Black Cross Red Star Vol. 3 - publication news

[Christer Bergström]

I receive quite a lot of e-mail from people asking me when Black Cross/Red Star Vol. 3 will be published. I too started to wonder when I saw on Eagle Edition's website that the publication is postponed to August this year, so I phoned Judy Crandall (the publisher). Judy explained that the reason to this delay is that when she received the colour proofs from the printer, she was not satisfied and returned them to the printer and asked them to rework it.

Now that might be Eagle Editions in a nutshell: Maybe not always fast, but indeed very careful about quality! I think we can all expect a book of the highest printing quality from Eagle Editions when Black Cross/Red Star Vol. 3 is released. I was very impressed with what they did with the Graf & Grislawski book, but I can tell you that the printouts for Black Cross/Red Star Vol. 3 which they sent me really surpasses the G&G book in terms of layout etc. Hope people will like the contents too...

[Jim Oxley]

I am sooooo hanging out for this book. I've lost count of the number of times I've re-read both Vol's 1 and 2.

As a 'series' study of the aerial campaign of a Theatre of war it is unique. Whatever you do Christer please, please don't get tied of writing on the subject!

[Christer Bergström]

Hi Jim,

Don't worry - I won't get tired! Never with such supportive readers as you!

Black Cross/Red Star Vol. 4 is more or less completed, and Eagle Editions has promised to publish that one already by the end of this year. Let's hold our thumbs that the printer will succeed the first time...

Then I have a similar series for which I hae received contracts from Ian Allan in the UK: "Eastern Front Air War". Four volumes will be published:

"Barbarossa: The Air War": Due mid 2007
"Stalingrad: The Air War": Due late 2007
"Kursk: The Air War": Due mid 2008
"Eastern Front 1944-45: The Final Air Battles": Due late 2008

Those books have more of a "strategic" angle, while the Black Cross/Red Star series are more operationally focused.

[Jim Oxley]

Marvellous news Christer. The new series should prove to be a nice balance to the BC/RS series. May you forever be kept busy writing!

[Christer Bergström]

Thanks for your support!

May you forever be kept busy writing!

Incidentally, I have been more busy writing during the past six months than I have ever been before. Thanks to an understanding wife! ...and to all the great support from readers like you!

[LukeFF]

Sounds good! The BC/RS books are among the finest WWII books I have read.

[Shikhov]

Hello Christer!
Sorry but I'm too late recognized your excellent BCRS series value and completely impossible to find a vol.1 now. It seems Pacifica Pubs. disapeared some times ago. May be your have an ideas to reprint vol.1 in new company. I think many peoples awaited. Let me informed abt this matter.
Thanks in advance.
Igor.

[nick de carteret]

Originally Posted by Shikhov

Sorry but I'm too late recognized your excellent BCRS series value and completely impossible to find a vol.1 now. It seems Pacifica Pubs. disapeared some times ago. May be your have an ideas to reprint vol.1 in new company. I think many peoples awaited.

Managed to finally find a mint copy of Vol 1 on eBay after being tipped off by a friend on another forum board. Price was within reason thank goodness but this book does seem to be as rare as hen's teeth.

[Christer Bergström]

To everyone asking about news on my books, please visit my website for any updates:

http://www.bergstrombooks.elknet.pl/

One month ago (30 June) was the deadline for the delivery of the manuscript of my book "Luftstrid över Kanalen/Battle of Britain" to the Swedish and international military publisher Leandoer & Ekholm.

Yesterday I delivered the manuscript of my book "Barbarossa: The Air War" to the publisher Ian Allan (deadline was today). It will be published by Ian Allan in the spring of 2007.

Yesterday I also received news from my "Black Cross/Red Star" publisher (Eagle Editions) that "Black Cross/Red Star", Vol. 3 "has been printed, should be bound this next week and made ready for shipment to us".

Previously, I have delivered the manuscripts of two separate pilot biographies on two JG 54 "Grünherz" pilots to another publisher, and that publisher now tells me that those two books are intended to be published before Christmas 2006. (I have contracts for both books.)

Right now, I am working on the book "Stalingrad: The Air War", which will be published by Ian Allan in the autumn of 2007.

Info from my website:

* Luftstrid över Kanalen: A re-edited new edition of Christer Bergström's book on the Battle of Britain, "Luftstrid över Kanalen". This book is based on an extensive research into British and German archives, and interviews with a large number of pilot veterans from the Battle of Britain. It will contain a complete list of each individual aircraft loss and each individual victory claim on both sides throughout the Battle of Britain. This is a 200,000-word book (i.e. twice that of Black Cross/Red Star) and contains nearly 400 photographs, many of which are from pilot veterans' personal albums and have never been published before. Will be published in September 2006. Click here to go to the publisher's advertisement.
* Battle of Britain: The English edition of the above book. Scheduled to be published in December 2006. Click here to go to the publisher's advertisement.

The British publisher Ian Allan will publish four books by Christer Bergström on the history on the air war on the Eastern Front:
* Barbarossa: The Air War: To be published in the spring of 2007. (Update 31 July 2006: I just delivered the manuscript to the publisher - my deadline for delivery was 1 August 2006.)
* Stalingrad: The Air War: To be published in the autumn of 2007.
* Kursk: The Air War: To be published in the spring of 2008.
* Storm over the Eastern Front: The Air War 1944 - 1945: To be published in the autumn of 2008.

These books will study the air war on the Eastern Front from a slightly different angle than Black Cross/Red Star. The "Ian Allan books" will be more oriented toward planning and strategy, while the Black Cross/Red Star books are more of operational histories.

As you all can see, I am in the midst of a quite hectic writing period.

BTW, Shikhov, "Barbarossa: The Air War" is a 100,000-word book which could be regarded as a second (but very much edited) edition of "Black Cross/Red Star: Vol. 1".

[Jim Oxley]

Thanks for clearing up that point on the English version of 'Luftstrid över Kanalen' Christer. The publishers site doesn't actually say anything about the English version. At least not that I can see. I'll be watching the publishers site like a hawk!

I've already have my order in for Vol.3 of BC/RS, so I'm just waiting patiently for that. By the time I've finished reading those I'll be ready for your next four books.