Specific wars and military campaigns Books

Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER‘Stands out for its judicious and unsparing look at events from a British perspective’ Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday TimesBetween January and August 1947 the conflicting political, religious and social tensions in India culminated in independence from Britain and the creation of Pakistan; in Partition, Barney White-Spunner shines a light on those turbulent months. This period saw the end of ninety years of the British Raj, and the effective power of the Maharajahs, as the Congress Party established itself, commanding a democratic government in Delhi. It also witnessed the rushed creation of Pakistan as a country in two halves whose capitals were 2000 kilometres apart. From September to December 1947 the euphoria surrounding independence dissipated into shame and incrimination; nearly one million people died and countless moreTrade Review'This book is at its most powerful in its month-by-month narrative of how Partition tore apart northern and eastern India, with the new state of Pakistan carved out of communities who had lived together for the past millennium.' -- Zareer Masani * BBC History magazine *‘A highly readable account’ * Times Literary Review *

Read more less

Book Synopsis'A riveting, unvarnished and wholly unforgettable portrait of America’s most storied commandos at war.' - Joby Warrick, author of Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS, winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction   A stirringly evocative, thought-provoking, and often jaw-dropping account of SEAL Team Operator Robert O’Neill’s awe-inspiring 400-mission career. O’Neill describes his idyllic childhood in Butte, Montana; his impulsive decision to join the SEALs; the arduous evaluation and training process; and the even tougher gauntlet he had to run to join the SEALs’ most elite unit.The Operatordescribes the nonstop action of O’Neill’s deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, evoking the black humor of years-long combat, and reveals firsthand details of the most discussed anti-terrorist operation in military history.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFully illustrated, this is the second volume in a detailed study of the German auxiliary troops who fought for Britain in the American Revolutionary War. During the American Revolutionary War (177583), German auxiliary troops provided a vital element of the British war effort. While the largest body of German troops was from Hessen-Cassel (see the first volume of this study), the British also fielded troops from Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, Hessen-Hanau, Waldeck and Pyrmont, Brandenburg Ansbach and Brandenburg-Bayreuth, and Anhalt-Zerbst. This volume also covers the Hanoverian soldiers involved in the sieges of Gibraltar and Menorca.Fighting on a host of battlefields from Saratoga to Yorktown, these hired soldiers provided the Crown Forces with much-needed manpower and contributed crucial combat skills in the form of the Jäger, renowned specialists in open-order warfare. Featuring eight specially commissioned artwork plates and an array of carefully chosTable of Contents(Subject to confirmation) Introduction Chronology Braunschweig troops Waldeck troops Hessen-Hanau troops Ansbach-Bayreuth troops Anhalt-Zerbst troops Further reading Plate commentaries Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisCreated during the Peace of Amiens, the nineteen regiments of cuirassiers that existed during the course of the 1e Empire were, after the Imperial Guard, perhaps the most famous and recognisable soldiers of the epoch. This book explores the long gestation of clothing and equipping the cuirassiers, the development of the arm from twelve regiments to twenty-one – if we include the carabiniers from 1811 – and how their clothing evolved across the period. As well as assessing the curiassiers, the story of the evolution of the uniforms of the carabiniers is also told. Much ink has been spilt on the two regiments and their uniforms, yet, as with the cuirassiers, precious little archive research has been carried out. This is one of a series of ground-breaking books which will be the defacto study of this perennially popular subject for historians, researchers, wargamers, re-enactors and artists. Using archive records to ‘set the record straight’, as well as contemporary illustrations and original items of uniforms, the author sets out to describe the uniform of every regiment of Napoleon’s army. Using archive sources found in the Archives Nationales and Service Historique du Armee de Terre in Paris, the author’s unrivalled research over a period of twenty years, will reveal exactly how, for the first time in over 200 years, Napoleon’s army was mounted, clothed and equipped. Having been granted to access to over 1,000 archive boxes, the author assesses how the regulations were adopted in practice. This vast resource, as yet untapped by the majority of researchers and historians for understanding the Napoleonic era in general, include the many regimental archive boxes preserved in the French Army archives. These sources provide, potentially bias free empirical data from which we can reconstruct the life story of a regiment, its officers and above all its clothing. What did trumpeters wear? Did cavalry regiments really have sapeurs? We answer these questions and present the reality of how regiments were dressed derived from diaries, letters, inspection returns, regimental accounts and even cases of fraud. For the first time, this unique series of books discusses the wide ranging 1806 uniform regulation and the more famous Bardin regulation which applied to all arms of the Army and explores the way in which regiments on campaign adopted and adapted their uniforms. For the first time since the days of Napoleon, we can say exactly what was worn by the French army.

Read more less

Book SynopsisDan Jones narrates in his inimitably vivid and authoritative fashion the remarkable story of the Knights Templar. 'Exhilarating, epic, sword-swinging history' TLS 'Jones is certainly an entertainer, but also a fine historian who knows how to render serious scholarship into accessible prose' The Times 'Another triumphant tale from a historian who writes as addictively as any page-turning novelist' Observer ‘When it comes to rip-roaring medieval narratives, Jones has few peers, and in the Templars he finds the perfect subject' Sunday Times The Knights Templar were the wealthiest, most powerful – and most secretive – of the military orders that flourished in the crusading era. Their story – encompassing as it does the greatest international conflict of the Middle Ages, a network of international finance, a swift rise in wealth and influence followed by a bloody and humiliating fall – has left a comet's tail of mystery that continues to fascinate and inspire historians, novelists and conspiracy theorists.Trade ReviewExhilarating, epic, sword-swinging history... A skilful storyteller [...] he enlivens the narrative with bloodcurdling details and arresting turns of phrase... There is also fine scholarly intuition' * TLS *Told with all Jones's usual verve and panache, this is a dramatic and gripping tale of courage and stupidity, faith and betrayal * Mail on Sunday *Jones is certainly an entertainer, but also a fine historian who knows how to render serious scholarship into accessible prose * The Times *Another triumphant tale from a historian who writes as addictively as any page-turning novelist * Observer *When it comes to rip-roaring medieval narratives, Jones has few peers, and in the Templars he finds the perfect subject * Sunday Times *A fresh, muscular and compelling history of the ultimate military-religious crusading order, combining sensible scholarship with narrative swagger, featuring a cast of exuberantly monstrous sword-swingers spattering Christian and Islamic blood from Spain to Jerusalem -- Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Jerusalem: The BiographyThe story of the Templars, the ultimate holy warriors, is an extraordinary saga of fanaticism, bravery, treachery and betrayal, and in Dan Jones they have a worthy chronicler. The Templars is a wonderful book! -- Bernard Cornwall, author of The Last KingdomSnappy, well-paced... The author's ambition, he says, is to tell the story of the Templars in a straightforward way and "to write a book that will entertain as well as inform". He has done precisely that' * Daily Telegraph *Full of tales of bloodshed, bravery and betrayal, this is a passionate guide to the unstoppable rise and spectacular fall of the poster boys of the Middle Ages * The Tablet, Books of the Year *[The Templars'] colourful story is grippingly told by the excellent Dan Jones * Mail on Sunday *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA rigorous new analysis of America''s legendary Big Week air campaign which enabled the Allies to gain air superiority before D-Day.In the years before the outbreak of World War II, there was a general consensus among military strategists that strategic bombing had the ability to win wars. However, no-one could foresee the devastation that German radar-directed interceptors would inflict on large bomber formations.With the increasingly urgent need to eliminate these German fighter-aircraft prior to D-Day, a concerted two-phase effort, code-named Operation Argument, was launched by USSAF. Targeting aircraft factories with hundreds of heavy bombers escorted by the new long-range P-51 Mustang, the operation, now known as the Big Week campaign, was designed to destroy aircraft production on the ground and force the Luftwaffe into combat to defend these vital facilities, allowing the new escort fighters to take their toll on the German interceptors. Packed with speTrade ReviewThe book is wonderfully supplemented by the usual stunning artwork known in many of the Osprey series. There are excellent maps, orders of battle, and a good selection of photographs. I found few if any editing errors in this book. It is a fantastic look at a very focused and short campaign in February 1944 that was deemed crucial to the success of the impending Allied invasion. In fact by April 1944, the USAAF switched priorities and focus by being subordinated to Eisenhower for invasion support. If you are looking for a compact yet comprehensive and affordable look at Operation Argument, then this is the book for you. -- Todd Shughart * Aviation News Magazine *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION CHRONOLOGY ATTACKER’S CAPABILITIES -The Pointblank Directive -Aircraft: their capabilities, roles, and missions -Commanders ORDERS OF BATTLE, February 1944 DEFENDER’S CAPABILITIES -The Luftwaffe’s air defence system -Aircraft: their capabilities, roles, and missions -Commanders CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES -“Black Week” – the crisis of American daylight strategic bombing -The Luftwaffe’s response -Operation Argument planning THE CAMPAIGN -Eighth AF Mission 226, February 20 -Eighth AF Mission 228, February 21 -Eighth AF Mission 230, February 22 -Fifteenth AF Missions, February 22, 23, and 24 -Eighth AF Mission No.233, February 24 -Eighth and Fifteenth AF Missions, February 25 AFTERMATH AND ASSESSMENT BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

