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Osprey, Catalaunian Fields: 451 AD
#3
Hi Evan - interesting review. Can I suggest, though, that you add an extra star to your review rating? Whatever you thought of the author's interpretation, you clearly engaged with the book and found it stimulating.

Osprey are a popular commercial publisher, not an academic press. They have a tight publication schedule, and commission books they think are going to sell. Books sell well when they get good reviews on Amazon (amongst other factors!) They tend not to sell well when they don't. So if you'd like to see more titles about the later Roman period (for example) it's a good idea to give a decent review rating, then add your more critical comments in the review itself.

These Osprey books also have a very limited format, and the authors necessarily have to condense their work. Often there's no space to give the full spectrum of current opinion on any given subject. In general, I'd say it's better to assume that the author has read all the available sources and evidence, even if their interpretation of it differs from your own. Suggesting that they've failed to read, or to understand, X or Y recent study is unlikely to elicit much more than authorial annoyance! Wink
Nathan Ross
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Osprey, Catalaunian Fields: 451 AD - by Nathan Ross - 09-23-2015, 10:47 AM

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