Tuesday 19 August 2008

I WON!!!!



A while ago the delightful tz at Zimmerhouse recently ran a competition to name her regular Friday slot. The prize was to be a book that she thought the winner would enjoy.


To my utter astonishment I WON!


So, what book did tz choose for me?


Was I pleased with her choice?

I should say so!

I have never seen this book before, but it fits in perfectly with my interest in military history. In the past I have played some of the battles described in this book as wargames with my toy soldiers - Gettysburg and Shiloh at least, probably more.

So, what is the book like?

It is great! For each of the chosen battles, it describes the background behind it, what each army was trying to achieve, etc, a detailed and beautifully written account of the battle, an explanation of why the result of the battle was important and, finally, what you will find of you visit the battlefield now! What more could you want? Well perhaps a detailed list of which regiments were at each battle and how many men were in them at the time - but no, this is not what most readers will want, and this sort of thing is worth a book in its own right, which I happen to own already!

So, thank you so much, tz! I only hope that my choice of prize for my 888 competition is as good!

22 comments:

Ali said...

Congratulations! You definitely look pleased :)

Teresa said...

John, you can't go wrong with shoes or diamonds...I'm just sayin...


LOL!!

Claire said...

I will never forget when we took the kids to Gettysburg and they have park rangers (who I really believe are professional actors!) tell you the stories of the battles at each place you go to - truly unforgettable - it is an amazing place to tour.

Rock Chef said...

Ali - Thanks, glad the photo shows HOW happy I am!

Teresa - What size are your feet?

Claire - Gettysburg is one that I really must get to. I have a half baked plan to get there for the 150th anniversary in 5 years time.

Anonymous said...

That book looks awesome! I'm not much of a war buff, but I have always been fascinated with the Civil War. (Probably because it was romanticized in "Gone with the Wind.")

Congrats on your prize!

Anonymous said...

P.S. I like the new look! Are you going to keep the facial hair?

tz said...

oh yay...so glad you liked it! We were recently in the area but didn't make it to Gettysburg...next visit...

Marie said...

Congratulations! Hope you enjoy the book.

Reggie Hunnicutt said...

My great, great grandfather fought at Gettysburg. He was about 14. My mother remembers "Grandpa".

I have his Gettysburg 50 year reunion pin and pictures.

Of course he found on the Confederate side.

Jack and Jill said...

Love that you have toy soldiers.

Rock Chef said...

Terri - For a really good Civil War movie you must see Glory with Matthew Broderick and Denzel Washington. The facial hair comes and goes at the moment - might let it grow to keep me warm in the winter...

tz - Thanks for the book - I am really enjoying reading it!

Marie - Thanks. It really is a good book.

m said...

Is there any romance involved, though?!?

Rock Chef said...

Reggie - Hi! That is cool! Now the nerd in me is wondering what regiment he was in...

Jack and Jill - Hi! Yes, I have lots of them. I am now getting the urge to revamp my ACW collection which has been in boxes for too many years.

Rock Chef said...

Mindy - No, and no puppies either. Sorry. ;-)

Jenelle said...

I was awed by Gettysburg at 16 and can't imagine the impact it would have now. I love the era and the stories that come from the civil war era. Loved Glory, North & South, and most everything else I've seen and read.

Your book might be a bit of a stretch for a read for me, but looks like TZ found the perfect fit for you!

Reggie Hunnicutt said...

Not sure about my GG garndfather I mentioned previously but on my father's side was Private Fabius Watson Hunnicutt, Company I, 41st Regiment.

He was a Calvary man from Wake county in Raleigh, NC. He brought his own horse and tack and was paid $15 (Confederate) for it.

I am a member of the SCV (Sons of Confederate Veterans)

I have all of Fabius's records including Muster Calls and his signed pledge of alliance to the US.

All interesting stuff.

I can see you may have a road trip to the US south in your future.

Reg

James said...

That is a cool book John
tz you don't know what you may have done.....it only takes a book like that to send one of us wargamers over the edge into a new (expensive) project.

John how about the new Perry ACW plastics? If you were going that route I might be willing to go halves on boxes with you...

James said...

Oh something else the head guide at the Gettysburg site is a BLOGGER! He made "blogs of note" a while back and I made a written note of his blog but have since lost it. He is an intelligent guy and his blog is interesting.

Rock Chef said...

Jenelle - Military writers are not usually very good at telling stories, but this guy is great. I really would recommend that you at least check it out at a book shop if you are thinking of going to any of these places in the future.

Reggie - Fascinating stuff - I am going to be keeping a look out for the 41st now!

James - I already have a load of 10mm from years ago, long before 10mm became fashionable. They need a bit of sorting out but they are lovely little figures. I like the look of the plastics but am put off by having to buy mega expensive metal stuff to complete the armies.

Um Naief said...

congrats!!

when i was a young girl and in grade school, our class would visit different battle grounds. i used to imagine the battles, the men dying and what it must have looked like. i had a very vivid imagination in those days... now, not sure that i'd find it so interesting.

Claire said...

Glory was a movie that I went and sat all alone in my living room after viewing - and cried.
I can't believe that I live in SC and 2 hrs. from Charleston sometimes - the history is unbelievable when you stop and let yourself think about it.

Sitting In Silence said...

Congratulations...What a great photo of you.....so glad you won and love the book...

Enjoy !
xoxox