Read more less

Book SynopsisJames McPherson is Professor Emeritus of American History at Princeton University. Battle Cry of Freedom won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction in 2003.Trade ReviewThe definitive study, meticulous in its scholarship and compulsive in its readability * Financial Times *McPherson is wonderfully lucid... Above all, everything is in a living relationship with everything else ... Omitting nothing important, whether military, political or economic, he yet manages to make everything he touches drive the narrative forward ... historical writing of the highest order * The New York Times *A distinguished contribution to American history ... He has succeeded brilliantly. He has written what will surely become the standard one-volume history of the great conflict which forged America as a united nation * Independent *Absolutely brilliant ... McPherson has fresh approaches to the war's background, the four years of struggle and the aftermath * Washington Post Book World *McPherson wears with equal ease the hats of biographer, economist, sociologist and military historian .. Probably the best single-volume history of America's Civil War yet written * Economist *Table of ContentsPrologue: from the halls of Montezuma. The United States of midcentury; Mexico will poison us; an empire for slavery; slavery, rum and Romanism; the crime against Kansas; mudsills and greasy mechanics for A. Lincoln; the revolution of 1860; the counterrevolution of 1861; facing both ways - the upper south's dilemma; amateurs go to war; farewell to the 90 Days' War; blockade and beachead - the Salt-Water War, 1861-1862; the River War in 1862; the sinews of war; Billy Yank's chickhominy blues; we must free the slaves or be ourselves subdued; carry me back to Old Virginny; John Bull's Virgina Reel; three rivers in winter, 1862-1863; fire in the rear; long remember - the summer of '63; Johnny Reb's Chattanooga Blues; when this cruel war is over; if it takes all summer; after four years of failure; we are going to be wiped off the Earth; South Carolina must be destroyed; we are all Americans. Epilogue: to the shoals of victory.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAs part of the Treaty of Paris, in which Great Britain recognized the new United States of America, Britain ceded the land that comprised the immense Northwest Territory, a wilderness empire northwest of the Ohio River containing the future states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. A Massachusetts minister named Manasseh Cutler was instrumental in opening this vast territory to veterans of the Revolutionary War and their families for settlement. Included in the Northwest Ordinance were three remarkable conditions: freedom of religion, free universal education, and most importantly, the prohibition of slavery. In 1788 the first band of pioneers set out from New England for the Northwest Territory under the leadership of Revolutionary War veteran General Rufus Putnam. They settled in what is now Marietta on the banks of the Ohio River. McCullough tells the story through five major characters: Cutler and Putnam; Cutler’s son Ephraim; and two other men, Trade Review"A tale of uplift, with the antislavery settlers embodying a vision of all that was best about American values and American ideals." * The New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice *“David McCullough has become perhaps our best-loved chronicler of America’s past. . . . The Pioneers is the account not just of one Ohio settlement but of myriad such places across America, where innumerable immigrants (as the settlers were known) came to make a fresh start in a strange land. It is a story as resonant today as ever.” -- Gerard Helferich * The Wall Street Journal *“McCullough is among the most thoughtful and thorough historians of the past two generations. . . . [A] great American mind.” -- John S. Gardner * The Guardian *"McCullough is a master of research along with being a wonderful storyteller. He takes the history of the area and turns what could be dry and dull into vibrant and compelling tales. . . . Lovers of history told well know that McCullough is one of the best writers of our past, and his latest will only add to his acclaim." -- Jeff Ayers * Associated Press *"To read The Pioneers is to understand that the settlement of the Northwest Territory was, in some ways, a second phase of the American Revolution – a messy experiment, touched by high ideals and bitter conflicts, that still resonates in ways we’re only beginning to grasp." -- Danny Heitman * Christian Science Monitor *“Like McCullough's other books, The Pioneers succeeds because of the author's strength as a storyteller. The book reads like a novel, with a cast of fascinating characters that the average reader isn't likely to know about. . . . A worthy addition to McCullough's impressive body of work.” -- Michael Schaub * NPR.org *"Readers will immediately recognize that storytelling is one of Mr. McCullough’s great literary strengths. He consistently produces engaging prose about a particular period of time, and makes history come alive." -- Michael Taube * The Washington Times *"A lively history of the Ohio River region in the years between the Revolution and the Civil War. . . . [McCullough's] narrative abounds with well-recognized figures in American history—John Quincy Adams, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Johnny Appleseed—while highlighting lesser-known players. . . . Vintage McCullough and a book that students of American history will find captivating." * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *“In his usual revealing style, McCullough has crafted another dynamic volume of American history. With clarity and incisiveness, he details the experience of a brave and broad-minded band of people who crossed raging rivers, chopped down forests, plowed miles of land, suffered incalculable hardships and braved a lonely frontier to forge a new American ideal. They were indeed the pioneers." -- Dave Kindy * The Providence Journal *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA superbly illustrated narrative of how Napoleon skilfully extracted his Grande Armee from the clutches of the pursuing Russian armies.Much has been written about the Battle of the Berezina and the 1812 Russian campaign in general, during which the cold winter devastated the Grande Armée. Historians often praise Napoleon for his actions at the Berezina and attribute his success to a brilliant strategic mind, laying a trap that deceived the Russians and resulted in a remarkable feat in the history of warfare. Drawing on contemporary sources (letters, diaries, memoirs), and featuring an extensive order of battle, this book recreates in hourly detail one of the great escapes in military history, a story often told with embellishments that require a more critical examination. Although the core of Napoleon's army escaped, tens of thousands were killed in the battle, trampled in the rush for the bridge, drowned in the icy waters of the Berezina, or captured. Written by an acknowledgedTrade ReviewThe author is a knowledgeable guide to a campaign which, as it did not involve British troops, is not particularly familiar to the general reader. * Army Rumour Service *Table of ContentsORIGINS OF THE CAMPAIGN CHRONOLOGY OPPOSING COMMANDERS French and allied Russian OPPOSING FORCES The Grande Armée Russian Orders of battle OPPOSING PLANS Russian strategy Napoleon’s strategy THE CAMPAIGN Day one: 26 November 1812 Day two: 27 November 1812 Day three: 28 November 1812 AFTERMATH THE BATTLEFIELD TODAY BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

