Having studied (and written) 20th century uniform books for many years, I'd like to list some of the best sources. These are the available books I have on my shelf and use all the time. Should you wish to order those still in print you can use the links provided to buy directly from Amazon.com through the mail. Amazon provides up to a 30% discount when ordering books (and no sales tax) so this can save you a lot off the list price. Hard to get books get a smaller discount. To find out the actual discount click on the link. If you have any problems with Amazon please let me know ASAP.
These book lists will continue to grow as time (and books) allow. Not only will be mention good books, but also point out the bad ones so you'll know what not to buy.
Sadly, there are very few books on U.S. . uniforms of the Great War While I am constantly trying to twist the arms of publishers to let me do one, all I've been able to do is get out a collection of WW1 photos.
Over There by Jonathan Gawne, ISBN 1853672688, $12.95 (part of the GI Series by Greenhill) is a good basic book covering uniforms, weapons, and equipment of WW1. It touches on the postwar period up to the late 30's. Softcover, with a few color photos (surviving uniforms and period illustrations). Although I wrote it, I am pleased to say it has received a great deal of praise from people I regard as experts in the field. At $12.95 it remains one of the only readily available books on the subject. Order it here.
US Army 1890-1920, by Phil Katcher, ISBN 0850451760. An Osprey Men at Arms book. Blimey! How can they print this stuff with a straight face?
Other than that all that's out there is one or two privately printed photos of people's collections without much info in them.
U.S. Army Uniforms in Color Photographs, by Kevin Lyles, ISBN 1872004520, $19.95. This is color photo reconstructions of collectors wearing original equipment and uniforms. There is not that much information in the text. It is aimed at military modelers who want to get the colors right, and collectors who want a check list of what to buy. Very much skewed to elite soldiers- it also suffers from what is termed the "Apocalypse Now" syndrome- pushing the more colorful aspects of the war over the drab, boring grunt. Order it here.
U.S. . Army Uniforms of the Vietnam War, by Shelby Stanton, ISBN 0811725847, PB, $19.95. The best of Stanton's uniforms books- possibly because this is the period he served in. Good B&W photos of uniforms and equipment. Best all around book on Nam era uniforms to date.Order it here.
U.S. Army Uniforms of the Korean War, By Shelby Stanton, ISBN 0811718190, $29.95. In the same format as the other Stanton uniform books. The only book on Korea era uniforms.Order it here.
The WW2 GI in Color Photographs, By Martin Windrow, ISBN 10-879-388323, .
Now back in Print!
If I had to recommend only one book to buy on WW2 uniforms it would be this one. The book is modern color photographs of collectors wearing original uniforms and equipment. For the most part the info is quite good, and it not only shows you the uniform items, but also shows you the color and how they were worn as part of the ensemble. A really good effort (except for the grenade launcher) and my recommendation for best all around WW2 uniform book. One slightly negative comment- it does not provide an identification guide to wartime insignia.Order it here.
U.S. Army Uniforms of WW2, By Shelby Stanton, ISBN 081172-5952, $19.95. PB. A nice collection of photos, but the information in the book is sadly lacking. Unlike Stanton's Vietnam uniform book, he has no experience with this era, and is writing from official histories and documents. It appears he has no ties to any decent collectors (who would have pointed out such terrible gaffs as the erroneously labeled paratrooper boots on page 253). This book is useful only as a source of period photos, and then only if you know what you are looking at. Order it here.
Doughboy to GI, By Ken Lewis, ISBN 0-9521523-0-4 $80. This is a very large book (267 pages) of mostly B&W photos of the author's huge collection. It is good to identify what uniform or item you have found. He's also got some nice wartime photos mixed in showing the stuff in use. It may seem expensive, but most serious collectors really do use this book to refer to. What this book does not tell you is how the various items all fit together, and who wore what, when and where. It is basically a photograph of everything in his collection. If you really want to collect the stuff and have handy photos of most things you'll need this book. If you are a modeler, reenactor, or historian you probably can not justify the cost. Only 5,000 printed and when it goes OOP you'll kick yourself.Order it here. (Just been told its OOP, and the only people with them is The Military Marketplace - www.military marketplace. And if you are nice to them and say we sent ya they might just sell you one of the few remaining copies...
