Table of Contents

Introduction - army life; the spectacular image; command and design; recruiting; discipline; morale; campaign and combat; civil disorder; entertainment, power, and paradigm; conclusion - the martial vision.

Reviews

continuously engaged in one campaign or another. This is the first book to take an in-depth look at the purpose and importance of military costume and spectacle in time of war and peace...Recommended.

impressive and imaginative range of archival and published sources, [Myerly's] book offers not only valuable insights on military history, but also an important perspective on the issue of British exceptionalism.

society of military spectacle and of those martial virtues and excellences...It is good to see American publishers backing research into facets of British history which our own publishers are eager to neglect.

student of military history, and of the British Army and its uniforms in particular, this is a book that has much of interest. It can be interesting and insightful.

[T]he work is thought provoking and...well illustrated.

This book is as beautifully tailored as are the uniforms it describes...[It] is a most entertaining and scholarly work. Charm comes with the author's pleasure in anecdotes.

ÝAn¨ earnest foray into military aesthetics. There have been innumerable books about army uniforms and traditions, but Myerly, an American cultural and military historian, is concerned also with the impact on society of military spectacle and of those martial virtues and excellences...It is good to see American publishers backing research into facets of British history which our own publishers are eager to neglect. -- E. S. Turner "London Review of Books"

ÝA¨ beautifully produced volume...Myerly has written a book that is often innovative, fusing written evidence with that of pictures and artefacts, and linking antiquarianism to broad historical themes in the best manner of cultural history. -- Hew Strachan "Times Literary Supplement"

ÝT¨he work is thought provoking and...well illustrated. -- Major Colin Robins "The War Correspondent: Journal of the Crimean War Research Society ÝUK¨"

Myerly explores very effectively the psychological impact of military dress on both soldiers and civilians. His probing into the various meanings behind the sartorial finery, and its presentation in public as 'spectacle', reveals a complex picture in which the context of the presentation is all important...He makes too, a welcome contribution on the often puzzling, and at times paradoxical relationship between British soldiers and civilians. For those interested specifically in military dress, there is much comment drawn from primary sources, supported by a well chosen (and well reproduced) selection of contemporary illustrations, half of which are in colour...For the student of military history, and of the British Army and its uniforms in particular, this is a book that has much of interest. It can be interesting and insightful. -- Glenn A. Steppler "Army Historical Research ÝUK¨"

The British Army is well known for its pomp and pageantry, color and precision drill. Nowhere in its history is this more evident than the period from 1800 to 1857, when the army was at its pinnacle and almost continuously engaged in one campaign or another. This is the first book to take an in-depth look at the purpose and importance of military costume and spectacle in time of war and peace...Recommended.

This well-written and ably-argued study takes an apparently thankless subject--military uniform--and shows it can be employed to throw light on the military, society and politics of the period...Based on a most impressive and imaginative range of archival and published sources, ÝMyerly's¨ book offers not only valuable insights on military history, but also an important perspective on the issue of British exceptionalism. -- Jeremey Black "History Today ÝUK¨"