Read more less

Book SynopsisAs the wars of Napoleon ravage Europe, chaos and fear reign and the darkness that once clung to the shadows has been emboldened. Supernatural creatures vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and worse take advantage of the havoc, striking out at isolated farms, villages, and even military units. Whether they are pursuing some master plan or simply revelling in their newfound freedom is unknown. Most people dismiss reports of these slaughters as the rantings of madmen or the lies of deserters, but a few know better The Silver Bayonet is a skirmish wargame of gothic horror set during the Napoleonic Wars. Each player forms an elite band of monster hunters drawn from the ranks of one of the great powers. Riflemen, swordsmen, and engineers fight side-by-side with mystics, occultists, and even those few supernatural creatures that can be controlled or reasoned with enough to make common cause. The game can be played solo, co-operatively, or competitively, with players progressing tTrade ReviewHorror games set in Napoleonic Europe, I'm pretty pumped for this. I think it's gonna be a lot of fun -- Ash Barker * GMG Reviews *“McCullough has proved his pedigree with his games so far… an interesting option for those of a more historical persuasion and those who like their horror and fantasy.” -- , * OnTabletop *The rules are refined, matches are tense and tight, and the narrative side of the game can be as focused or supplemental as you like. Most importantly, this might be the best jumping-on point for those totally new to small skirmishers. -- , * Wargamer *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe weeks of bloody maneuvering and fighting along the Delaware River at Fort Mercer, Fort Mifflin, and Gloucester receive but scant attention in the literature of the American Revolution. The same is true for the five-day Whitemarsh operation and other important events in December 1777. Award-winning author Michael C. Harris's impressive Fighting for Philadelphia: Forts Mercer and Mifflin, the Battle of Whitemarsh, and the Road to Valley Forge, October 5-December 19, 1777 rescues these important actions from obscurity, puts them in context with the Saratoga Campaign, and closes his magnificent trilogy that began with Brandywine and left off with Germantown.This period of the war began when General Sir William Howe's army of 16,500 British and Hessian soldiers set out aboard a 265-ship armada from New York to capture Philadelphia in late July 1777. Six difficult weeks later, Howe landed near Elkton, Maryland, moved north into Pennsylvania, and defeated Washington's army in the large battle at Brandywine on September 11. Philadelphia fell to the British.On October 4, Washington launched a successful surprise attack obscured by darkness and a heavy morning fog against the British garrison at Germantown. The recapture of the colonial capital seemed within Washington's grasp until poor battlefield decisions brought about a reversal of fortune and a clear British victory. Like Brandywine, however, the bloody Germantown scrap proved Continental soldiers could stand toe-to-toe with British Regulars. What followed was a protected quasi-siege of the British garrison in Germantown prior to the travails soon to come that winter at Valley Forge.Harris's Fighting for Philadelphia is the first complete study to merge the strategic, political, and tactical history of the complex operations sandwiched between Germantown and the arrival of the Continental Army at Valley Forge. Harris's sweeping prose relies almost exclusively on original archival research and a deep personal knowledge of the terrain, highlighted by eighteen original maps, illustrations, and modern photos. Told largely through the words of those who fought there, Fighting for Philadelphia is sure to please the most discriminating reader and assume its place as one of the finest military studies of its kind.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe American Civil War has intrigued millions of readers for 150 years. But how much do we know about the real lives of Americans on the battlefields and in trenches and winter quarters when the sodiers has a respite from combat? Civil War Trivia looks inside the conflict to examine the many fascinating and heartrending stories about this great war.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA Sunday Times bestseller, powerful, highly-charged and moving, No Way Out is Adam Jowett’s tribute to the men of Easy Company who paid a heavy price for serving their country in Afghanistan.'Fiercely immersive. Truly heroic.' – Tom Marcus, bestselling author of Soldier Spy.______________In Helmand province in July 2006, Major Adam Jowett was given command of Easy Company, a hastily assembled and under-strength unit of Paras and Royal Irish rangers. Their mission was to hold the District Centre of Musa Qala at any cost. Easy Company found themselves in a ramshackle compound, cut off and heavily outnumbered by the Taliban in the town.In No Way Out, Adam evokes the heat and chaos of battle as the Taliban hit Easy Company with wave after wave of brutal attack. He describes what it was like to have responsibility for the lives of his men as they fought back heroically over twenty-one days and nights of relentless, nerve-shredding combat. Finally, as they came down to their last rounds and death stared Easy Company in the face, the siege took an extraordinary turn . . ._____________'Vivid and brilliantly written: a pulsating account of the battle for Musa Qala, the Rorke's Drift of our times.’ – Martin Bell, OBE, war reporter.'A superb account of the chaos and brutality of conflict' – Levison WoodTrade ReviewFerociously immersive. Truly heroic. The action is relentless and claustrophobic as, surrounded by death, Easy Company fought for each other. I challenge you to read a more brutally honest account of brotherhood, survival and belonging. -- Tom Marcus, bestselling author of Soldier SpyA brilliant first hand account of men and war that crackles with action and brims with humanity -- Patrick Bishop, bestselling author of 3 Para, Fighter Boys, Bomber Boys, Air Force BlueSoldierly, vivid and brilliantly written: a pulsating account of the battle for Musa Qala, the Rorke's Drift of our times. * Martin Bell, OBE, war reporter *A superb account of the chaos and brutality of conflict which conveys the highs and lows of life on the front line with vivid accuracy. It us ultimately a fascinating story of modern soldiering and the bravery of Easy Company fighting a battle far from home. * Levison Wood *A truly extraordinary story of courage and sacrifice in the face of overwhelming odds . . . Brilliantly written and with a clear pride in the tenacity and grit of the nineteen-year-olds under his command who performed so bravely, Jowett's book belongs on the shelves of anyone interested in modern conflict and the experience of soldiering. -- Barney Campbell, author of RainA gritty, heart-pounding account of combat and courage that brings the siege of Musa Qala to life, from the 'crump' of mortar fire to the exhaustion and dogged determination of Easy Company as they fought on alone. -- Dan Jarvis MP

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis fascinating millitary history tells the intriguing tale of the bitter and attritional Winter War between the USSR and Finland in the midst of World War II.On 30 November 1939, Soviet bombers unloaded their bombs on Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Stalin's ultimatum, demanding the cession of huge tracts of territory as a buffer zone against Nazi Germany, had been rejected by the Finnish government, and now a small Baltic republic was at war with the giant Soviet military machine.But this forgotten war, fought under brutal, sub-arctic conditions, often with great heroism on both sides, proved one of the most astonishing in military history. Using guerrilla fighters on skis, even reindeer to haul supplies on sleds, heroic single-handed attacks on tanks, and with unfathomable endurance and the charismatic leadership of one of the 20th century's true military geniuses, Finland not only kept at bay but won an epic, if short-lived, victory over the hapless Russian conscripts.Its surreal engagements included the legendary "Sausage Battle", when starving Soviet troops who had over-run a Finnish encampment couldn't resist the cauldrons of hot sausage soup left behind by their opponents - and were ambushed as they stopped to sup.Although by sheer attritional weight of numbers Stalin eventually prevailed over the Finns, their pointed resistance enabled their country to remain free, even as other countries fell one by one.This book gives a telling insight into the military history of Russia, as once again Russian troops march on foreign soil, and a nation at Russia's borders fights to retain its independence.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Knights Templar are one of the most mysterious and powerful religious orders in history. Highly trained, and adhering to a strict chivalric code, their success on the battlefield brought them both extraordinary wealth and political influence. It also ensured they would be entrusted to guard Christendom's greatest secrets. Our enduring fascination with the Templars is matched only by the swirling myths that surround and sometimes obscure the order's history. Secrets of the Knights Templar examines each of these mysteries in turn to reveal the truth about the Knights' secret practices, rituals and codes, as well as the continued influence of the Templars today. From the true location of the Holy Grail to the Templars' involvement in the Battle of Bannockburn, and from the sudden downfall of the order to the claims of those who believe they're descended from its Grand Masters, S. J. Hodge's thrilling and authoritative narrative uncovers the hidden links behind the stories and separates historical fact from fiction.Table of ContentsThe Origins of the Order. Holy War. The Temple of Solomon. The Guardians. Sacred Defence. Shifting Sands. The Descent. The Myths. An Enigma of History. List of Grand Masters. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Reaper is the astonishing memoir of Special Operations Direct Action Sniper Nicholas Irving, the 3rd Ranger Battalion's deadliest sniper. In the bestselling tradition of American Sniper and Shooter, Irving shares the true story of his extraordinary career, including his deployment to Afghanistan in the summer of 2009.

