Book Review

Agincourt: A Novel by Bernard Cornwell

One of the most important battles of the middle ages.

Often, the best way to learn history is by reading a good historical novel. History books can be useful to provide facts about the past, but they can often be dry and boring to read. By weaving an interesting story around the historical facts, the historical novelist can make it easier for the reader to learn the history while including the texture and feeling of the historical period. Bernard Cornwell is a master at creating such historical novels. He can make you feel like you are experiencing life in 15th century England and France, while he keeps you on the edge of your seat with interesting action and plot twists throught the book

The battle of Agincourt (the French spell it Azincourt) is a classic example of the importance of leadership in combat. A large, well armed French force was defeated by a much smaller English army in a field near a place called Azincourt in France in the year 1415. King Henry V of England provided the leadership and logistic organization that enabled a small force to prevail over a much larger enemy. Almost two hundred years after the battle of Agincourt, William Shakespeare immortalized Henry's leadership in his play Henry V. One of the most memorable parts of that play is the speech given on St. Crispin's day, sometimes known as the band of brothers speech. A part of that speech contains the following:

	
	This story shall the good man teach his son;
	And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
	From this day to the ending of the world,
	But we in it shall be remembered-
	We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
	For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
	Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
	This day shall gentle his condition;
	And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
	Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
	And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
	That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
	
	

No one understands the bond of brotherhood that forms between men who fought togeter in combat better than those who actually experienced such combat. But, this story woven by Bernard Cornwell provides as close an understanding as it is possible to convey through the written word. The story is told through the experiences of Nicholas Hook, a young English archer who fought in the Agincourt battle, as well as in other battles and adventures leading up to that famous battle.

In addition to Henry V's leadership compared to the disorganized and decentralized leadership of the French, one of the decisive factors in the battle of Agincourt was the employment of large numbers of English archers with skill in the use of the English long bow. While the French employed large numbers of cross-bows, which could fire as accurately and as far as the long bow, the cross bows could not come close to matching the superior rate of fire of the English long bowmen.

For a historically accurate, and very interesting story about combat in the 15th century, read Agincourt: A Novel . You won't be disappointed. Get a copy from Amazon today!

Books

This website is based on the US Army Field Manual: "Map Reading and Land Navigation" Buy a copy from Amazon.com to take with you out in the field.

Book Review - Be Expert with Map and Compass

One of the best ways to learn and become proficient in any subject is to find a way to make a game or sport of it. That's exactly what orienteering does! Orienteering began to develop almost 100 years ago in the Scandinavian countries as a fun and effective method for military training in land navigation. Bjorn Kjellstrom was closely involved with the early development of orienteering, and he is the person who introduced the sport to North America. He, along with his brother Alvar, and a friend named Gunnar Tillander, invented the modern orienteering compass. They manufactured and marketed it as the Silva Protractor compass. This compass, along with Bjorn's book Be Expert with Map and Compass, made it much easier for anyone to learn how to use a map and compass.

This book has become the most widely read classic on the subject of map reading, compass use, and orienteering. Over 500,000 copies have been sold in the english language editions alone. There have been very successful editions published in French, Italian, and other languages as well. It is a short (just over 200 pages), easy to read, enjoyable book that can help you to have fun while you learn the subject quickly and effectively.

The book is organized into four main parts, plus a short, useful introduction. Part 1 covers having fun with maps alone. Then, Part 2 covers having fun with a compass alone. Part 3 puts it together and shows you how to have fun with a map and compass together. This section also introduces the game or sport of orienteering. Part 4 covers competitive orienteering for those who would like to compete with others in the sport.

A reproduction of a segment of an actual topographic map is included as a fold-out in the back of the book. It is used together with the "how-to" instructions the book provides. For example, one of the exercises in Part 3 is an imaginary orienteering "hike" that uses the sample map.