'Nothing worse than this has ever happened or ever will happen'

My determination not to wargame the events of 1453 has not been helped by reading the special edition of Medieval Warfare on the subject. Of the dozen articles one deals with the siege and the others with the context, personalities and after effects. It's well illustrated with a large number of photographs and paintings although there could perhaps have been more maps.

I'm not going to review it in detail; OK, I admit that I'm not in any way qualified to review it in detail. However, for me it stands as a useful companion to the Osprey hardback collection entitled 'The Fall of Constantinople' (as inevitably are all books on the subject) which has the benefit of more maps. Runciman is essential of course and I would also recommend Crowley.

A chap with a beard

What I wouldn't recommend is reading it just when one has decided that the period is not for you.