Read more less

Gerald Brenan's The Spanish Labyrinth has become the classic account of the background to the Spanish Civil War. Written during and immediately after the Civil War, this book has all the vividness of the author's experience. It represents a struggle to see the issues in Spanish politics objectively, whilst bearing witness to the deep involvement which is the only possible source of much of this richly detailed account. As a literary figure on the fringe of the Bloomsbury group, Gerald Brenan lends to this narrative an engaging personal style that has become familiar to many thousands of readers over the decades since it was first published.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this lavishly illustrated work, Zeina Maasri tells the tumultuous story of the struggle for Lebanon through the poster wars which raged on its streets. From 1975 to 1990, different factions in Lebanon's civil conflict flooded the streets with posters to mobilize their constituencies, undermine their enemies, and create public sympathy for their cause. Showcased here for the first time, the posters display a dramatic clash of cultures, ideologies and meanings.Maasri shows how the iconography of the posters changed throughout the war, and links this to changing political identities and imagined communities. She explores the factions' different aesthetic influences; from modern Arab visual culture to Latin America and revolutionary Iran. Combining in-depth knowledge of the local context with fascinating insights into the semiotics of visual media, "Off the Wall" is a highly original contribution to our understanding of visual culture, civil conflict, and the politics of the Middle East.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA son's quest to avenge his mother's murder.In 1948, in a Greek mountain village, Eleni Gatzoyiannis was arrested, tortured and shot. She was one of the 158,000 victims of the Greek Civil War. Her crime had been to help her children escape from the Communist guerrillas who occupied their village. Her son, Nicholas Gage, was then eight years old. Eleni is the story of his obsessive and harrowing reconstruction of his mother's life and death and his pursuit of his mother's killer.Trade ReviewA devoted and brilliant achievement. One of the rare books in which the power of art recreates the historical truth * New York Review of Books *Exciting and harrowing... An amazing achievement -- Patrick Leigh FermorI cannot think of another book that so compellingly demonstrates the gradual deterioration of human values in the name of lofty goals. Minutely observed and eloquently rendered * New York Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisNo historical event has left as deep an imprint on America's collective memory as the Civil War. In the war's aftermath, Americans had to embrace and cast off a traumatic past. David Blight explores the perilous path of remembering and forgetting, and reveals its tragic costs to race relations and America's national reunion.Trade ReviewThe most comprehensive and insightful study of the memory of the Civil War yet to appear…Blight tells this story in a lucid style and with an entirely appropriate measure of indignation…Race and Reunion demonstrates forcefully that…it still matters very much how we remember the Civil War. -- Eric Foner * New York Times Book Review *[This book] will strongly influence the writing of post–Civil War history for decades to come. Indeed, Race and Reunion is surely one of the four or five most important works in American history written in the past decade…Blight explains one of the most troubling questions for the understanding of American history: why it became accepted wisdom from the 1870s to the 1960s, among American historians as well as white students from grade school through college, that states’ rights, not slavery, was the cause of the Civil War or, as many Southerners have long insisted on our calling it, ‘the War Between the States.’ -- David Brion Davis * New York Review of Books *As Blight conclusively demonstrates, the United States was caught up almost immediately in a ‘tormented relationship between healing and justice,’ and the abolitionist, emancipationist view of the war’s aims quickly receded into the background…African Americans kept alive their own memories of slavery, the war and Reconstruction…but not until long after World War I did they begin to find a hearing for their grievances and yearnings. -- Jonathan Yardley * Washington Post Book World *This is a story of mammoth and tragic sweep, with consequences that are very much alive in present-day America. David Blight tells it with a passionate, soulful voice, a voice of conviction based on an intimate knowledge of a sweeping array of sources. Race and Reunion is a brilliant book. * Providence Sunday Journal *Blight’s analysis is compelling. His writing has a lyrical quality that underscores the tragic story he has to tell. This is an important book that should command a wide readership among those interested in race relations in the US. It should be required reading in Mississippi. * Times Higher Education Supplement *[Blight’s] deeply researched and carefully crafted study argues that after the war white veterans, Union and Confederate, facilitated the reconciliation of the two sections by consciously avoiding the fact that slavery had brought on the sectional conflict, choosing instead to celebrate the courage that they and their comrades had brandished in battle. Less consciously, they and their fellow Americans found this new narrative—this rewriting of history based on a kind of historical amnesia—comforting and restorative. Reunification became a joyful event, but it came at a steep price. After Reconstruction, Northerners and Southerners alike took hold of a ‘Lost Cause’ ideology that showed pity toward the South in its defeat, accepted Jim Crow policies that deprived blacks of their civil rights, and pushed for policies and practices that would ensure white supremacy across the land. Blight carefully avoids grinding axes as he makes his argument, which taken as a whole helps to explain why America today continues to wrestle with the seemingly endless and divisive issue of race…Here is a powerful book, artfully written by a scholar of learned poise who believes that by knowing the past we might better know ourselves. -- Glenn W. LaFantasie * Salon *Denying that the South fought for slavery was a key element in a decades-long ideological battle eventually settled in a devil’s bargain: reconciliation between whites North and South, purchased at the price of racial segregation…Race and Reunion is a deeply unsettling, pioneering work that raises far more questions than it can possibly answer: questions that should continue to trouble us…The myths and lies forged over a century ago still have us locked in their chains. * Philadelphia City Paper *Blight’s eclecticism and erudition make this sweeping historical saga a pleasure to read…Race and Reunion challenges us to take seriously the clashes over the Civil War’s contested legacies and symbols, which Americans continue to debate. -- Catherine Clinton * American Prospect *Blight demonstrates how, in the aftermath of the war, the needs of memory and the excessive focus on battlefield experience all but obliterated the role played by African Americans, and the promises made them. All told, this thoughtful, timely study presents a somewhat pessimistic view of the role played by the memory of this key conflict in the making of American's self-image, which, in the turn to sentiment rather than fact, lost much of its ideological integrity. -- Fionghuala Sweeney * History *One of the most fascinating and rewarding scholarly books of the past few years for the general reader with an interest in American history…Blight is scrupulously fair in his judgments. He is equally alert to the Northern white self-congratulation that inflated the legend of the Underground Railroad and the racist pretension that shaped the version of history peddled by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. He is especially alert to the way that even-handedness has served as a tool for suppressing memory of the moral issues at the heart of the Civil War by turning attention to the spectacle of combat and the bravery of the soldiers on both sides…It is a contribution to contemporary politics and culture that deserves a wide audience. -- Thomas J. Brown, author of Civil War CanonThis book effectively traces both the growth and development of what became, by the turn of the twentieth century and the debut of The Birth of a Nation, the dominant racist representation of the Civil War. A major work of American history, this volume’s documentation of the active and exceedingly articulate voices of protest against this inaccurate and unjust imagining of history is just one of its accomplishments. * Publishers Weekly *Blight has distilled a mass of historical material into an impressive, clearly written volume that…reads well and rings true. * Kirkus Reviews *Blight traces America’s tragic pursuit of national reunification and reconciliation after the Civil War at the expense of the conflict’s emancipationist legacy. He ponders such threats to this legacy as Lost Cause myths, fading and sometimes revisionist veteran recollections, financial panics and commercial greed, political scandals, ‘loyal’ slave narratives, urbanization and industrialization, and the emotionally charged rituals of war-related celebration days among others. The author resurrects the voices and prose of African American activists who fought to preserve the emancipationist legacy in an indifferent, even hostile, milieu. * Library Journal *Blight recounts the strong tide in the post-war years for ‘reunion on Southern terms’…Freed blacks suffered the consequence of the ascendance of a sentimental view of the war and amnesia about its central issue. -- Gilbert Taylor * Booklist *Table of Contents* Prologue *1. The Dead and the Living *2. Regeneration and Reconstruction *3. Decoration Days *4. Reconstruction and Reconciliation *5. Soldiers' Memory *6. Soldiers' Faith *7. The Literature of Reunion and Its Discontents *8. The Lost Cause and Causes Not Lost *9. Black Memory and Progress of the Race *10. Fifty Years of Freedom and Reunion * Epilogue * Notes * Acknowledgments * Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe best political biography of the year'' Jonathan Sumption, Spectator''Wonderful . . . A Life so nearly complete it need never be written again'' Ferdinand Mount, Times Literary SupplementBy the author of the Orwell Prize-winning Citizen ClemDamned in coruscating verse by Shelley and Byron, his coffin hissed at during his funeral, Lord Castlereagh has one of the blackest reputations in British history. But as John Bew shows, this is but a half-drawn portrait. His gripping biography reveals a shy, inarticulate but passionate man; a towering political figure of implacable principles who redrew the map of Europe, fought a duel with a cabinet colleague and would tragically take his own life amid rumours of scandal and madness.Trade ReviewJohn Bew has some heavy lifting to do in this consciously revisionist take. It is a great testament to his skills as a scholar and writer that he manages to do so with such aplomb . . . stellar -- Tristram Hunt * Daily Telegraph *Wonderful . . . Bew's book is not only unparalleled in its size and sweep; it is also drenched in the Irish dimension, enriched by the author's own Ulster heritage, as well as the sagacity, scholarship and charm that make this a Life so nearly complete that it need never be written again -- Ferdinand Mount * Times Literary Supplement *In a magisterial political portrait Bew brings Castlereagh and his world sharply back to life, and reassesses one of Britain's great forgotten statesmen -- Dan Jones * Daily Telegraph *The best political biography of the year -- Jonathan Sumption * Spectator *In this well-researched and judicious book, John Bew successfully readjusts the picture . . . this excellent biography tells a cautionary tale -- Leslie Mitchell * Literary Review *This new biography by John Bew is a wonderful book, in its scope, its scholarship and the magisterial sweep of the narrative * Irish Independent *Vast, well-researched biography . . . as Bew's solid, accomplished book shows, no foreign secretary has worker harder, wielded such influence or inspired such poetic hatreds -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *The most brilliant and wise political biography I have read in a long while -- Ferdinand Mount * Wall St Journal *Bew's achievement is to portray Castlereagh . . . convincingly and without any historical or bibliographical contortion * London Review of Books *This is an excellent biography which has given us a far more realistic and nuanced view of this much maligned man * Contemporary Review *A compelling new biography of the Irishman who dominated early 19th century diplomacy -- Hywel Williams * Guardian *John Bew is the outstanding historian of his generation. His biography of Castlereagh displays a knowledge of character, a grasp of political intrigue and a talent for story-telling any writer would envy. He brings magnificently to life one of the most enigmatic, and influential, statesmen in Britain's history * Michael Gove *Riveting . . . portrays the glory of perhaps the greatest of Britain's foreign secretaries -- Andrew Roberts * Standpoint *a magisterial guide to Castlereagh's life that should inform the general understanding of international politics today . . . a masterly account -- Brendan Simms * Foreign Affairs *A finely etched portrait . . . Bew impressively adds yet new dimensions to the man -- William Hay * Wall St Journal *Excellent . . . a terrific read * Jack Straw *In a formidable biography, John Bew has addressed the reputation of Castlereagh, one of the dominant political personalities of Regency Britain -- Keith Simpson * Total Politics *Monumental -- Mark D'Arcy * BBC Political Books of the Year *Bew is above all a very fine historian, very thorough and an extremely good writer - he tells a damn good story -- Stephen Pound * BBC Booktalk *'John Bew has some heavy lifting to do in this consciously revisionist take. It is a great testament to his skills as a scholar and writer that he manages to do so with such aplomb ... stellar' Tristram Hunt. * Tristram Hunt *'In a magisterial political portrait Bew brings Castlereagh and his world sharply back to life' Daily Telegraph. * Daily Telegraph *'Wonderful ... A Life so nearly complete that it need never be written again' Ferdinand Mount, Times Literary Supplement. * Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements. Maps. Prologue. PART I - ENLIGHTENMENT AND APOSTASY: Ireland's Robespierre; New Light; The Whig World; English Head, Irish Heart; Caesar in Ireland? The Reforming Giant and the Limits of Reason; Insular Dignity and Abstracted Freedom; Ragamuffins into Soldiers; A Romping Piece of Flesh; Pitt-ized with a Vengeance; Voltaire's Ideal Monster; Political Delinquency; The Wind and the Weather; Pitt's Henchman; A Lavaterian Eye; Erin's Death; Ireland Extinguished; The Mists that Overhang the Union. PART II - THE ENGLISH MINISTER: RISE, FALL AND REDEMPTION, 1801-1814: A Millstone about the Neck of Britain; A Clog Hung About a Dog's Neck; The Protege; The Return to War; England's Trouble, Ireland's Opportunity; Winding the Family Clock; Pitt's Heir? Pitt's Shadow; Two Irishmen in London; The Continental Foothold; Britannia Sickens; Unwilling to Give Up a Hero; The New Front; Weak Friends and Perfidious Enemies; Lord Castaway; London Grows Thin; Private Honour; Independent Patriot; The Knight of Old Returns; In Search of the Sixth Coalition; One Cause or Nothing; On the Rhine; Is it Peace? Paris at Last. PART III - FIRST AMONG EQUALS: Peace in Paris; The Gilded Age; Pleasure Bent in Vienna; The Congress; John Bull Fights Best, When He is Not Tied; Bringing Back the World to Peaceful Habits; In Defence of the Allies; Back to the Bustle; Enough to Destroy the Health of Hercules; An Entire Fearlessness; Like Wretches in a Slave-Ship; Meeting Murder; With Pistols in His Breeches; John Bull's Compass; Swellfoot the Tyrant; All We Ask of Our Allies; A Mixture of Warp and Woof; Mont Blanc Goes On; The Malaprop Cicero; The Cup Overflows; So He Has Cut His Throat. Conclusion - Never a Teacher of Men. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOut of print for many years, this is a brand new edition of the definitive companion to the acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin series of novels, written by the author himself.What was daily life in Nelson''s navy really like, for everyone from the captain down to the rawest recruit? What did they eat? What songs did they sing? What was the schedule of watches? How were the officers and crew paid, and what was the division of prize-money?These questions and many more are answered in Patrick O''Brian''s elegant narrative, which includes wonderful anecdotal material on the battles and commanders that established Britain''s naval supremacy.The meticulously researched text and imagery together provide an unparalleled insight into life during wartime in the Napoleonic era, and offer a wonderfully evocative companion to the world of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin.Trade Review‘The greatest historical novelist of all time’ The Times ‘There is nothing in this century which rival Patrick O’Brian’s achievement. His novels embrace with loving clarity the full richness of the 18th-century world’ Amanda Foreman ‘…full of the energy that comes from a writer having struck a vein… Patrick O’Brian is unquestionably the Homer of the Napoleonic wars.’James Hamilton- Paterson ‘In a highly competitive field … a real first-rater.’Mary Renault

