The Miskatonic University Library Association fosters new talent in literature and the arts. M.U. Monographs are works in which the author has performed most or all editorial and layout functions of this book. It has not been otherwise edited or modified. The trustees deem that this work offers significant value and entertainment to our patrons and fans of the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game.SECRETS OF THE CONGO: There are still-wild regions of the Dark Continent, Africa. Darkest of all is the wilderness of Belgian Congo, at the very center of the continent. Belgian colonial rule is harsh, and traditional practices such as slavery and witchcraft are widely practiced. Superstitions rule the vast number of tribes that live on or near the river. The greed of the Belgian colonial administration, for ivory, rubber, and copper, surpasses even that of the Zanzibari slavers, feared for their raids among the Congo natives. But the Dark Continent hides secrets as well. In deepest Congo, a treasure--house from primeval times awaits those who dare seek it out--and survive the search.

Secrets of the Congo (M.U. Library Assn. monograph, Call of Cthulhu #0387)

Humor & Entertainment

Fredholm von Essen, Michael

Puzzles & Games

Chaosium, Inc.

The book describes and analyses the Kalmar War of 1611-1613 between Sweden and Denmark-Norway. Since Denmark controlled the Straits between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, Sweden sought an alternative trade route through the sparsely populated Arctic Lapland - an option enabled by the 1595 Treaty of Teusina (Tyavzino) with Muscovy. In 1607, King Charles IX of Sweden declared himself King of the Lapps and sent men to collect taxes in what by tradition was regarded as Norwegian territory. In response, King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway in 1611 declared war upon Sweden and invaded Swedish territory from the south. Operations also took place along the Swedish-Norwegian border and elsewhere in the Baltic region, on land and on sea. In addition, Sweden employed Scottish privateers and enlisted a Scottish corps which landed in Norway. Nonetheless, Denmark ultimately won the war. However, the Danish thrust against the Swedish heartland failed, and the Kalmar War was the last time when Denmark successfully defended its control of the Baltic Sea against Sweden. The principal commander on the Swedish side was the young Gustavus Adolphus, who later rose to prominence in the Thirty Years' War. The losses in the Kalmar War proved to Gustavus Adolphus that the Swedish army was becoming obsolete and needed thorough modernization. As a result, the defeat in the Kalmar War was the catalyst that prompted Gustavus Adolphus to reform the Swedish army, which in turn set Sweden on the path to become a regional great power in the subsequent Thirty Years' War. Michael Fredholm von Essen presents new research on a war previously seldom described in English. Moreover, the book details the military systems of Sweden and Denmark-Norway in the early seventeenth century and explains the development of the Swedish Army and the military thought of Gustavus Adolphus before he used his reformed army with great success in the Thirty Years' War.

The Kalmar War 1611-1613: Gustavus Adolphus's First War (From Retinue to Regiment)

History

Europe

Helion and Company

Sweden’s War in Muscovy 1609-1617: The Relief of Moscow and Conquest of Novgorod (From Retinue to Regiment)

