Historic Reprints [BUNDLE]

by | Aug 21, 2022 | Drive thru Fiction

Publisher: Skirmisher Publishing
This very special bundle contains 22 titles, including two works on gaming by H.G. Wells; a reminiscence on a months-long wargame by Robert Louis Stevenson; our “Stories from the Northern Myths,” “Guns and Super-Guns,” and “Ironclads”; Andrew Lang’s “The Story of the Golden Fleece” and eight other short stories; four copies of a World War I comic; a coloring book; and a collection of stories about the origins of Gnolls! 

A Brief History of Gnolls: Anthropophagy & Emeralds from Wales to Wisconsin & Beyond
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A Brief History of Gnolls: Anthropophagy and Emeralds from Wales to Wisconsin and Beyond traces the history of the title fantasy creatures in literature and gaming, from when they were first introduced more than a century ago up through the present. Features of this unique and intriguing volume include two entertaining quasi-academic essays by writer Paul Haynie that examine the literary history of Gnolls; an appendix containing the 1912 Lord Dunsany short story that first introduces the creatures in question; and illustrations by artists Jon Kaufman and Sidney Sime. …

Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan
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This title contains 24 line art illustrations by artist Cyrus Leroy Baldridge that are all especially suitable for coloring. They are inspired by The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan, a classic work of picaresque fiction by British diplomat James Morier that was first published in 1824 and which has been compared with the Arabian Nights. Morier’s epic adventure is filled with rip-roaring exploits, witty satire, and nimble humor, and follows the rags-to-riches escapades of Hajji Baba, the lazy son of a barber, as he seeks his fortune … but only if it doesn’t demand too much work of him. 
Baldridge himself was an adventurer and set out from Baghdad with his wife to personally retrace the journeys of Hajji Baba. He experienced a series of fantastic and harrowing adven…

Guns and Super-Guns
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During World War I, development of artillery reached unprecedented levels of lethality, and the most powerful armaments of this sort were truly the super weapons of their day. “Guns and Super-Guns” was written during the last year of the Great War and examines weapons capable of firing huge shells 75 miles on arcs that took them 24 miles over the surface of the earth.
This edition of “Guns and Super-Guns” includes all of the black-and-white illustrations that appeared in the original 1918 publication — among them diagrams depicting the path of a long-range projectile and two specialized sorts of shell — along with a number of additional specially-selected full-color images and a full-page photograph. Its topics include Shooting Around the Edge of the Earth, Beyond the Earth’s…

H.G. Wells’ Little Wars
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Originally written in 1913 by one of the greatest science fiction authors, this is a reprint of the book that gained H.G. Wells the title “Father of Modern Wargaming.” Little Wars will appeal to science fiction fans, history buffs, students of politics and international affairs, wargamers, RPGers, and anyone else interested in the works of this great writer. 
Skirmisher’s edition of Little Wars is divided into a Foreword, an Introduction, six Chapters, and an Appendix. Features of this edition include:
Clear, authoritative, and entertaining text that reveals both the great mind and the sense of humor possessed by one of the world’s greatest science fiction authors.
A complete miniatures wargame system that can be played as-is or used as the basis for other miniatures rules.
Foreword…

H.G. Wells’ Floor Games
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Often referred to as a companion volume to H.G. Wells’ wargaming classic Little Wars, Floor Games is a republication of “the Father of Miniature Wargaming’s” first volume devoted to recreational gaming. Highlights include a lighthearted, often humorous discussion on the theory and methodology behind a wide variety of “floor” and tabletop games and tips on the use and creation of improvised models, terrain, and other gaming props. 
Skirmisher’s edition of Floor Games is divided into a Foreword, an Introduction, and four chapters: I) “The Toys to Have”; II) “The Game of the Wonderful Islands”; III) “Of the Building of Cities”; and IV) “Funiculars, Marble Towers, Castles, and War Games, But Very Little of War Games.” Other features include:
Foreword by renowned game designer J…

Havelok the Dane
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“Havelok the Dane” is the epic Medieval tale of how the heirs to the thrones of Denmark and England are despoiled of their titles and fortunes, their struggles to survive, and their battle to reclaim their heritage. It contains elements derived from earlier pagan Norse mythology. 
This version of the story was adapted from a 13th century Middle English romance by noted Columbia University professor George Philip Krapp and was originally published in 1921. …

Ironclads: The Story of the Merrimac & the Monitor
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When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, it sparked an arms race between the Union and the Confederacy, some of the most dramatic episodes of which involved the development of heavily armed and armored ironclad warships. Two of the first and most famous of such vessels were the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia, which engaged in a brutal hull-to-hull battle off the coast of Virginia in March 1862. This engagement, the Battle of Hampton Roads, became justly famous and formed the basis for much of what would follow in both sea and riverine warfare throughout the rest of the conflict.
“Ironclads: The Story of the Merrimac & the Monitor” is a clear, evocative, and enlightening account of this famous naval duel by Adam Badeau, a noted American author, Union Army officer…