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 1964 Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, activated a joint unconventional task force known as the Studies and Observation Group—MACV-SOG. As a cover its mission was to conduct analysis of lessons learned in combat by all branches of service. SOG's real mission was to conduct covert strategic reconnaissance missions into Laos, Cambodia and South Vietnam as well as sabotage and 'Black' psychological operations. Ground, air and naval assets were employed to insert, collect, extract, and otherwise support these operations. This book tells the complete story of these covert agents, from their recruitment and training, through to their deadly black-ops in the jungles of Vietnam.Table of ContentsIntroduction Chronology Recruitment/ Enlistment Training Appearance /Equipment /Conditions of Service /On Campaign /Belief and Belonging /Experience of Battle /After the Battle /Collecting/Museums/Re-enactment /Bibliography /Glossary /Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisDenis Judd is Professor Emeritus of Imperial and Commonwealth History, London Metropolitan University, and Professor at New York University in London. His books include Empire; George VI (both published by I.B.Tauris); The Lion and the Tiger: The Rise and Fall of the British Raj; Balfour and the British Empire; Radical Joe - A Life of Joseph Chamberlain; The Victorian Empire; Palmerston; The Crimean War and Jawaharlal Nehru. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Keith Surridge is an independent scholar. He is the author of Managing the South African War 1899-1902.Table of ContentsIllustrations Acknowledgements Maps Preface Introduction: An Irrepressible Conflict? PART I: THE BACKGROUND TO THE WAR British Rule, Confrontation and Compromise 1815-1886 The Descent to War 1886-1899 PART II: THE COMBATANTS 3. The British Army 4. Rallying the Empire 5. The Boers PART III: THE CAMPAIGNS 1899-1902 6. The Opening Battles, October 1899 7. The Disasters of Black Week, December 1899: The Battles of Stormberg, Magersfontein and Colenso, and their less disastrous prelude 8. Humiliation, January and February 1900: The Battles of Spion Kop and Vaal Krantz 9. ‘I thank God we have kept the flag flying’: The Besieged Towns of Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafeking 10. The Turn of the Tide, February 1900: The Relief of Kimberley, the Battle of Paardeberg, the Relief of Ladysmith 11. Marching to Pretoria (and Johannesburg): The British Advance through the Boer Republics, the Relief of Mafeking, the Start of the Guerrilla War 12. Methods of Barbarism? December 1900 to October 1901: The Guerrilla War, Farm Burning, the Concentration Camps 13. Seeking Peace, March 1900-June 1901 14. The Final Battles, May 1901-May 1902 PART IV: THE AMBIVALENCES OF WAR 15. Big Business, Capitalism and War 16. The Last of the Gentlemen’s Wars? 17. The Pro-Boers 18. Foreigners and the War 19. The Press and the War 20. The Literature of the War PART V: THE PEACE 21. The Talks Begin 22. Taking Stock Peace at Last

