Book: Iron Cross Award Documents of World War II

[sanya13]

Looks great Brian
can you send to EU ? I live in Hungary and I'm really looking forward to my copy
Would you sign it to me in the book?

[Flemming]

Just paid mine, and looking forward to recieve it, and read it and study all the pictures.

/Flemming

[Flemming]

Looks great Brian
can you send to EU ? I live in Hungary and I'm really looking forward to my copy
Would you sign it to me in the book?

You just have to remember the import tax, when you recieve packet from outside the EU.

/Flemming

[evilmike]

You just have to remember the import tax, when you recieve packet from outside the EU.

/Flemming

There is no import duty on books into the UK

[Dick Pumphrey]

EK Book

My signed copy is on order & I can not wait to get it. I think it is a wonderful book & will be a huge asset for all of us! Don't delay ordering - these are going to sell in a big hurry!!!
Kudos to the author!!!
Best Regards,
Dick

[Flemming]

There is no import duty on books into the UK

Really? That must be nice.
We have here in Denmark, import tax on books also...when I revieve a book, form outside of EU, I often end up paying almost 50% more, in total.

When the tax is calculated, they even add the shopping cost, to the value of the packet.

/Flemming

[evilmike]

In which case you need it shipped internally from a EU country.....The UK Is 100% definitely zero rated import duty on books from outside EU. Its a shame shipping is high to start with at 50% of the book

[Flemming]

In which case you need it shipped internally from a EU country.....The UK Is 100% definitely zero rated import duty on books from outside EU. Its a shame shipping is high to start with at 50% of the book

Then I just have to find me a friend that lives in the UK, who can buy the books, and then ship it to Denmark

/Flemming

[Brian R]

Guys - Thanks for the great comments and thanks to all those who ordered. I will update this thread, and get the current orders out, as soon as the shipment arrives.

Thanks again,
Brian

[Brian R]

Ok, guys. The day is finally here. The books have just arrived

All pre-orders will go out tomorrow and Monday. Hopefully you guys who have ordered will see them soon. Anyone else who is interested, please send a PM or email me at info@kleinekillpress.com.

Thanks!!
Brian

[Robert P.]

Brian,

If you could be so kind as to sign my copy, please. Really looking forward to receiving mine.

Robert

[Flemming]

Brian,

If you could be so kind as to sign my copy, please. Really looking forward to receiving mine.

Robert

Brian, please sign my copy also....I would really appriciate it.

Can't wait to recieve it.

/Flemming

[Ryan G.]

"both document collectors as well as EK guys"

I found that very interesting about the book. It looks great, I cant wait to get one! Pictures and layout look excellent

[streptile]

I was given an advance copy of Brian Razkauskas' book Iron Cross Documents of World War II and asked to write a review. This was a bit of a bold request because the author didn't ask me to write a good review, just to be honest.

Of course the documents themselves are the centerpiece of the book, and there are a lot of them in this well-written and extremely well-illustrated volume. I didn't count but I would guess there are a few hundred examples illustrated. Brian has clearly differentiated the three principal types, as well as a few subcategories within those types. He's got beautifully illustrated sections on field-made documents, hand-written documents, replacement documents, variant documents, documents with award details on the reverse, and more. It is an extremely comprehensive survey of the subject.

To look at its cover, Iron Cross Documents seems to be a book only about the documents themselves. In truth it is much more. I'm not sure how common this is among EK collectors, but I myself have never really understood -- or even tried to understand -- the intricacies of the various documents related to the Iron Cross. I am fascinated by the crosses themselves -- the different materials and makers, the differences in design, etc. -- but the differences between a Soldbuch and a Wehrpaß, to say nothing of Vorläufiges Besitzurkunde, Wehrstammbücher, or Verleihungsliste, always eluded me. Brian's book has finally demystified this whirlwind of paperwork in an engaging, lucid way.

Brian has also included hundreds of original photos: award ceremonies, recipients, famous signers, studio portraits, and more. My favorite photos in the book are those in which the recipients of the Iron Cross stand immediately following the ceremony with their decorations pinned to their tunics and the documents in their hands. There are quite a number of these; one of the best is one the cover. These photos underline the importance of the documents themselves. They also provide welcome visual texture to the layout; a 300-page book with nothing but document scans would probably tire the eyes of even the hardest-core document enthusiast.

While all the information in this book is extremely valuable, I think Brian's most significant achievement is how successfully he has transmitted his own enthusiasm for the subject of Iron Cross documents. Frankly, the subject of documents had been of limited interest to me. This book has changed that. The overall impressions this book left on me are, first, just how important these documents were to their recipients, and second, just how fascinating they can be to collectors. Each document is like a piece of a puzzle when you know how to read it. It tells you something about the soldier whose name appears on it, the action in which he distinguished himself, the location, the unit, the commander. All these small details, when viewed in aggregate, provide a vehicle for understanding the war as a whole. It's clear, for example, that a great deal of Brian's impressive knowledge of the minutiae of World War II -- the movement of units, the names of commanders, the relevance of specific battles, whatever -- comes from his sophisticated understanding of award documents, and his ability to read them as an expert. One of his main purposes of the book seems to be to teach that ability to other collectors and enthusiasts, and in this goal he succeeds admirably.

No review is really complete without some criticism, so I'll just mention my one small complaint: it could have used a larger section on Spange documents, as the Spange to the Iron Cross was an important part of the Iron Cross family. But this is a pretty minor oversight in an impressive book.

As I've said, I'm no document expert. But I can't imagine this book being surpassed as a reference for an Iron Cross document collector any time soon -- perhaps ever. The book is clear, well-written with superb layout, and fascinating. In my reference library of Iron Cross books, there are only a handful I consider essential. Brian Razkauskas' Iron Cross Documents of World War II is now one of them, and I would recommend it to any Iron Cross collector or enthusiast. It will deepen your understanding of the Iron Cross itself, and open a whole new world to appreciate as well.

[Brian R]

Ok, all pre-orders have been sent. Robert and Simon - yours are signed and should, hopefully, reach you by the end of the week.

Trevor - -Thank you for the concise review . Hopefully more and more EK collectors will learn how and why their medals were awarded.

Thanks again, everyone!
B