Edward French

Lost Hearts by MR James

As I mentioned before reading or this year listening to the ghost stories of MR James is something of a Christmas tradition of mine, while I was doing so I came across this chap, Mr. Edward French of Boston, Massachussets.  Mr. French is a film make up artist by trade and by all accounts a very good one(1). However, he also has a liking for audiobooks and story telling and has taken it upon himself to read some stories in the public domain and record them on YouTube. 

The Time Machine by HG Wells

Mr. French tastes run to dramatic reading with some incidental music and they are, in my opinion, very good indeed.  He is a fine reader and obviously takes care in the recording and production of his work.  The quality is as good as any professional I've come across and there's a fine selection of early horror and science fiction literature to choose from. 

Herbert West Re-Animator by HP Lovecraft

Every so often, the Internet throws up these little gems. So if you've an idle hour and enjoy quality audiobooks for the princely sum of nada, free, gratis and fer nuttin' you could do a lot worse than pay Mr. French a call. 

Happy listening. 

(1) Emmy winning and Oscar nominated in fact. 

Oman's History of the Peninsular War - Vol. 3

Just downloaded Felbrigg's latest, a recording of Volume 3 of Oman's massive history of the Peninsula war.  I've enjoyed the first two volumes and I'm about two chapters into the third, which is just as good.  Great stuff to listen to while you're painting. 

The recording is available via Audible and is about $24, which is around $1 per hour of recording. Good value in any man's language. 

For anyone with an interest in the Peninsula war, the Napoleonic period or military history in general, recommended. 

Train Wreckers and Ghost Killers

I've been pottering quite a bit in the last few days as I took delivery of some figures that needed basing and there were other jobs that needed doing around the house. With that in mind, decided a new audiobook was in order and I picked up a copy of the above from British Audio Books. 

I've had a sort of passing interest in Korea ever since I found a copy of Sir Anthony Farrar Hockley's "The Edge of the Sword" in the school library as a boy.  It was a fantastic book and one that I unreservedly recommend. I still shiver at the description of the North Korean prisoner of war camp. I would not last long in such a place. 

But back to Train Wreckers et al, this is an audiobook recorded by a chap called Felbrigg Napoleon Herriot (top marks on that name, except the middle bit) and the text is available for free online. The audiobook version is £4.99, about the price of a pint.  The book itself can be divided into two sections, the first describing the exploits of 41 (Independent) Commando of the Royal Marines and the second, which covers the foundation, training and later operations of the South Korea Marine Corps. 

On the whole, I found the book interesting - probably my favourite section was about Task Force Drysdale, a battalion strength polyglot group of Royal Marines, US troops and South Koreans who attempted to relieve the beleaguered US forces at Hagaru-ri during the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir. It had me eyeing my Second World War Commandos with a speculative eye. 

Recommended. 

Not likely to be returning President Putin's calls 

Since we've had "Afghanistan II" and I notice with a sinking heart that we seem to be gearing up for "Crimea II Electric Bugaloo", it seems appropriate that I took delivery of my first lot of Crimean troops this week. These deserve better pictures, but Mark has done a great job and very quickly. The troops are from Old John over at 20mm Nostalgic Revival. supplemented by a few Strelets plastics. They will be doing duty as Napoleonic Russians and as Crimean types. 

I sketched a few ideas after Eucharist on Thursday and it looks like the Alma may be our Crimean scenario. I'm in two minds - I've always been torn between it and Inkerman.