Osprey Publishing have produced many ancient military books over the years, some are good while others are less so. Only an exceptional few are truly excellent. Roman Auxillary Cavalryman comes very close to being one of those 'classic' titles.
The book is written by Nic Fields, a relativily new contributer who has none the less, pumped out several books on Egyptian, Greek and Roman warfare in a very short space of time. I have always had a feeling that these might end up being rushed and that they are bound to lack quality, but I am usually impressed by the breadth of information and the sound scholarship he produces.
This title, which is meant as an introduction to the Roman Auxillary Cavalryman, is packed full of information. It covers subjects such as recruitment, training, arms and equipment, organisation, religious beliefs and camplife, rewards and punishments... almost everything. It even has sections that explain how the cavalryman and his horse were supplied with food, and how much oats, barley and maize were needed to keep the horse in the field. I had never expected that the book would be that detailed, considering its size.
Adam Hook provides 8 pages of colour plates. These contain the usual battle scenes with a few pages on cavalry equipment and weapons put in as well. They are very good, and would be of some use to wargamers and reenactors.
I found this a very good book on a little researched topic. It deserves to be read by anyone who wants to learn about Roman cavalry, before they move on to the expensive scholarly books.
Also includes: Chronological timeline, A glossary of latin and military terms, and a bibliography.