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• Amazon.co.uk customer review • 2012-02-04
• Amazon.co.uk • 2012-02-04
• www.books-on-line.com • 2012-02-04
• Model Boats March 2010 • 2012-02-04
• Amazon.com customer review • 2012-02-04
• Amazon.co.uk customer review (3) • 2012-02-04
• Amazon.com customer review • 2012-02-04
• Cybermodeler.com • 2012-02-04
• Master Modelers no. 80 May 2010 • 2012-02-04
• Amazon.com customer review (7) • 2012-02-04
• Amazon.co.uk bestseller list • 2012-02-04
• MiniReplika Nr 64 • 2009-12-21

• Amazon.co.uk customer review • 2012-02-04

  5.0 out of 5 stars

  Excellent well presented volume. A good buy and can't wait for the next one.,

  3 Oct 2010

  By buddingpasha "A multilateralist" (London, United Kingdom)

  I entirely agree with the earlier reviewer. This book is an absolute gem and for what it contains excellent value. The Russo-Japanese war of 1904/5 is poorly covered in most English language histories yet is and was at the time fascinating as it was the test bed for so many technological, tactical and strategic naval theories none of which had been actually tested in real naval combat.

  This book is

  a) Very readable, the text, illustrations etc are well laid out, concise and easy on the eyes.

  b) Covers material that I have not seen before or at least found difficult to draw from the web.

  c) Has good tables, diagrams and appendices that support the text really well

  d) The photographs and line drawings are good. Admittedly this is not a copy of Jane's or Conways but I suspect are enough for me as a naval wargamer and at a fraction of the cost

  e) Excellent value

  I too would have liked a bit of colour especially as I wanted to get some colour details for the warships but again this would have been a bonus and was not an expectation.

  I am relatively new to this subject especially from my perspective as a newish naval wargamer. Usually the pattern is that I buy the models, a rule set and then a reference which is most of the time an Osprey publication of some sort to get some background history and some painting details.

  I think I got a lot more than I expected from this text. I eagerly await volume 2.

  I wish this publisher well. This is an excellent start.

• Amazon.co.uk • 2012-02-04
  
• www.books-on-line.com • 2012-02-04

  This is the first volume of a two volume series on the Russo-Japanese war of 1905. This volume covers the build up to war, the early operations on sea and land particularly the blockade of Port Arthur by the Japanese. This conflict is a good one to start an even larger series of books on naval conflicts of the twentieth century. It was the first conflict involving big rifled gun, steel, steam powered 'modern' warships.
  
  This was also the first time that Japan began to use its military might aggressively. From the success in this war Japan was to go on to China and thence to World War II.
  
  The book is profusely illustrated with photographs, maps and drawings. This volume concentrates on the Japanese ships involved from battleships to smaller gunboats. Similar information on the Russian ships will be in the second volume.

• Model Boats March 2010 • 2012-02-04
  
• Amazon.com customer review • 2012-02-04

  5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent start of a new Mushroom Model Publications series,

  March 13, 2010 By Jim Davis (Maryland Heights, MO USA)

  This is the first volume (No 3101) in the new Maritime Series published by Mushroom Model Publications. It is a square bound card cover in the larger A4 (8-1/2" x 11-3/4") size with 152 pages. Color is restricted to the well done cover painting.

  My knowledge of the Russo-Japanese War was fairly superficial before reading this book, most of it dealing with the Battle of Tsushima (which will no doubt be covered in Volume 2). This book is subtitled "Port Arthur" and the bulk of the book does deal with the Japanese efforts to neutralize the port.

  The book is virtually a blow by blow account of the naval war. Particularly welcome are the large number of well done maps without which descriptions tend to very quickly become incomprehensible. Besides maps there are numerous photographs, tables, and ship line drawings (profiles only). The photographs are not of the best quality but are no doubt the best available; the poor quality is probably due to the conditions of the originals.

  Although the book focuses on the naval actions and maneuvers the war on land is not neglected. Indeed, the larger political and economic context of the war is very adequately dealt with.

  Translation is of a high standard; only occasionally does a passage not read quite right.

  Complaints are of a minor nature. The books title is slightly misleading. Virtually all the action takes place in 1904, not 1905 as the title might lead one to believe. There were a few places mentioned that could not be located on the maps like White Wolf Bay and Louise Bay. I was disappointed that the line drawings consisted of profiles only; I find plan views to be equally informative. Incidentally, only Japanese ships are so profiled; Russian ships will no doubt be given similar treatment in Volume 2.

  All in all, Mushroom has launched the series with a winner. The Battle of Tsushima will be the focus of Volume 2. I am anxious to see if the description is up to the high standard set by Campbell in Warship thirty years ago.

• Amazon.co.uk customer review (3) • 2012-02-04

  Excellent- But can we have a 'hard' cover version, please?, 11 Oct 2011

  By Ralph Cook.

