Look what arrived...

Just arrived yesterday! (H'mmm.  I took these photos with my
smart phone.  They really don't do their subjects justice.)

Comparison of format size.  All three volumes are
hardback.

 ... upon my front doorstep yesterday afternoon!  Rather unexpected; I thought it would be another week at least before I could expect to see these items.  But Lulu Enterprises has consistently given me good service.  Here are the two Bob Cordery 'Mini-Campaign' books, Trouble in Zubia, set in a Nile-istic sort of country; and A Winterish War based loosely upon a certain sub-Arctic conflict that began in late 1939.






The first (pleasant) surprise was their format size - very close to A4. The picture here was to compare with the format of The Portable Wargame series.   The hard cover copies I bought weren't cheap - Bob was right about that! The prices, though, seemed to me commensurate with the production quality.  Overall the books look and feel superb.  The pages open reasonably flat without trouble. But then game the second surprise: glossy paper.

One of the battles in the Winterish War.

Now, these books I would class as 'picture story books', in which, though the text carries most of the narrative, by adding a little something to the tale the pictures are a welcome accompaniment.  Together, they tell the story.  Usually, I find the gloss finish somewhat 'distancing', but here that effect is I think mitigated by the colourful and crisp photography.  I have presented an opening at random from both as impressions of how they look.

The Trouble in Zubia book, though nominally  32 pages, numbers the pages 1-24 for the narrative and the brief closing bibliography. But the 8 pages of front matter - Title page, Little Title page, etc, including an Introduction, have their own page numbering in lower case Roman numerals.   The larger A Winterish War follows the same system of pagination.

These are nice books just to have, let alone to read!  I think maybe Bob has discovered a new genre for the coffee table.  I also think either or both would make a fine gift for a young person with an interest in war games or history.

Now, these are narratives rather than 'how to', but with sufficient information in terms of background, geography, forces and characters that one could easily adapt the campaigns according to one's own set up, rules preferences and soldiery.

Overall, I am impressed with the content, presentation and quality of the finished product.  Bob: congratulations!  I'm glad I got these.  I'd recommend them highly to anyone.

Bright and colourful: Trouble in Zubia.