Jean-Denis G. G. Lepage

Dictionary of Fortifications – A Great Guide

Sometimes when you watch a television historical document a historian will use various descriptive language which the view may not quite understand. This is especially so when historians are discussing and showing fortified cities, castles and other defensive works. This book breaks those meanings down and makes it simple enough even a sociologist could understand.

This is a useful reference book especially if you have an interest in castles and other fortifications. There is a glossary of terms which spans fortifications across the ages, from ancient to modern. Many of these terms are accompanied with a black and white sketched picture which aids the reader greatly.

Not only does it discuss fortifications it also explores the development of siege warfare, which to me is far more interesting. The author explains about the evolution of various siege engines and the tactics commanders brought to bear from prehistory to present day tactics.

The book is broken up into three sections making it easier to find the information you require, with Part 1 covering A short history of fortifications; Part 2 Sieges; Part 3 Dictionary. This makes the book easier to navigate and use as a reference tool. While the Dictionary is in alphabetical order it also has plenty of cross referencing.

This book could have been a boring manual of fortifications, instead it is an engaging read, packed full of interesting facts. An interesting reference book.… (mere)

When I first saw this title in a U.S. Naval Institute catalog, I was intrigued by the idea of a book devoted to a little-studied aircraft type. The book jacket had a photo of a Fleet Air Arm Blackburn Ripon along with artwork for other aircraft, but I did not realize until I leafed through the book upon receipt that all the illustrations were artwork.

Mr. Lepage has other published works that are similarly illustrated, so he is one of a small group of author/artists who illustrate their own books. In some ways I am reminded of Jack Coggins who wrote and drew of American military history. There the similarities end.

The author warns readers in his acknowledgement page that, outside the use of two composite Jane's titles on aircraft in the two world wars, that his sources were various websites and encyclopedias. He also warned that he does not believe in footnotes.

What we have in this book, in essence, is an encyclopedia in its own right, arranged roughly chronologically by era, then by country of origin. For being a book about torpedo bombers, there are some odd entries--for example the author presents the Vickers Vimy as a torpedo bomber. Also oddly appearing in these pages are the U.S. Navy's Curtiss A-1 Triad and the U.S. Army's Kettering Bug. So the reader is left wondering exactly what criteria the author used to compile his torpedo bomber list. The entries span the pre-World War I era to the present day, so I surmise that Mr. Lepage felt any aircraft that could carry a bomb or a torpedo qualified for inclusion. Interestingly enough, this description includes today's maritime patrol/surveillance aircraft, although I have trouble seeing any aircraft younger than Korean War-vintage Douglas AD Skyraiders as being categorized as torpedo bombers.

The reader need only see the one entry on page 263 to judge the quality of this publication. The aircraft described is the "Douglas SDB Helldiver". This mythical torpedo bomber is accompanied by a particularly poor illustration of the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver whose appearance is marred by seriously disfigured tail surfaces.

I do not blame the author for this disaster of a book--the blame should fall on the editors and managers over at Pen and Sword publishers for allowing this project to proceed. I have seen examples of the author's illustrations in a book on fortifications--they are not bad, and I would suggest that Mr. Lepage restrict himself to those kinds of drawings. He cannot draw aircraft. So shame on Pen and Sword for even printing this kind of book and shame on the U.S. Naval Institute for cataloging this shoddy work. The project should not have gone past the drafting stage.

Needless to say, steer clear of this book!… (mere)

Jean-Denis Lepage's book is a wide-ranging dictionary to 1,650 major and most important German terms associated with Nazism and the Second World War. The book defines/describes various laws, medals, badges, weapons, equipment, persons, organizations, slogans, songs, events, etc. The German-language term is given first followed by its English equivalent and an explanation that could run from a few sentences to two pages. Some of the entries have an accompanying drawing. Lepage's book is a good primer for those seeking a basic knowledge of the most evil empire in history.

Mike O. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

… (mere)