was funding a nascent hobby business in my home (zoned residential and commercial), but I was able to make some stellar purchases to include Sir Ralph Payne-Galleys amazing book on the crossbow, the Turkish bow and catapults and ballistas, to include the full scale working models he built himself. That was then. Lots of life intervened, and Hamilton Books and I parted ways. Until recently. About a month ago, the connection was renewed, thanks to a friend who gets a slew of general and specialty catalogs from them, with whole catalogs devoted to WW II. Even more exciting, if you pay by check, you can order an actual ton (and I mean real world 2000 lbs) of books and pay just $3.50 for shipping and handling! Which brings me to Kursk. Recently, there's been a lot of discussion on this subject, with the work of Glantz and House, Zamulin, Nipe and others gone into. Enter my friend, who just the other night was going on about a Kursk book in his Hamilton WW II catalog. It so happened that the other day, I'd gotten the Military History catalog from Hamilton, thanks to his good offices. You see, Hamilton has a logical policy. If you don't buy something after you get a catalog, you get dropped from the mailing list. He arranged to have a catalog sent to me, after I dropped the ball before. So, not hopeful, I dug through my new, exciting and maddening catalog (as in, send me practically everything). and there was the Kursk book. The Battle of the Tanks: Kursk 1943, by Lloyd Clark, in hardcover. Did a little research and found that it'd greatly impressed a Walter Showalter, himself the author of a major Kursk study. Amazon revealed several more Kursk books I'd never heard of. Gulp. Back to the Clark book. Not only was it highly rated, but it had a bunch of first-person accounts from the men who were there, set in the larger context of the War in the East. $30 hardback for $9.95, when Amazon's discounted price for the $17.95 paperback was $13.90 + shipping. Doomed! Doomed, I say! Anyone here read the Clark book? If so, what did you think of it? This is but one of a host of books (and I do mean a host) available which will gladden your martial hearts (dozens of books on the Eastern Front alone in my small catalog, everything from one tank to grand strategy), torpedo your wallets and maketh your floors to groaneth under the load of your bookcases. This would be the ruin I mentioned! If you want to stretch your library and viewing dollar to amazing limits (haven't discussed the clearances for as little as a buck, if memory serves), you owe it to yourselves to check out (Edward R.) HamiltonBook online and get on the catalog mailing list. You can order online, but a high tech credit card is costing to cost you an upcharge plus a per book shipping fee. Go snail mail! As a bonus, the work of Harry Yeide, one of our own, is there. Yes, glorious groggery (and goodies for significant others) there for the taking, at a relative pittance. but be warned, herein lies madness! But such madness should be shared, right? Mind, you're responsible for balancing acquisitive instincts against things like rent/mortgage, food, utilities, relationships and the ever important Fund for Propitiating the Wargaming Gods AKA funding your next BFC wargame! In closing, I hope I've conveyed my mind-expanding experience with Hamilton, my excitement at reconnecting, the splendid possibilities for expanding my/your/our military libraries and the savings to be had, but done so without offending the Dread (Lunar) Lord of Forum Violations! There are no commercial links, I didn't include the catalog number for the Kursk book, and the pricing info I provided was for comparative and illustrative purposes for books and shipping only. (Crosses fingers, toes and other appendages and hits Submit New Thread button). Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted September 18, 2013 Author Share Posted September 18, 2013 Clearly, the universe has a sense of humor. Turns out I was talking about the wrong Kursk book. The one he had in mind was by Oechsler and Stoeker and was marked down from (gasp, wheeze) $200 to a mere $79.95! Also, this thing must've escaped from some black program, for I so far can't find it using a direct search under the title and authors. The title? The World Changed at Kursk. My friend now thinks the presumptive book may be some sort of private study, unpublished academic work or such. And to think, I thought THUNDER AT PROKHOROVKA: A Combat History of Operation Citadel, Kursk, July 1943 Hardcover – September 1, 2013 by David Schranck (Author) "Besides an extensive text, the book's key strength is its mapping - 32 full-page color maps are accompanied by 7 large foldout sheets of maps, also in color. Together these specially commissioned maps provide a remarkably detailed guide to the combat operations." was horribly expensive ($57.39 on Amazon, down from $79.95 list)! The latter is so new (released this month), there's no customer review up yet. Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wodin Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 Three books I have my eye on. The Stalingrad Cauldron: Inside the Encirclement and Destruction of the 6th Army (Modern War Studies) by Frank Ellis Death of the Wehrmacht: The German Campaigns of 1942 (Modern War Studies) by Robert M. Citino The Wehrmacht Retreats: Fighting a Lost War, 1943 (Modern War Studies) by Robert M. Citino 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron Jacquinot Posted September 19, 2013 Share Posted September 19, 2013 Some times ago I read Russian book about what really happens at Prokhorovka. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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