From the deliberate, but delightful, misspelling of Shakespeare in the title to the carefully portrayed perils of being a Victorian soldier and the appropriately selected Shakespearian quotes to go alongside each cartoon, Thomas Seccombe’s book will resonate with all who have an interest in observing life – military and otherwise.
Seccombe was a true son of the Victorian Empire and served in The Royal Artillery until retiring as a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1881.
This book was first published in 1880 and was so popular that it went on to six reprints in the following two years. Seccombe subsequently had a flourishing civilian career as an illustrator.
Some 140 years later, even today’s readers will see why Military Misreadings of Shakspere [sic] was such a success. Seccombe’s subtle, but perceptive, observations of human character are as true today as they ever were. He had a wonderful eye for detail as well as the ridiculous – but never with malice even when pairing his cartoons with quotes from the Bard of Avon.
This re-issued edition has the added benefit of former Grenadier Paul Cordle’s highly informative commentary which puts Seccombe’s army into perspective and relates regiments to their modern successors-in-arms. With a similar eye for detail as the original illustrator, military historian Paul brings the illustrations to life with fascinating military observations.

Contributions by: Paul Cordle
Foreword by: General Sir Jack Deverell