US Army Photo Album: Shooting the war in color, By Jonathan Gawne, ISBN 2-908182-408, $37.95. Disclaimer- I wrote this book- I did it because no one had done a decent book of WW2 color photos that knew much about uniforms and equipment. For the first time anyone really tracked down info on the Army color photography program in WW2. See what the real wartime colors looked like. Oh yeah, I'm told the captions are not half bad. I sell autographed copies- email me. Order it here
The M1 Helmet, by Mark Reynosa, ISBN 0-7643-0074-1. More than you've ever wanted to know about the helmet in WW2. Very detailed on manufacturer info. Lots of color photos of surviving examples. Not much on wartime painted helmets, but that's another book.Order it here
Uniforms, Weapons and Equipment of the WW2 GI, By Stephen Sylvia, no ISBN. Now Out of Print. This was the first book on WW2 uniforms, and deserves a place in history for that reason. Essentially a photographic overviews of the main items used in the war. State of the art in uniforms books and information have moved way beyond this book so it is not really worth obtaining anymore unless you want to complete your book collection.
Blueprints of Fashion by Wade Laboissonniere, $29.95, ISBN 0-7643-0304-X. This is not a military book by any means, but there are enough folks out there (or their wives) with an interest in the clothing of the 1940's that this deserves mention. It is basically a collection of sewing pattern illustrations available in the 40's. This allows you to see the style of clothing much better than a photo of the garment. There are a few neat wartime plates such as clothing for refugees and the Red Cross, but the majority is the standard clothing that average people wore. Anyone with an interest in 40's clothing should definitely have this book. Keep it in mind for a Christmas gift. Order it here
If you’ve been around the collector’s world for a while you probably know of these reprints of various official military publications. The originals are scarce and expensive, but this series of reprints is easily affordable and the quality is very high. Everyone wishes that the Quartermaster Corps had published a definitive history of uniforms and equipment back in 1945, but they didn’t. They did, however, leave us a legacy of well illustrated QMC catalogs, and a handful of various studies.
The QMC catalogs are a goldmine of information showing specific items, providing their offical name and stock number and, in some cases, illustrating what different things came in a larger kit or outfit. None of these studies is really complete in terms of the information we’d like to know, but they are the starting place and can not be ignored. The short sections on wartime uniforms in Erma Risch’s “Clothing the Soldier of WW2” ($12.95) will probably frustrate you because she was trying to write a capsule history of what she thought the QMC might want to know in the future regarding the development of uniforms. She had no idea anyone would actually collect this stuff someday. But, if you are serious about WW2 uniforms you MUST have these works as a basic reference library. Many collectors will prefer to spend their money on newer books containing material written specifically for collectors.
For my money, no serious collector should be without the following titles: QM-1 Quartermaster Supply Catalog 1943 $9.95 QM 3-1 Quartermaster Supply Catalog 1946 $9.95 U.S. Army regulations for uniforms $22.95 Clothing the Soldier of WW2 $12.95 and also just as important: QMC study on Army food and rations in WW2 $12.95 American Women at War (female uniform catalog) $22.95 QM 3-3 Items issued to Posts and camps $9.95 QM 3-4 Organizational Equipment $12.95 QM 6 Chests, kits, outfits and sets $12.95 MED 3 A catalog of Medical equipment $12.95 I cannot say enough for these books, except that I am very glad to not have to track down the originals. A complete list of titles is available from National Capital Historic Sales (AKA George Peterson), PO Box 605, Springfield, VA 22150.
America's Finest, by Gary Howard, ISBN 1-85367-167-x, $. Dealing only with the paratroopers and their uniforms and equipment, this is a strictly B&W book of period photos and shots of items in the authors collection. This is quite extensive as he has bought out a few of the better US para collectors. Has some very rare rigger made items and includes color photos of paratroop insignia. A decent book, but keep in mind it is limited in scope to just A/B related info. Order it here.
.Geronimo, by Bill Rentz, ISBN 0-7643-0677-4, $59.95, The collecting field has moved on from nice photographs being enough to make a book good. Other than clear color photos of uniforms and equipment, and a handful of period photos of paratroopers (mostly portrait type photos), there’s not much else to this book. The text is limited to brief captions providing little information. There is a good section of rare patches, and a large section showing a number of dress uniforms from various troopers, but I have to admit being somewhat sceptical of their authenticity. My real question, however, is why was this book printed? It adds nothing new to the study of WW2 uniforms except a handful of color photos of a few obscure items. For the money you will learn a lot more more from Gary Howard’s “America’s Finest,” and if original combat rigging and uniforms are your interest the Detrez books still cannot be beat for their period photos. Pass this by unless you must own every para book in print, or just want to drool over pretty photos. Order it here.