  I have written a much more comprehensive review under the heading of volume 2, if anyone is interested. To fairly appreciate both of these books it's best to read all the reviews of both of them, since what is true of the one volume is also largely true of the other. In brief though,- excellent, well produced and well- ordered, making the story (which is quite complex) easy to read and understand. There are many photos, maps and other illustrations. The line drawings are to a very high standard, though like another reviewer I would like to see deck plans. I have a few other quibbles, but not ones that would in any way discourage me from buying these books. I would like a hard back version: the paintings on the card covers are very fine, but these covers will easily be damaged.

• Amazon.com customer review • 2012-02-04

  By James Pernikoff (Marietta, Georgia USA)

  This book, the first of two, covers a war which had far-reaching effects on naval warfare for the next 40 years but which has received relatively little coverage in text. This first volume covers the first part of the war, through to the fall of Port Arthur; nearly all of the action took place in 1904. Although the title emphasizes the naval war, there is enough coverage of ground warfare to tie the entire conflict together. Obviously many of the photos are of the "never before published" variety, and there are suitable maps and tables. The appendices include a complete roster of every Japanese vessel to take part, and there are black-&-white side-view line drawings of no fewer than 55 of them! (However, plan views should have been included also.) There is no color aside from the covers. Volume 2 will conclude the war, including the epic battle of Tsushima that firmly put Japan on the list of naval powers, and the appendices will include similar coverage and drawings of the Russian ships. Highly recommended.

• Cybermodeler.com • 2012-02-04

  By Ray Mehlberger

  Date of Review April 2010

  Mushroom Model Publications (MMP) is based in the UK. Their books are printed by Stratus in Sandomierz, Poland in the English language. Recently MMP has started a US distributor of their books named Casemate, which is based in Pennsylvania.

  One of the first significant conflicts between major powers in the 20th Century, the war between Russian and Japan in 1905 was a chilling precursor of later wars. At sea, the war was the first confrontation between Dreadnaught style battleships, and the use of torpedoes, mines and even submarines presaged “modern: sea warfare.

  This volume covers the background to the conflict and the Battle for Port Arthur, both at sea and on land. It is profusely illustrated with 105 mostly rare black and white photographs, one color illustration on the cover of the Japanese battleship Mikasa, 22 black and white portrait photos of Russian and Japanese officers involved in the conflict, 27 pages of information lists and 22 battle maps.

  There are 33 line drawings of Japanese ships in 1/500th scale and 20 also of Japanese ships in 1/350th scale.

  Illustrated are:

  Battleships:

  Mikasa, Shikishima, Hatsute, Asahi, Fuji, Yashima, Chin Yen

  Coastal Defence Battleships:

  Fuso, Hei Yen, Armoured Cruisers, Asama, Adzuma, Idzumo, Yakumo, Kasuga,

  Cruisers:

  Idzumi, Sai Yen, Itsukushima, Naniwa, Chiyoda, Matsushima, Akitsushima, Yoshino, Akashi, Takasago, Suma, Kasagi, Otowa,

  Light Cruisers:

  Tsukushi, Yaeyama, Mikayo, Yamato, Chihaya, Takayo, Tatsuta,

  Destroyers:

  Akebono, Kagero, Shirakumo, Kasumi,

  Torpedo Boats:

  Akagi, Oshima, Uji,

  Gun Boats:

  NN39, NN31, Shirataka, NN29, NN21-24, Kotaka, NN15-20, NN50, N67-75, Fukuryu, Hayabusa, N25,

  All of the above are all Japanese ships. Although not done as line drawings, the following Russian ships are presented as photos only.

  Battleships:

  Petropavlosk, Poltava, Pobeda, Peresvet, Retvizan, Tsesarevich, Sevastopol,

  Cruisers:

  Bayan, Askol’d, Novik, Diana, Boyarin, Varyag, Pollada,

  Destroyers:

  Boevai, Vnushitel’nyy, Light Cruisers:

  Zabiyaka, Steregushchiy, Sil’nyy, Lt. Burakov, Besposhhadnyi, Bditelnyy, Reshitel’nny,

  Mine layer:Amur,

  Gunboats:

  Karyets, Vsadnik, Babr, Sivuch, Gaydanak, Gilyak

  The book is 152 pages long. Soft cover and in 8 ¼” x 11 ½” (close to stationary size) page format.

  There is to be a forthcoming Vol. 2 of this same title.

  This book will be of interest to naval historians and enthusiasts, and I highly recommend it to them.. Because I know of no models of any of these ships, the book might not be of much interest to modelers.

  This is the first book I’ve seen that has been published by MMP/Stratus about naval subjects.

• Master Modelers no. 80 May 2010 • 2012-02-04
  
• Amazon.com customer review (7) • 2012-02-04

  By Tamara Waters "Tammy" (IL)

  My husband is a Naval Historian for all wars. He has long been looking for books on this topic. He has indicated they are just as if he would have written them. The details, diagrams, etc are top notch. He has both Volume 1 and 2 and they have made a great contribution to his library.

• Amazon.co.uk bestseller list • 2012-02-04
  
• MiniReplika Nr 64 • 2009-12-21