This comprehensive and vivid history of Laos is an ideal introduction for tourists; business travelers; and students. Informative and portable; it chronicles the history of Laos from ancient times; when the dynastic states of the region waxed and waned; to the turmoil of the Vietnam War and independence from France. This guide investigates these key events under a new light and presents serious challenges to the conventional views about Laos’s intriguing history.
#1672929 in Books 2010-11-20 #File Name: 1858186129256 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Ground Breaking VolumeBy Dr Stephen SummerfieldPatricio Greve Moller and Claudio Fernandez Cerda (2010); Uniforms of the Pacific War 1879-1884 - the Land Campaigns; Partizan Press; NottinghamISBN: 978-1-85818-612-2Pages: 256 pages with 216 illustrations mostly in colour.Between 1879 and 1884; there were four campaigns between Chile; Peru and her ally Bolivia in some of the most challenging of terrains with such extremes in temperatures.This is a translation of the large format Spanish Language version with the title of "Uniformes de la Guerra del Pacifico 1879-1884" that was also published by Partizan Press in 2008. The translation team of Anne Farnsworth; Ron Poulter; Doriam Montana and Henry Hyde should be congratulated in their efforts in their sympathetic rendition.The layout has improved with the reduction in size in keeping with the growing range of book in the Partizan Prestige Format. The 80 computer generated colour plates depicting 197 different uniforms are among the best of this form of illustration that I have seen. [45 plates on the infantry and artillery: 15 plates on the cavalry: 11 on the flags; standards and standard bearers: 9 plates on musicians; ambulance; firemen; cantinera etc...] The information on the uniforms and the regiment is succinctly explained on the opposite page. The uniforms have been influenced especially the French of Napoleon III and the later republic up to the eve of the First World War. Others could have come out of the American Civil War or the Mexican Wars.These are supported by 74 period photos of which 14 were hand coloured at the time and 6 contemporary engravings / watercolours. The 54 photos of equipment; uniform details (buttons; cuffs; hats etc...) and weapons are useful to contrast with the colour illustrations.This ground breaking volume is highly recommended to anybody interested in the history of South America or the colonial / American Civil War / Mexican War or Franco-Prussian wargamer who is looking for a different challenge. There is currently only about half a dozen books in English covering these wars. The Spanish edition was heavily referenced and as stated on page 256; there was a conscious decision to omit the original reference list as it was not felt to be helpful to the English reader.