Details the organization, arms, armor, dress, and daily life of samurai, soldiers, and commoners in Edo-period Japan.\nTokugawa Ieyasu’s decisive victory at Sekigahara in 1600 concluded the civil wars, confirmed his position of military supremacy as shôgun (generalissimo) of Japan, and inaugurated the Edo period (1600–1868), so named because Ieyasu after the battle established his capital in Edo (modern-day Tokyo). By then, Japan was an advanced, outward-looking country. Previously preoccupied by internal warfare, Tokugawa-ruled Japan was unified, strong, and technologically developed to a degree inferior to Europe only in certain sciences, such as shipbuilding and artillery. Japan was technologically superior in some disciplines, including the production of firearms, an import the Japanese had mastered very quickly. Japanese traders, mercenaries, and adventurers were a common sight in South-East Asia. There were flourishing Japanese overseas colonies, especially in the Philippines, Siam (now Thailand), and Java. One Japanese merchant-adventurer even managed to set himself up as a minor kingin southern Siam. Japan was a strong military power as well. The armies of Japan were a match for any enemy, well armed and with considerable combat experience. However, the government of Japan in 1635 retreated into enforced seclusion, a seclusion aided by the geographical situation of the Japanese islands. The seclusion laws were rigorously enforced. As the Age of Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution and the subsequent global expansion of the European nations transformed the world, Japan chose isolation and stagnation. A major reason for this policy decision was military weakness. The Tokugawa army under Ieyasu had been numerically large, experienced, and well equipped, but since then, things had changed. Having defeated their enemies early in the century, the shogunate warriors settled down in castle towns. Many Tokugawa retainers settled permanently in Edo, where they soon lost the military edge they had once enjoyed. After 1615, the shôgun’s soldiers were no longer needed for war. Technically there was no demobilization, however, with no more wars to fight, the shôgun’s soldiers became townsmen in all but name. They retained samurai status but were no longer called up to fight. Yet, a Tokugawa army of sorts still existed.\nVolume Two continues the examination of the Edo period and the evolution of the Samurai class into a verity of new roles. No longer required to fight, many Samurai firstly discarded their distinctive armor and then their training. As a result, a transformation from warrior to townsman took place. New careers were adopted, with many becoming part of the respected Firewatch or police force. Former Samurai also became part of the justice system and ultimately were responsible for the carrying out of criminal sentences. The book finally seeks to understand the decline of Japanese martial prowess and that of the Samurai as a class with their integration into civilian society.

The Shogun's Soldiers: Volume 2 - The Daily Life of Samurai and Soldiers in Edo Period Japan, 1603–1721 (Century of the Soldier)

Asia

The Army of the Manchu Empire: The Conquest Army and the Imperial Army of Qing China, 1600-1727 (Century of the Soldier)

Peter the Great’s Disastrous Defeat: The Swedish Victory at Narva, 1700 (Century of the Soldier)

The book describes and analyses the Scanian War, which was fought from 1675 to 1679 between, on one side, primarily Brandenburg and Denmark–Norway and, on the other, SE - Sweden. The war was mainly fought in Scania, the former Danish lands along the border with Sweden, and in northern Germany. The Danish objective was to retrieve Scania which, a generation earlier, had been captured by SE - Sweden and ceded by Denmark. However, the Danish invasion of Scania was defeated by the young Swedish King Charles XI. Although the Danish fleet was victorious at sea, and an alliance headed by Brandenburg defeated the Swedes in Germany, the subsequent peace negotiations resulted in no major territorial changes. Danish partisans continued guerrilla operations in Scania for years, yet the former Danish territories remained in Swedish hands. The Scanian War was bloody, even by contemporary standards, and from a military point of view, quite inconclusive. Yet, SE - Sweden's experiences in the Scanian War laid the foundation for the first substantial reform of the Swedish army since the Thirty Years’ War. Based on what he had learnt, King Charles XI restructured the Swedish army and established a comprehensive military system that enabled SE - Sweden to repeatedly mobilize trained armies during the even more devastating Great Northern War (1700-1721) which followed a generation later. Moreover, several recent archaeological excavations have increased our knowledge of the Scanian War, as well as the conditions of late seventeenth-century battles. The book describes the war and its results, and summarizes the archaeological findings.

