Steampunk Soldiers: Uniforms & Weapons from the Age of Steam(Dark Osprey)

Between 1887 and 1895, the British art student Miles Vandercroft travelled around the world, sketching and painting the soldiers of the countries through which he passed. In this age of dramatic technological advancement, Vandercroft was fascinated by how the rise of steam technology at the start of the American Civil War had transformed warfare and the role of the fighting man. This volume collects all of Vandercroft's surviving paintings, along with his associated commentary on the specific military units he encountered. It is a unique pictorial guide to the last great era of bright and colourful uniforms, as well as an important historical study of the variety of steam-powered weaponry and equipment that abounded in the days before the Great War of the Worlds.

Table of Contents:
Introduction /The Great Powers: Great Britain, French Republic, German Empire, Empire of All Russias, Austria-Hungary, The Union, The Confederacy, Kingdom of Italy, Japan /The Minor Powers: Balkans, Southern Europe, Northern Europe, Americas, Asia

About the Author :
Philip Smith is a lifelong historical enthusiast, and has carried his interest through an undergraduate degree at Lincoln College, Oxford, and into his career as an editor, where he specializes in military history and tabletop wargaming. Joseph A McCullough is the author of several non-fiction books including A Pocket History of Ireland and Osprey’s Zombies: A Hunter’s Guide. In addition, his fantasy short stories have appeared in various books and magazines such as Black Gate, Lords of Swords, and Adventure Mystery Tales. He also co-wrote The Grey Mountains, a supplement for the Middle-Earth Role-Playing game.

Review :
"Truly imaginative entries, with a lot of thought given to how their particular cultures made war in our world, and how they might have done so with steampunk technology. Some of them are a little wilder than others (the Shaolin monk in the bamboo exoskeleton and the Scottish highlander in bagpipe equipped steam armor, to name two), but that's par for the course when it comes to steampunk. For the most part, though, our steampunk combatants skew toward the grittier end of science fiction, and some of them are downright menacing. This is just that good of a book, and I strongly recommend you buy it." --Matt Staggs, Suvudu "This is a wonderful idea and so well executed: an alternate history modern world finding a 'lost' set of illustrations from the 'era of steampunk, ' showing military uniforms of various countries. The true star here is the layout and illustration work. This is very beautifully presented. Authenticity to actual military uniform books is adhered to religiously (almost amusingly) and yet there are treats throughout. This isn't a romantic view of steampunk with ladies in bustle dresses--it's all soldiers with pseudo futuristic weapons, armor, accessories, or other equipment. In all, this is a great book for historical or steampunk fans. It's an alternate universe presented in a stunning graphical format that really works. Huge kudos to the authors and illustrators!" --Online Eccentric Librarian "The book has cracking illustrations, top notch written descriptions and all round I something that can be easily accessed if you're looking for something novel to help boost your thoughts. To have it all collected into this one cracking volume will add numerous option for all manner of readers and to be honest, as a writer give you something that is going to be ideal in helping to visualise an epic Steampunk war alongside the chance to create a hero to rival the times." --Falcata Times