The War in Europe (GI Series #1), by John Langellier, ISBN 1-85367-220-3, $12.95. Save your money. Due to editorial problems this book is filled with a lot of errors. A few good photos, but you have to very careful about the uniform info in the captions. Order it here
The War in the Pacific (GI Series #*), by Jonathan Gawne, ISBN 1-85367253x, $12.95. Disclaimer- I wrote this book, but do not have a financial interest in it. What I can tell you is that the photo reproduction is not as good as I hoped. Fellow experts in the field agree it is basically correct in its facts, and that I did a good job of using little known photos. Its been recommended as a good intro to the Pacific campaign. Order it here.
In general I have to sadly tell you to save your money on these. I have yet to see a good Osprey book on the US Army. Because they pay next to nothing to authors, those that do write for them sometimes appear to be out of their element. There are numerous errors and omissions, many of which are unforgivable. US Army Osprey titles which I cannot recommend due to factual errors, but you may wish to buy anyway, are:
US Army Combat Equipments 1919-1988, by Gordon Rotttman, ISBN 0-85045-842-0, $12.95. BAR suspenders? Puleez! Order it here.
US Army Airborne 1940-90, by Gordon Rottman, ISBN 0-85045-948-6. Count the errors on the front cover! Order it here
Women at War, by Jack Cassin Scott, ISBN 0-85045-349-6, Order it here
U.S. Infantry Weapons of WW2, By Bruce Canfield, ISBN 0-917218-671. This is a large hardcover book that deals with just about all small arms, grenades, grenades, bazookas, mortars etc of the Army in WW2. Loads of nice period photos, and information on collecting these items. Sadly, it comes close to being "definitive" (as they call it), but no cigar. Some minor things are left out, but it is the best currently available book covering US weapons in WW2 so far. Not perfect, but everyone needs to own it as a basic reference. Order it Here
American Military Bayonets of the 20th Century, by By Gary Cunningham. This 116 page softcover book, published by "Mr. M1" (Scott Duff), covers all known U.S. bayonets of the last 97 years starting with the 1892 bayonet and ending with the current M9. Foreign bayonets used or made by Americans are also touched upon. There is a section that explains bayonet terminology and lists manufacturers markings. Line drawings are used instead of photographs to show what each bayonet, scabbard, and marking looks like. This technique works very well for bayonets and scabbards. Every fact the author has been able to find is presented, and when no supporting documentation is available Cunningham tells us where he found the information so we can decide if it is correct or might only be another collector's myth. This is a big step from many collector's books that quote chapter and verse the stories dealers sometimes make up to sell their unusual or questionable wares. There is not all that much information on some of these bayonets. A few models do not even take up an entire page. This may seem like the book is lacking in substance, but there really is not that much more to add. There were a few nice tidbits about the changes to WW2 bayonets that will allow collectors to put a rough date on some of their bayonets. The author is very open to the fact that this is not the "definitive" bayonet book, but is a good and place to start. He hopes others will take the time to add to the base of knowledge about variations and companies. If you just want a book that will help you ID American bayonets, without going into pages of production techniques, heat treatments, and minute variations this book does the job very well. Not available through most bookstores, it can be ordered directly from Scott Duff Publications, PO Box 414, Export, PA 15632. The cost is $19.95 plus $3.05 shipping in the USA. Major Credit Cards are accepted. ISBN 1-888722-0808, $29.95
U.S. Marine Corps Uniforms & Equipment in World War 2, by Jim Moran, ISBN 1-872004-57-1, $ Is a good overview of the Marine side of WW2. Emphasis seems to be on the elite side of things with entire chapters dedicated to the Raiders, the Paramarines, and the Female Marines. Lots of B&W period photos, mixed in with modern photos of surviving items and reconstructions. Well done, but too brief to be considered definitive. The best there is on the Marines. The author is rumored to be doing a Marine in WW1 book. Order it Here
Encyclopedia of United States Army Insignia and Uniforms, by William Emerson, ISBN 0-8061-2622-1 $125.00. This very large tome is a goldmine of info when it comes to Army Branch Insignia of all time periods. If this is your thing then the book is invaluable. Filled with B&W photos of all types of branch insignia. Some other insignia is covered, but weak on all but Branch, U.S. and State devices. The uniform section is clumsy and useless. But for insignia collectors it is superb.Order it Here
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of the U.S. Armed Forces, by Smith. ISBN 0961888334, $25. I have yet to find a U.S. Army patch book that I am happy with and is easy to get The Smith book is possibly one of the more available titles. if you are serious about insignia you need to join ASMIC (see collector's Association list) and get their publications.Order it Here
The Call of Duty, Military awards and decorations of the USA, by John Strandberg. ISBN 0912138548. This is the only book you will ever need on US medals, ribbons, medal boxes, and allt hat stuff. It is slightly expensive, but it is chock full 'o color and really worth itOrder it Here
You can drop me a note HERE!
Back to Web Military Bookshelf