I recently acquired this book - Mr. Kipling's Army by Byron Farwell. My mind was made up after I read the following reviews at Amazon. What is our members' opinion? ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mr. Kipling's Army by Byron Farwell Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication Date: 1987-08 ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0393304442 ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780393304442 Paperback -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Readers' Reviews: 1 - A Gem As an unrepentent Anglophile and devoted reader of anything to do with British military history, I have no idea how I could have missed this marvelous volume over all the years since its publication. Treating with the British Army during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, Farwell tells his story with clarity, sympathy, and a fair measure of entirely appropriate humor, portraying the petty prejudices and fusty foibles of the army with rich anecdotes and personal recollections. Wellington on more than one occasion referred to his men as "the scum of the earth" and they called him "that hookedy-nosed Old Bastard", but that "scum" and their successors in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were seldom found wanting for either courage or fighting ability and were regarded by most other nations as man-for-man the best soldiers in the world. The British Army that necessarily evolved during the First World War may have emerged from that conflict better educated, better trained, and perhaps even better led than their forebears, but the blood shed in the trenches washed away many of the traditions and, for lack of a better term, charm, of the "Old Army", the qualities lovingly portrayed in this too-short work. Read this book alone or in conjunction with the equally delightful "Redcoat" by Richard Holmes which comes at the same subject from another angle and covers a broader span of time. Both are extremely well-written, uniquely informative, and "musts" for any British military library; I'm only sorry it took me so long to add Farwell's to mine. 2 A Good Tribute the The Widows Army If your interest is that you want to know a lot about the Tommy Atkins & his Officers. That and of the various ways & units he lived in and fought with then go no further. Its a fine story and worth the time. 3 Be Prepared--You Will Captured by "Mr. Kipling's Army" A superb book. Superb, highly entertaining stories on the pre-World War I British Army covering subjects as diverse as discipline, officers, enlisted men, religion, women (there were few of them-wives, sweethearts, prostitutes), drink (there was way too much of that), the importance of regimental loyalty,-see chapter titles for a full list. This does for the British army of the later 19th century what Don Rickey's FORTY MILES A DAY ON BEANS AND HAY accomplished for the American frontier army but is far more readable and enjoyable. One drawback to the book--there are no footnotes or bibliography. 4 An Eccentric View of The Victorian Army This book provides a comprehensive survey of the Victorian army during the height of the Great British Empire. Mr. Farwell is something of an expert on this period and his lucid writing is a joy to read. The book brings out the many varied living conditions that existed in the British army of that time. This is more social history than pure military fare, but don't let that discourage the perspective reader. This is not dry stuff about living conditions in the Victorian army, the book is full of amusing anedotes from actual living Victorian soldiers. The book goes to great lengths to explain the huge social gulf between officers and enlisted men. 5 This books is a valuable addition to the literary collections of military historians and modern military officers. =================

Hello Harshawardhan - I have read the review and my thanks for bringing the book to our attention. I will explore the possibility of acquiring myself a copy for if it is in hardback, the cost will probably be exorbitant ! Thank you again - Sally Stewart