On 24 April 1877 Tsar Alexander II declared war on the Ottoman Empire. The Sultan had a battle-hardened army ready for war. For the Tsar, this was to be the first major conflict since the abolition of serfdom and the creation of a German-style military reserve system. Ian Drury details the campaigns fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877, and the uniforms and organisation of the armies of both sides, in a text backed by numerous illustrations and photographs, including eight full page colour plates by Raffaele Ruggeri.

Ian Drury, an experienced editor and military writer, has published a number of books and articles on aspects of military history as varied as the Russo-Turkish War, Confederate Infantry, German WWI Stormtroopers and the Second World War on the Russian Front, and that's just for Osprey! He has made a particular study of the battle of Verdun over a number of years, one result of which has been his now legendary Verdun wargame Hommes Soupes.