Read more less

Book SynopsisAt Le Cateau on 26 August 1914, the commanders of the Second Corps of the British Expeditionary Force elected to fight the German First Army and, although outnumbered three to one, delivered such a smashing blow to the German invaders that the whole of the BEF was able to continue the Retreat to Compiegne without being seriously threatened. Although the British suffered 1,200 of their men and officers killed, and were forced to leave their dead and many of their wounded on the battlefield, as well as thirty-six of their field guns, they inflicted losses on von Kluck's army of nearly 9,000. Yet the architect of this feat of arms, Second Corps commander Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien, was sacked soon afterward, while First Corps commander Sir Douglas Haig, who had performed far less impressively, took command of the whole BEF.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe defeat of South Vietnam was arguably America's worst foreign policy disaster of the 20th Century. Yet a complete understanding of the endgame--from the 27 January 1973 signing of the Paris Peace Accords to South Vietnam's surrender on 30 April 1975--has eluded us. Black April addresses that deficit. A culmination of exhaustive research in three distinct areas: primary source documents from American archives, North Vietnamese publications containing primary and secondary source material, and dozens of articles and numerous interviews with key South Vietnamese participants, this book represents one of the largest Vietnamese translation projects ever accomplished, including almost one hundred rarely or never seen before North Vietnamese unit histories, battle studies, and memoirs. Most important, to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of South Vietnam's conquest, the leaders in Hanoi released several compendiums of formerly highly classified cables and memorandum between the Politburo and its military commanders in the south. This treasure trove of primary source materials provides the most complete insight into North Vietnamese decision-making ever complied. While South Vietnamese deliberations remain less clear, enough material exists to provide a decent overview. Ultimately, whatever errors occurred on the American and South Vietnamese side, the simple fact remains that the country was conquered by a North Vietnamese military invasion despite written pledges by Hanoi's leadership against such action. Hanoi's momentous choice to destroy the Paris Peace Accords and militarily end the war sent a generation of South Vietnamese into exile, and exacerbated a societal trauma in America over our long Vietnam involvement that reverberates to this day. How that transpired deserves deeper scrutiny.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSince World War II, the American public has become fully aware of the exploits of the 101st Airborne Division, but within the ranks of the 101st there existed a notorious sub-unit whose formidable reputation has persisted among veterans over the decades. Primarily products of the Dustbowl and the Depression, and never ones to salute an officer, or take a bath, the Filthy 13 attained legendary status within the Screaming Eagles for its hard drinking, and savage fighting skill – and that was only in training.Trade ReviewThe true story of the Dirty Dozen is fascinating, funny, thrilling, fantastic, and larger than life. * Books Monthly *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA dedicated career soldier and excellent division and corps commander, Dominique Vandamme was a thorn in the side of practically every officer he served. In this first book-length study of Vandamme in English, John Gallaher traces the career of one of Napoleon's most successful midrank officers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFully illustrated with stunning full color artwork, this is the fascinating story of arguably the world''s first modern air campaign. Following the failure of Rolling Thunder US aircraft were now armed with new technologies such as new laser-guided bombs and electronic warfare capabilities. The Air Force now had the fearsome AC-130 gunship and a new generation of Wild Weasel anti-radar aircraft, and the US Navy aviators now had much better dogfighting training thanks to the new TOPGUN fighter school. As the Paris peace talks floundered in early 1972 and the US began to disengage from Vietnam, it was clear that the North Vietnamese were conducting a major build up for an attack into South Vietnam. Screened by bad weather and heavy air defenses in the north, the attack advanced quickly but the US quickly pushed back with an air campaign named Operation Linebacker. Their objective: defeat the invasion, preserve the government of South Vietnam, and bring tTrade ReviewA truly excellent title. * Panorama Difesa *Table of ContentsIntroduction /Chronology /Attackers' Capabilities /Defenders' Capabilities /Campaign Objectives /The Campaign /Analysis and Conclusion /Further Reading /Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Russian T-72 Ural tank is the most widely-deployed main battle tank of the current generation. Used by the armies of the former Warsaw pact and Soviet Union, it has also been exported in large numbers to many of the states in the Middle East. This book reveals the previously secret history behind the tank. Steven J Zaloga examines the conditions under which the T-72 was designed and produced. Technical aspects of the weapon are also discussed, including its EDZ reactive armour which, when it first appeared in December 1984, gave NATO a nasty shock.Table of ContentsDesign and Development · Foreign T-72 Development · Inside the T-72M1 · Operational Use · T-72 Variants

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times No.1 bestseller. 'Sixty special forces against 100,000 - a feat of British arms to take the breath away' Frederick Forsyth.They were branded as cowards and accused of being the British Special Forces Squadron that ran away from the Iraqis. But nothing could be further from the truth. Ten years on, the story of these sixty men can finally be told. In March 2003 M Squadron - an SBS unit with SAS embeds - was sent 1,000 kilometres behind enemy lines on a true mission impossible, to take the surrender of the 100,000-strong Iraqi Army 5th Corps. From the very start their tasking earned the nickname 'Operation No Return'. Caught in a ferocious ambush by thousands of die-hard fanatics from Saddam Hussein's Fedayeen, plus the awesome firepower of the 5th Corps' heavy armour, and with eight of their vehicles bogged in Iraqi swamps, M Squadron launched a desperate bid to escape, inflicting massive damage on their enemies. Running low on fuel and ammunition, outnumbered, outmanoeuvred and outgunned, the elite operators destroyed sensitive kit and prepared for death or capture as the Iraqis closed their deadly trap. Zero Six Bravo recounts in vivid and compelling detail the most desperate battle fought by British and allied Special Forces trapped behind enemy lines since World War Two. It is a classic account of elite soldiering that ranks with Bravo Two Zero and the very greatest Special Forces missions of our time.Trade ReviewBehind enemy lines: setting the record straight on an epic escape from Iraq * Soldier Magazine *More action than Call of Duty. Lifts the lid on the Special Forces mission they tried to keep secre * Captain David Blakeley *More than a tale of bravery against desperate odds. It provides an object lesson in what can go wrong when intelligence is flawed and insufficient resources and too few troops are used in war -- Toby Harnden * Sunday Times *One of the best accounts of a behind-enemy-lines mission ever * Phil Campion, ex-SAS and author of Born Fearless *One of the most remarkable stories in the history of special forces' operations * Daily Express. *Sixty special forces against 100,000 - a feat of British arms to take the breath away * Frederick Forsyth *Ten years after a near disastrous mission during the Second Gulf War, which ended in allegations of cowardice, the story of M Squadron Special Boat Service is finally being told * Daily Telegraph. *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe American Civil War was one of the longest and bloodiest of modern wars. It is also one of the most mysterious. It has captured the imagination of writers, artists and film-makers for decades but the reality of it confuses and divides historians even today. In this magisterial history of the first modern war, the distinguished military historian John Keegan unpicks the geography, leadership and strategic logic of the war and takes us to the heart of the conflict. His captivating work promises to be the definitive history of the American Civil War.Trade ReviewVivid and compelling * Sunday Times *It is hard to see how Keegan's masterful and thought-provoking book could be beaten * Daily Telegraph *In its range and sweep, this book is difficult to better and promises to become the definitive account of the conflict * Daily Mail *One of our finest military historians, Keegan brings a shrewd and discerning eye to [the] conflict... compelling * Literary Review *The best military historian of our day * New York Times *

