SEVEN YEARS WAR

Anson’s Navy – Building a Fleet for Empire, 1744-1763, Brian Lavery. Looks at the Royal Navy during the period in which Anson was at its helm, showing how the more familiar navy of Nelson’s period began to emerge under Anson. Covers just about every aspect of naval life from the food to the dockyards, daily life on board to the major battles, to give a fascinating view of a Royal Navy that was significantly different to the one we are familiar with, but that was evolving into that more familiar one. (Read Full Review)

Lobositz to Leuthen - Horace St. Paul and the Campaigns of the Austrian Army in the Seven Years War 1756-57, Neil Cogswell. Meant as a series study of the military art, so includes orders of battle, extracts from other author's work, all pulled together in St. Paul's diaries, and describing some of the earliest campaigns of the Seven Years War. A valuabkle source for this period, giving us an educated outsider's view of some of the early battles and sieges of the Seven Years War, seen from a position close to the senior Austrian and Imperial armies (Read Full Review)

Montcalm's Crushing Blow - French and Indian Raids along New York's Oswego River 1756, René Chartrand. Looks at Montcalm's first campaign after arriving in Canada, the elimination of the British foothold on Lake Ontario. Covers two attacks - the destruction of Fort Bull on the vulnerable supply route to Oswego (before Montcalm's arrival), and Montcalm's impressive naval expedition and the resulting siege of Oswego. Includes plenty of valuable background information, as well as detailed accounts of the two brief sieges. [read full review]

British Army Uniforms from 1751 to 1783, Carl Franklin. A splendid visual guide to the uniforms of the British army during the period of the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence, with a full page of colour illustrations for each infantry, cavalry and guard regiment. A super guide for the modeller or painter, making it effortless to visualise each of the hundreds of units covered. [read full review]

The Battle of Quiberon Bay 1759, Nicholas Tracy. Written for the 250th anniversary of this battle, won at night, in a storm, and in a difficult bay on the French coast, Tracy looks at the wider context of a battle that ended a real threat of French invasion, with sections on the strategy of naval warfare in the period, the career of Admiral Hawke as well as on the battle itself [read full review]

The Seven Years' War (Essential Histories Series), Daniel Marston, 96 pages, Osprey, 2001. Part of Osprey's Essentail Histories Series, this volume attempts to give both a eyewitness view of the war and to explain the strategy followed by the major players in the war. As ever with Osprey, the book is well provided with maps and illustrations and is a good introduction to the Seven Years' War.

Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of the Empire in British North America, 1754 - 1766 , Fred Anderson, 880 pages, Faber and Faber 2001. The Seven Years' War had just as big an impact in North America as in Europe. Anderson concentrates on the North American aspects of the war, without ignoring the European background and has produced a work that makes clear that the Seven Years' War was more than just a prelude to the American war of Independence.

Captain Cook's War and Peace: The Royal Navy Years 1755-1768, John Robson. This interesting study fills a gap in our knowledge of Cook's career, and makes it very clear why he was chosen to command the Endeavour on her expedition into the Pacific, as well as providing a view of the Royal Navy in the period that saw it win command of the seas. [read full review]

Frederick the Great , Nancy Mitford, 224 pages, Hamish Hamilton, 1988. A classic work by a great biographer. A very well written biography that brings you close to one of the great figures of German history.