La Baionnette No. 32: Raemaekers
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This download includes a complete PDF copy of La Baoinnette No. 32: Raemaekers, a French magazine published during World War I, and high-resolution TIFF format images of all 35 illustrations that appear in the publication (31 black-and-white images at 600 dpi and four spot color images at 300 dpi). These high quality-images can be freely used in publishing projects of all sorts and are especially suited for those tying in with the Great War, the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the classic era of the Cthulhu Mythos. Subjects depicted in this issue include soldiers, battlefields, victims of war, allegorical images of death and the countries involved in World War I, caricatures of national leaders, and more. 
La Baionnette is a French satirical weekly that was publis…

La Baionnette No. 34: Le Systeme D (The Bayonet No. 34: System D)
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This download includes a complete PDF copy of La Baoinnette No. 34: Système D, a French magazine published during World War I, and high-resolution TIFF format images of all 43 illustrations that appear in the publication (10 full-color images at 300 dpi and 33 black-and-white images at 600 dpi). These high quality-images can be freely used in publishing projects of all sorts and are especially suited for those tying in with the Great War, the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the classic era of the Cthulhu Mythos. Subjects depicted include soldiers, battlefields, military architecture, weapons, fashion, and daily life, and run the gamut from humorous to dramatic in tone and from cartoonish to realistic in style. 
La Baionnette is a French satirical weekly that was p…

La Baionnette No. 44: Les Bleuets (The Bayonet No. 44: The Blueberries)
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This download includes a complete PDF copy of La Baoinnette No. 44: Les Bleuetes, a French magazine published during World War I, and high-resolution TIFF format images of all 26 illustrations that appear in the publication (seven full-color images at 300 dpi and 19 black-and-white images at 600 dpi). These high quality images can be freely used in publishing projects of all sorts and are especially suited for those tying in with the Great War, the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the classic era of the Cthulhu Mythos. Subjects depicted include soldiers, battlefields, weapons, fashion, and daily life, and run the gamut from humorous to dramatic in tone and from cartoonish to realistic in style.
La Baionnette is a French satirical weekly that was published by cartooni…

La Baionnette No. 47: Nos Marins (The Bayonet No. 47: Our Marines)
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This download includes a complete PDF copy of La Baoinnette No. 47: Nos Marins, a French magazine published during World War I, and high-resolution TIFF format images of all 35 illustrations that appear in the publication (seven full-color images at 300 dpi and 28 black-and-white images at 600 dpi). This issue is dedicated to the French marines and their role in the war and is weighted toward images that depict them. These high-quality graphics can be freely used in publishing projects of all sorts and are especially suited for those tying in with the Great War, the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the classic era of the Cthulhu Mythos. 
La Baionnette is a French satirical weekly that was published by cartoonist Henry Maigrot from 1915 to 1920. It was intended to bo…

Sir Orfeo
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When noble ruler and skilled musician Sir Orfeo is deprived of his wife by supernatural forces, he relinquishes leadership of his realm and withdraws to the forest as a hermit in grief. While living in the wilderness and playing his music for wild beasts, however, he learns what befell his wife and ventures into the otherworld in an attempt to rescue her.
“Sir Orfeo” is an anonymous Middle English narrative dating from the late 13th or early 14th century that retells the classic ancient story of Orpheus as a king who rescues his wife from the Fairy King. It draws on the original Greek myth and combines it with Celtic mythology and folklore associated with fairies. 
This version of the story was adapted by noted Columbia University professor George Philip Krapp and was orig…

Stevenson At Play
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Famous as the author of such great works of literature as Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson was also a dedicated war gamer. Stevenson at Play, one of the lesser-known works of this “Grandfather of Modern Wargaming,” describes a complex strategic wargame that the author and his stepson, Samuel Lloyd Osbourne, played in the early 1880s. 
Skirmisher’s edition of Stevenson at Play includes an Introduction by Osbourne, a Foreword by publisher and wargame designer Michael O. Varhola, and several period pieces of art, including some hand-drawn sketches by Stevenson himself. 
This book is part of a thematic series of works on miniatures wargaming published by Skirmisher that includes t…

