I was both thrilled and humbled to receive the authors’ (and forewordist’s!) copies of the book in the mail today. I’m very pleased with the way it turned out, and it’s definitely nice to finally have the closure of a fully completed project. All in all, I think we did a good job of telling the regiment’s story in a coherent fashion, with enough visual aids for the average reader to follow the story and the action of the unit’s actions. Eric’s foreword is excellent, and I was very pleased with the way the maps from both Steven Stanley and Blake Magner turned out. The roster is more compact than I had visualized, and very user-friendly. Photos for stories about regulars are always tough, but I think we found enough to help humanize the story. I like the way they’re spread through the text instead of grouped in a few pages in the center of the book.

Just what I needed to energize the research effort for the next book, assuming I can find someone to publish it. Initial feedback from a very small sample has been positive so far. I would imagine it will depend on how the reviews go for this one.

I should have signed copies for sale by late next week. If you’d like one, please email me at dccaughey AT aol DOT com.