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisEach year, the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps selects one book that he believes is both relevant and timeless for reading by all Marines. The Commandant's choice for 1993 was We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young. In November 1965, some 450 men of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, under the command of Lt. Col. Hal Moore, were dropped by helicopter into a small clearing in the Ia Drang Valley. They were immediately surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. Three days later, only two and a half miles away, a sister battalion was chopped to pieces. Together, these actions at the landing zones X-Ray and Albany constituted one of the most savage and significant battles of the Vietnam War. How these men persevered--sacrificed themselves for their comrades and never gave up--makes a vivid portrait of war at its most inspiring and devastating. General Moore and Joseph Galloway, the only journalist on the ground throughout the fighting, have interviewed hundreds of

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book provides a concise, lively, up-to-date portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte''s character and career, including his most important battles, while situating him firmly in historical context.David Bell emphasizes the astonishing sense of human possibility - for both good and ill - that Napoleon represented. By his late twenties, Napoleon was already one of the greatest generals in European history. At thirty, he had become absolute master of Europe''s most powerful country. In his early forties, he ruled a European empire more powerful than any since Rome, fighting wars that changed the shape of the continent and brought death to millions. Then everything collapsed, leading him to spend his last years in miserable exile in the South Atlantic. Bell underlines the importance of the French Revolution of 1789 in understanding Napoleon''s career. It was the Revolution that made possible the unprecedented concentration of political authority that Napoleon developed, as well as his unprecedented success in mobilizing human and material resources. The Revolution gave birth to the radically new, intense form of warfare that Napoleon later practiced. Without the political changes brought about by the Revolution, Napoleon could not have fought his wars. Without the wars, he could not have seized and held onto power. He did betray much of the Revolution''s heritage of liberty and equality, and ruled as a virtual dictator. But his life and career were, nonetheless, revolutionary.Trade ReviewThere are plenty of big lives of Napoleon, and the last few years have seen the appearance of a whole new crop. Their general standard has been very high, but the detail is often daunting, not to mention the weight in the hand. Pocket-sized biographies by reputable scholars have been surprisingly less common. The best English one in recent times, by Felix Markham, was published as long ago as 1963. Napoleonic studies have moved on considerably since then, and David Bell has been one of the leaders in advancing the field with his survey in 2007 of what he called the First Total War. Now he offers a crisp and up-to-date introduction to the amazing career of the man at the centre of it all. - * William Doyle, History *A very concise, but very illuminating history of one of the world's greatest generals. * Steve Craggs, Northern Echo *It is entertaining to read and discusses the important events and developments surrounding Napoleons reign. * Michael J. Hughes, European History Quarterly *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Corsican, 1769-1796 2. The General, 1796-1799 3. The First Consul, 1799-1804 4. The Emperor, 1804-1812 5. Downfall, 1812-1815 Epilogue: 1815-2015

Read more less

Book SynopsisSoon after Alexander Gardner's "Photographic Sketch Book" was published, in 1866, it became the Civil War's best-known visual record and helped define how viewers would come to know the war. This study of a pivotal American historical document, approaching it from the perspective of visual studies as well as American literature and history.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Introduction The Image of War Anthony W. Lee Verbal Battlefields Elizabeth Young Acknowledgments Notes Works Cited Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisA sweeping survey of the impact of the Civil War on American painting and photography in the 19th centuryTrade Review“The Civil War and American Art is a scholarly and a narrative achievement both harrowing and sublime. Eleanor Jones Harvey has written a keenly critical and often lyrical assessment of the war she calls all but “unpaintable.” In genre painting that captured universal meanings out of local episodes in the ugly ironies of war, and especially in the new moods, metaphors, and forms that landscape painters drew from the war, Harvey demonstrates a profound, seismic influence of history on art. But she also brilliantly demonstrates that artists, even the photographers, could not so much re-make the actual history of our Armageddon as they could represent what we might indirectly see or learn from such a withering and mythic experience as modern war.”--David W. Blight, Yale University, author of Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory -- David W. Blight“Eleanor Jones Harvey’s The Civil War and American Art is the rare book that connects the dots between art and history so well that the reader assumes that the subject is well-worn. It is not. The book…deserves to win awards in two disciplines: Art history and American history.…"—Tyler Green, Modern Art Notes -- Tyler Green * Modern Art Notes *“A great art history tour and coffee-table topper.”—Garden & Gun * Garden & Gun *“Provocative and insightful.”—Stephen May, Antiques and the Arts Weekly -- Stephen May * Antiques and the Arts Weekly *"The latest from Harvey. . . provides a nuanced, sensitive, and deeply informed accounting of a major period in the history of American art. . . . The comprehensive study manages to remain engaging across its redolent academic and historical interests, creating a sincere excitement appropriate to Harvey's always insightful and vital reckoning with America's scarred past.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review * Publishers Weekly *Winner in the Photography/Art category at the 2013 Great Southeast Book Festival. -- Great Southeast Festival * JM Northern Media LLC *"The Civil War and American Art is a glorious companion piece to a moving, beautifully curated, perspective-altering show. . . . Harvey’s book is perfect for lovers of American art and history.” —PopMatters * PopMatters *“Harvey skillfully integrates literature and journalism into a thoughtful and rich narrative of this pivotal period. An important cohesive assessment for scholars that is also broadly accessible and well-illustrated…”—Library Journal, starred review * Library Journal *“a beautiful companion volume…”—The Nation * The Nation *“Harvey’s catalogue text stands as a monumental, often thrilling feat of detailed scholarship”—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker -- Peter Schjeldahl * The New Yorker *“One of the great publishing triumphs of the Civil War Sesquicentennial.”—North Carolina Historical Review * North Carolina Historical Review *Selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2013 in the Art & Architecture Category. -- Outstanding Academic Title * Choice *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''A compulsive page-turner ... a triumph of brilliant storytelling ... an instant classic that is an awesome, remarkable and exuberant achievement'' Simon Sebag Montefiore Winner of the Wolfson History Prize and shortlisted for the Duff Cooper PrizeIn the summer of 1812 Napoleon, the master of Europe, marched into Russia with the largest army ever assembled, confident that he would sweep everything before him. Yet less than two years later his empire lay in ruins, and Russia had triumphed. This is the first history to explore in depth Russia''s crucial role in the Napoleonic Wars, re-creating the epic battle between two empires as never before. Dominic Lieven writes with great panache and insight to describe from the Russians'' viewpoint how they went from retreat, defeat and the burning of Moscow to becoming the new liberators of Europe; the consequences of which could not have been more important.Ultimately this book shows, memTrade ReviewA compulsive page-turner ... a triumph of brilliant storytelling ... an instant classic that is an awesome, remarkable and exuberant achievement -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * Evening Standard *Radically alters our assumptions about how Napoleon was beaten -- Andrew Roberts * Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year *(He creates) an historic canvas that is both overwhelming and meticulous ... he inevitably touches the nerve points of modern power politics. * The Economist *A compulsive read. This master storyteller and scholar has written an instant classic that is awesome, remarkable and exuberant. -- Simon Sebag Montefiore * The Scotsman *An essential reference ... the Princess would have approved. * The Spectator *(An) erudite, monumental piece of historial research ... it's a great tale with a clear argument, baked by an impressive array of sources and detail. -- Charles Clover * Financial Times *A superbly crafted book -- Alexander M. Martin * TLS *A lucid and detailed account -- Geoffrey Hosking * London Review of Books *

