Modern media brings coverage of the world's conflicts to our homes and often shows many armoured vehicles in use. These are often fleeting glimpses however and many things can be seen and hardly recognised. Some conflicts are accompanied by photo journalists who have produced books highlighting the military hardware used, but there are still areas which have not been covered.

One of these is the Canadian involvement in Bosnia. Some coverage of their troops may appear as part of a more general study or the odd article now and then but little in detail has appeared on them themselves. Or it was, until JP Morgan produced this book. And it is "his" production, by him at his own expense but for our benefit. It can best be described as a short-run version of a Concord series book and follows a similar format though in black and white and spiral bound. About 80 pages long, the introductory text provides background to the conflict in the region and Canada's involvement, an Order of Battle and a map showing the area of responsibility plus a very useful glossary for the unititiated as well as general details of the vehicles deployed.

Most of the book though is photos taken by the author - a long-time AFV enthusiast and modeller - during his own deployments to the region, together with others from individuals and units who served there and a still more of vehicles taken at other times to fill in gaps and show extra details. Reproduction is good, though it is not as good as a book from a major publisher the number and variety of photos taken by a modeller for use by a modeller more than make up for any minor shortcomings. The range of vehicles covered is wide. Most are what is termed "light armour", with several versions of the various wheeled vehicles built in Canada based on the MOWAG Piranha series, from the original six-wheeled AVGP Grizzly, Cougar and Husky up to the newer Bison series in mortar carrier, recovery vehicle and ambulance forms, plus M113 series vehicles including those with the Norwegian TOW turret and specialised Explosive Ordnance Disposal, engineer and recovery vehicles. While no actual tanks are included, the Taurus recovery and Badger engineer versions of the Leopard 1 series are shown, as well as the wheeled Mamba mine-protected personnel carrier and the Aardvark Joint Services Flail Unit mine-clearing half-track. Most were modified for service in peacekeeping operations with add-on armour and various small fittings which are shown in detail and close-up. Interior views of most vehicles will be of great value to those who model such things, these are also annotated to show what each item is which is a great help to those not familiar with the vehicles.

Each vehicle gets its own separate section with a mix of in-use and close-up photos, making this a very useful source for anyone wanting to model current Canadian equipment in Bosnia or elsewhere. Many of the vehicles are unique as they were produced solely for Canada or have Canadian modifications, seeing them depicted in such detail will inspire anyone looking for an out-of-the-ordinary model even if they are not specifically interested in the Canadian aspect as such. Considering that this is the author's second published work and that the first was a short magazine article, it is very well done indeed. He deserves thanks in the form of concrete support in his endeavours, and I hope the book sells well and inspires him and others to produce books of this quality.

While it may be available from specialist suppliers, it can be got direct from -

JP Morgan c/o IJKLM Publishing, 938 Maley St, Ontario K0G 1J0, Canada

Price including postage etc in Canadian dollars is $30 in Canada and $33 elsewhere, or US$23 to the USA. Payment must be by Postal Order or International Money Order and NOT by cheque, please. Any small additional cost due to bank charges etc should not put you off, the book is well worth the price!