Charles XI’s War: The Scanian War Between Sweden and Denmark, 1675-1679 (Century of the Soldier)

The book describes and analyses the early modern Swedish army, with a particular emphasis on the reforms introduced by King Gustavus Adolphus before and during the Thirty Years War. Furthermore, the book expands our understanding of the Swedish army during the Thirty Years War by also focusing on its operations on the eastern front, against Russian and Polish opponents, and not only on the better-known operations in Germany against the Catholic League and the Holy Roman Empire. Sweden had a long history of conflict with neighbouring countries, and the reforms introduced by King Gustavus Adolphus had their origin in wars fought in the early seventeenth century, before or in the early phases of the Thirty Years War. The Kalmar war with Denmark, the Novgorod and Pskov campaigns in Russia, the conquest of Livonia, and the war with Poland played important roles in preparing the Swedish army for the wars on the continent from 1630 onwards. While some of the technical and tactical innovations attributed to the Swedish Army in the Thirty Years War are myths, others were real. Possibly of yet more enduring importance were the Swedish Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna’s administrative reforms. A conscription system was established which consistently managed to raise troops, despite the small population of Sweden and its territories. A logistics system was introduced which could supply the armies, despite the vast geographical depth of operations. The intelligence service was developed into a comprehensive support establishment to military operations. It is fair to say that the Swedish army that entered the Thirty Years War and the organisation that enabled it formed the foundation for the subsequent Swedish rise to regional great power status. While the army of Gustavus Adolphus has been described elsewhere, the book includes current research that has not yet appeared in the English language. It also, unlike most previous works, explains how the Swedish experiences on the eastern front influenced Gustavus Adolphus and his views on how to build a modern army that could challenge the established great powers on the continent.

The Lion from the North: Volume 1, The Swedish Army of Gustavus Adolphus, 1618-1632 (Century of the Soldier)

The book describes and analyses the emergence of the early modern Russian army, before the military reforms introduced by Tsar Peter the Great brought it in line with developments in Western Europe. It will be shown that Tsar Peter’s reforms, although decisive, rested on a legacy of previous reforms. Yet, the origin of the early modern Russian army can be found in the East, not the West. The close association during the Middle Ages with the Mongol Golden Horde had transformed the Muscovite military system into a Eurasian one. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, links with the Northern Caucasus and Siberia brought further Oriental influences into the Russian military system. While the Mongol legacy of the early Muscovite army has been described elsewhere, the real and continuous impact of Oriental influences in the early modern Russian army has not yet been detailed. Besides, the detailed information on the Russian army in 1673/1674 which can be found in the military handbook then produced by a Swedish intelligence officer has never been fully used in English-language works. This information shows that by the second half of the seventeenth century, Russia already had an army that although not up to date according to Western standards, still was able to hold its own against both Western and Eastern adversaries. The book ends with 1689, when Tsar Peter’s reign began and Russia’s border in the east with China was negotiated.

Muscovy's Soldiers: The Emergence of the Russian Army 1462-1689 (Century of the Soldier)

Military

The book describes and analyses the early modern Swedish army during the Thirty Years War after the death in 1632 of King Gustavus Adolphus. At this time, military operations were handled by field marshals under the overall command of the Swedish Chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna. The book expands our understanding of the Swedish army during the Thirty Years War by focusing on its later operations, including those against Polish and Danish opponents, and not only on the better-known operations in Germany against the Catholic League and the Holy Roman Empire. Meanwhile, Oxenstierna continued his administrative reforms, which enabled Sweden consistently to raise troops, despite the small population of Sweden and its territories, and enabled an intelligence and logistics system which could supply the armies, despite the vast geographical depth of operations. While the Swedish army of Gustavus Adolphus positioned Sweden as an emerging great power, it was the subsequent developments of the army under Oxenstierna that enabled the Swedish rise to regional great power status. While the army of Gustavus Adolphus has been described elsewhere, the Swedish army's later developments are less well known. Moreover, the book includes current research that has not yet appeared in the English language. It also describes the 1643-1645 Swedish invasion of Denmark ('Torstensson's War') and the battles and sieges, including those of Vienna and Prague, that led up to the Peace of Westphalia, which concluded the Thirty Years War. Finally, the book covers the military aspects of the establishment of Sweden's first American colony.

The Lion from the North: Volume 2, The Swedish Army during the Thirty Years War 1632-48 (Century of the Soldier)

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