Stories from the Northern Myths
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“Stories from the Northern Myths” delves into some of the tales that directly influenced 20th century fantasy literature in general and its most famous exemplar, The Lord of the Rings, in particular. This historical reprint covers legends that include the cursed hoard of the Rhine Gold and the ring associated with it that corrupts and transforms its owners; the adventures of the Germanic hero Siegfried, reminiscent in many ways of the Classical heroes Achilles and Hercules; and the story of Baldur, most beloved of the gods, who was slain through the trickery and malice of the deity Loki.
Author James Baldwin (1841–1925) was an American educator who was widely published as an author on subjects that included biography, folklore, literature, and mythology. This edition of…

The Dragon and the Dragoon
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When a timid Dragon accidentally despoils a merchant caravan of its wares on the road to a prosperous trading town, a series of unintended events are set in motion and a pair of young adventurers is prompted to take advantage of it. 
“The Dragon and the Dragoon” is an amusing short story by author, poet, and editor Tudor Jenks that was originally published in 1895 and which includes a half-dozen black-and-white illustrations by artist R.B. Birch. …

The Magician’s Daughter
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This lighthearted and humorous fantasy short story describes what happens when a young woman takes over her deceased father’s business as a consulting magician and how she deals with troublesome clients, unreliable retainers, and devious rivals. It is very similar in tone to the Arabian Nights, which was very popular during the era when it was written, and includes appearances by numerous nonhuman creatures, including giants, gnomes, hippogriffs, ghosts, and hobgoblins. 
“The Magician’s Daughter” was written by prolific and popular American author Frank R. Stockton and illustrated by artist E.B. Bensell and was originally published in 1880. …

The Prince of the Sea
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This short story set in the legendary era of the Mythic North describes the origins of the people who came to be known as Vikings, to include their struggles against foreign invaders and the romance between a Norse princess and the Prince of the Sea. 
“The Prince of the Sea” was written by author John V. Sears and illustrated by artist I.W. Taber and was originally published in 1918. …

The Story of the Golden Fleece
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This version of the classic myth of the Golden Fleece by Scottish author Andrew Lang tells how the titular relic came to be hanging from a tree and guarded by a dragon in a faraway land; how prince Jason was despoiled of his throne by a conniving uncle; and how the hero gathered a band of companions that became known as the Argonauts and set out to retrieve the fleece.
In keeping with the sorts of elements that appear in Greek mythology, this story includes appearance by centaurs, harpies, ghosts, giants, fire-breathing oxen, dragon-born warriors, cloud nymphs, multiple witches, and more. It is essential reading for anyone fascinated by the myths and legends of ancient Greece (especially those who might only be familiar with the story from sources like films only loosely based on it).
S…

The True Story of the Obelisk
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Ancient Egyptian obelisks that once lay along the banks of the Nile are now on display in cities like New York, London, Paris, and Rome, and this publication describes how that came to be the case.
“The True Story of the Obelisk” delves into the engineering techniques that were used to transport these massive “Cleopatra’s needles” and describes the weeks, months, and even years required to do so based on the prevailing level of technology. It provides a little-known behind-the-scenes glimpse into a particular aspect of history and is both a fascinating read and a potential source of inspiration for storytellers of all sorts.
This edition of “The True Story of the Obelisk” includes all of the black-and-white images that appeared in the original 1881 publication — includin…

Thor and the Giant Skrymir
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This short story set in the Viking epic era covers a number of iconic episodes involving the Norse deity Thor, including a series of seemingly simple contests that he just cannot seem to win and an inadvertent attack on one of his chariot goats. 
“Thor and the Giant Skrymir” was written by author Julia Clinton Jones and was originally published in 1891. …

~ A Christmas Dinner with the Man in the Moon ~
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“All aboard for the Moon!”
This good-natured early science fiction story describes a near future where humanity coexists with people from other worlds and postulates regular flights between the Earth and the Moon and technological advances like breathing devices that use solid pellets of compressed oxygen. It is a fun and thought-provoking read that will resonate with fans of Victorian-era stories, those seeking inspiration for classic steampunk scenarios, and anyone who enjoys seeing science and technology of the sort being developed by Edison and Tesla extrapolated on in works of fiction. It includes the detailed black-and-white illustrations that appeared in its original 1880 edition. 
Author Washington Gladden (February 11, 1836 – July 2, 1918) was a prominent American…

~ The Christmas Inn ~
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This short story set in Medieval England during the turbulent War of the Roses tells how the events of one cold and stormy winter night caused an old and storied inn for travelers to have its name changed. It includes some pleasingly evocative imagery, particularly with regard to the proprietors of the inn and the men-at-arms that converge upon it. 
“The Christmas Inn” was written by author Ella F. Mosby and illustrated by acclaimed English-American artist R.B. Birch and was originally published in 1892. Modern readers may find the tensions described in this story strikingly familiar but take heart at the way they are set aside during the holiday season. …

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