Book Review, Armies of the Italian Wars of Unification 1848-70 (2)

      Osprey Men At Arms MAA520
      Armies of the Italian Wars of Unification 1848-70 (2)
      Author Gabriele Esposito 
      Artist Giuseppe Rava
      ISBN 978-1-4728-2624-4

      I had ordered this book through my local brick-and-mortar (Michigan Toy Soldier) after reading the first volume and was eagerly awaiting its arrival, I rushed down and purchased it as soon as they called saying it was in. To be honest I was slightly worried that it would not be as good as the first volume, how wrong I was. This slim volume traces the uniforms and organization of the armies of the Papal States and the various and sundry volunteers and minor states through the turbulent 22 year struggle for Italian Independence. Happily free from the usual horrid pastel maps that plague many Man At Arms volumes there is one small map delineating the States at the start of the Wars and a foreshortened chronology of events that only consumes two pages between them. The rest of the book is jam-packed with informative text and period illustrations.
      After addressing the national armies of the Papal States, the author guides the reader through the increasingly smalled nations of Tuscany, Modena and Parma before branching of into the incredibly convoluted array of volunteer, revolutionary and Republican troops. Esposito does this with a flowing style that keeps the ever-changing uniform and organizational situation clear in the reader's mind. Interspersed through the text margins are a very large number of period illustrations of the uniforms he is discussing. This helps greatly in providing the reader with a visualization of the the look of the uniforms in question.
       Bringing this vast amount of information to life is the inspired work of Giuseppe Rava. He captures an sense of energy, perspective and place in his artwork. The illustrations are precise without being formulaic and I would be delighted if a manufacturer would release minis that posses his eye for detail, proportion and energy. Well,, I'll be..... it seems that someone had already!

      Very highly Recommended!