Read more less

Book Synopsis''A superb little book that is micro-history at its best'' Washington Post''The brevity of this remarkable book belies the amount of work that went into it. One can only marvel at how well Professor Simms has gone through the original sources - the surviving journals, reminiscences and letters of the individual combatants - to produce a coherent and gripping narrative'' Nick Lezard, GuardianThe true story, told minute by minute, of the soldiers who defeated Napoleon - from Brendan Simms, acclaimed author of Europe: The Struggle for SupremacyEurope had been at war for over twenty years. After a short respite in exile, Napoleon had returned to France and threatened another generation of fighting across the devastated and exhausted continent. At the small Belgian village of Waterloo two large, hastily mobilized armies faced each other to decide the future of Europe.Unknown either to Napoleon or Wellington the bTrade ReviewThe brevity of this remarkable book belies the amount of work that went into it. One can only marvel at how well Professor Simms has gone through the original sources - the surviving journals, reminiscences and letters of the individual combatants - to produce a coherent and gripping narrative -- Nick Lezard * The Guardian *A superb little book that is micro-history at its best -- Paul O’Keeffe * Washington Post *Mr. Simms's fluent and meticulously researched narrative provides enough context to engage not only specialists, but also readers unfamiliar with the broader historical background...by focusing upon a particular episode, rather than the bigger picture, Mr. Simms manages to reflect the grim reality of Waterloo better than some more comprehensive surveys -- Stephen Brumwell * The Wall Street Journal *[Simms] tells more about realities of boots-on-the-ground combat than any other Waterloo book I have encountered. A five-gun read. -- Joseph C. Goulden * Washington Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisMajor Russell Lewis MC was commissioned in to the Parachute Regiment in 1994. He has served three tours in Northern Ireland, one in Kosovo, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan in 2008, after which he was awarded the Military Cross.Trade ReviewFor those of us who have never seen active service, Russell Lewis’s book is an exciting introduction to the tough and dangerous world of military leadership under fire * Chris Patten *The pressures on a Company Commander are huge and in this book Russell Lewis brings to life most vividly both the intensity of the combat and the depth of care for those under his command. It is a most compelling book that shines new light on the ferocity and the humanity of the Afghanistan conflict. I commend this book to military historians and the general reader alike * General The Lord Dannatt *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWednesday 22 January 1879 was one of the most dramatic days in the long and distinguished history of the British Army. At noon a massive Zulu host attacked the 24th Regiment in its encampment at the foot of the mountain of Isandlwana, a distinctive feature that bore an eerie resemblance to the Sphinx badge of the outnumbered redcoats. Disaster ensued. Later that afternoon the victorious Zulus would strike the tiny British garrison at Rorke's Drift. How Can Man Die Better is a unique analysis of Isandlwana - of the weapons, tactics, ground, and the intriguing characters who made the key military decisions. Because the fatal loss was so high on the British side there is still much that is unknown about the battle. This is a work of unparalleled depth, which eschews the commonly held perception that the British collapse was sudden and that the 24th Regiment was quickly overwhelmed. Rather, there was a protracted and heroic defence against a determined and equally heroic foe. The author reconstructs the final phase of the battle in a way that has never been attempted before. It was to become the stuff of legend, which brings to life so vividly the fear and smell the blood.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume covers both British cavalry and artillery of the Napoleonic Wars, as well as supporting units such as engineers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisCutting through the headlines and spin, this is the first book to give us a true picture of the reality on the ground, through the words of the people there - from commanders to intelligence officers, army doctors to ordinary soldiers. Providing eye-witness accounts that contradict the official stories and figures, they give a chilling picture of the deceit, stupidity, wishful thinking, lack of forward planning and total intellectual failure of those behind the invasion. The result is an extraordinary new insight into the plight of ordinary soldiers doing nightmarish jobs, and the real nature of the fighting in Iraq.

Read more less

Book Synopsis''If it had not been for you English, I should have been Emperor of the East; but wherever there is water to float a ship, we are sure to find you in our way.'' Emperor NapoleonBut just thirty-five years earlier, Britain lacked any major continental allies, and was wracked by crises and corruption. Many thought that she would follow France into revolution. The British elite had no such troubling illusions: defeat was not a possibility. Since not all shared that certainty, the resumption of the conflict and its pursuit through years of Napoleonic dominance is a remarkable story of aristocratic confidence and assertion of national superiority. Winning these wars meant ruthless imperialist expansion, spiteful political combat, working under a mad king and forging the most united national effort since the days of the Armada. And it meant setting the foundations for the greatest empire the world has ever known.Trade ReviewA vivid picture of how the British Empire not only had to defeat Napoleon but also some of its own people * Herald *

Read more less

Book Synopsis“This book is well paced, factual... and is a really good read, especially for those unfamiliar with the ‘war’ in the first place.” - Scale Military Modeller International, June 2009“A detailed and exciting account of incidents in the 1987-8 tanker war in the Gulf.” -The Naval Review, November 2008In May 1987 the US guided missile frigate Stark, sailing the waters of the Persian Gulf, was suddenly blown apart by an Exocet missile fired by a MiG of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. A fifth of the ship’s crew were killed and many others wounded. This event jump-started one of the most mysterious conflicts in American history, the Tanker War, which was waged for control of the Middle East’s oil supply, and was carried out in the shadow of the Iran-Iraq War.Losing on the battlefield, Ayatollah Khomeini’s Iran had decided to close the Persian Gulf against shipments from Iraq, and especially from their oil-rich backers, the emirate of Kuwait. The Kuwaitis appealed for international help to protect their tankers, and the Soviet Union was first to respond. This prompted America to react and send their own fleet to the Gulf, raising the Stars and Stripes over Kuwait’s commercial tankers. The result was a free-for-all, as the Iranians laid mines throughout the passage and launched their torpedo attacks. The Tanker War was the US Navy’s largest surface battle since World War II.Trade ReviewThis book is well paced, factual and does an excellent job of describing the tension aboard the US ships and helicopter/air crews and is a really good read, especially for those unfamiliar with the ‘war’ in the first place.Anyone thirsting for the maximum detail of the period under the spotlight will not be disappointed. It is packed with information, covering the politics, the global impact, and the tiniest minutia of life on board the various naval vessels that are suddenly thrust into a scary war. * Royal Navy & Maritime Book Reviews *A detailed and exciting account of incidents in the 1987-8 tanker war in the Gulf. * The Naval Review *

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn June 2007 a very special event will happen in the aviation world. A restored Avro Vulcan Mark 2 XH558 will take to the air again to help commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Falklands conflict. To coincide with this the memoirs of one of its test pilots, Tony Blackman, will be published the first ever book about test flying this monumental delta-wing aircraft which dominated the history of the late 20th century. Tony is the ideal man to write such a tale as he flew no less than 105 of the 136 built, logging 850 flights at over 1,327 hours. His book will describe in laymans terms what it was like to tame the first prototypes and to master the unusual characteristics necessitated by the Vulcans shape. Although Tony puts the developments, demonstrations, incidents and accidents in their political and historical context, his story is a highly personal one. He explains how this awesome aircraft became a national treasure and captured the imagination of the whole country. His words, descriptions and hitherto largely unpublished photographs will make people feel as he did the excitement of handling such an incredibly powerful monster always in the knowledge that he had to be in complete charge all the time as the monster could and did bite back.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWelsh miners made up one of the largest contingents within the British Battalion of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. Coming from the valleys all across South Wales, they brought with them a political tradition unique in Britain in its combination of trade union militancy, radical extra-parliamentary activity and internationalism. Hywel Francis draws on a wide variety of contemporary sources to paint a vivid picture of the tumultuous politics of South Wales in the 1920s and 1930s - the context for the decision made by so many to volunteer. The book describes the process of volunteering, the militant role played by the Welsh volunteers, and the mass movements of political solidarity with Spain within Wales. It also includes many illustrations, and reproduces letters written by volunteers to their relatives and friends back in Wales. This updated 2012 edition includes a new preface and a newly compiled complete list of all Welsh volunteers.Trade Review'A fascinating study - pays homage to Cambria rather than Catalonia, and memorably so' Kenneth O Morgan, TLS 'Succeeds brilliantly in restoring the humanity of his true subjects, the volunteers - men formed by their time and place who consciously chose to express their commitment to a cause in the bravest way possible.' Dai Smith, Guardian

Read more less