But what about the info to paint (or getting painted for you... there are all sorts you know...) those wargames armies?

Up until recent years the source was obvious you bought a lot of Ospreys MAA (Men at Arms series)... and you painted on... (I have them also on the guide...)

On the last years a series of works by french artists/historians have been available, and I am glad to say the relation price/quality/ammount of info is really amazing... do not buy those books for the battles or campaign stories... they are sketchy at best... but THEY ARE SUPERB! concerning information about french (specially!), prussian, austrian, russian and even english troops (in the last work "1814") which are probably the less important (THERE IN THAT PARTICULAR FIELD OF COURSE OSPREY ENGLISH BOOKS ARE BEST!)...

The books present in a rather pleasant (for the wargamer) way all the basic details for painting your figures... so have a look at them... you would be surprised by the sheer tour de force...

For you old enough they remind the Almark little books way of presenting the uniforms info... in a vastly superior way thought...

Cheers.

'Officers and Soldiers of The French Imperial Guard: The Foot Soldiers, 1804-1815'
'FRENCH IMPERIAL GUARD : Volume 2: Cavalry'
'FRENCH IMPERIAL GUARD : Volume 3: Cavalry, 1804-1815 (Officers and Soldiers)' A fourth volume has been promised ...
'FRENCH HUSSARS : Volume 1 :1786 - 1804 (Officers and Soldiers, 5)'
'OAS7 FRENCH HUSSARS VOLUME 2 : FROM THE EMPIRE TO RESTORATION'
'Soldiers and Uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars'
'1814, THE CAMPAIGN OF FRANCE (Great Battles of the First Empire)' Probably the most comprehensive on the matter...
'BORODINO: THE MOSCOVA : The Battle for the Redoubts'
'Wagram the Apogee of the Empire: The Apogee of the Empire'
'Jena, Auerstaedt: The Triumph of the Eagle'

'AUSTERLITZ : The Empire at its Zenith'

French and Allies:

'Napoleon's Line Infantry (Men at Arms Series, 148)'
'Napoleon's Light Infantry (Men-at-Arms)'
'Napoleon's Hussars (Men-at-Arms)'
'Napoleon's Cuirassiers & Carabiniers (Men-At-Arms Series, No 64)'
'Napoleon's Dragoons and Lancers (Men-At-Arms Series, No 55)'
'Napoleon's Line Chasseurs (Men-at-Arms)'
'Napoleon's Guard Cavalry (Men-at-Arms)'
'Napoleon's Italian and Neapolitan Troops (Men at Arms Series, 88)'
'Napoleon's Specialist Troops (Men-at-Arms)'

'Napoleon's German Allies (1) : Westfalia and Kleve-Berg (Men-At-Arms Series, 44)'
'Napoleon's German Allies (2) : Nassau and Oldenburg (Men at Arms Series, 43)'
'Napoleon's German Allies (3) : Saxony (Men at Arms Series, 90)'
'Napoleon's German Allies (4) : Bavaria (Men at Arms Series, 106)'
'Napoleon's German Allies (5) : Hessen-Darmstadt and Hessen-Kassel (Men at Arms Series, 122)'
'Dutch-Belgian Troops of the Napoleonic Wars (Men-at-Arms)' When French allies... there are also volumes when enemys!

English and Allies:

'Wellington's Infantry (1) (Men at Arms Series, 114)'
'Wellington's Infantry (Men at Arms Series, 119)'
'Wellington's Light Cavalry (Men-at-Arms)'
'Wellington's Heavy Cavalry (Men-at-Arms)'
'Wellington's Specialist Troops (Men-at-Arms)'

'The Hanoverian Army of the Napoleonic Wars (Men-at-Arms)' See also King's German Legion new titles...
'Brunswick Troops 1809-15 (Men-at-Arms)'
'Wellington's Belgian Allies 1815 (Men-at-Arms)'
'Wellington's Dutch Allies 1815 (Men-at-Arms)'
'The Portuguese Army of the Napoleonic Wars (Men-at-Arms)' there are also other volumes about the Portuguese Army...
'Spanish Army of the Napoleonic Wars (1) : 1793-1808 (Men-at-Arms)' there are also other volumes about the Spanish Army...

Prussian:

'Prussian Line Infantry 1792-1815 (Men-at-Arms)'
'Prussian Light Infantry 1792-1815 (Men-at-Arms)'
'Prussian Cavalry of the Napoleonic Wars (1) : 1792-1807 (Men-At-Arms Series, 162)'
'Prussian Cavalry of the Napoleonic Wars (2) : 1807-15 (Men-At-Arms Series, No 172)'
'Prussian Reserve Militia and Irregulars 1806-15 (Osprey Men-At-Arms Series, 192)'

Austrian:

'Austrian Army of the Napoleonic Wars (1) : Infantry (Men-At-Arms Series, 176)'
'Austrian Army of the Napoleonic Wars (2) : Cavalry (Men at Arms Series, 181)'
'Austrian Specialist Troops of the Napoleonic Wars (Men-at-Arms)'

Russian:

'The Russian Army of the Napoleonic Wars (1) : Infantry 1799-1814 (Men-At-Arms Series, 185)'
'The Russian Army of the Napoleonic Wars (2) : Cavalry 1799-1814 (Men-At-Arms Series, 189)'

Scandinavian:

'Scandinavian Armies in the Napoleonic Wars (Men-at-Arms)'

War of 1812:

'The American War 1812-14 (Men-at-Arms)'

Artillery from all nations:

'Artillery Equipments of the Napoleonic Wars (Men at Arms Series, 96)'