The Cambridge Illustrated History of Warfare provides a unique account of Western warfare from antiquity to the present day. The book treats the history of all aspects of the subject: the development of warfare on land, sea and air; weapons and technology; strategy and defence; discipline and intelligence; mercenaries and standing armies; cavalry and infantry; chivalry and blitzkrieg; guerrilla assault and nuclear arsenals. It places in context particular key events in the history of armed engagement, from the Greek victory at Marathon, through the introduction of gunpowder in medieval England and France, to the jungle warfare of Vietnam and the strategic air attacks of the Gulf War. Throughout, there is an emphasis on the socio-economic aspects of military progress: who pays for it, how can its returns be measured, and to what extent does it explain the rise of the West to global dominance over two millennia?
• Written by leading experts on the history of warfare • Sumptuously and intelligently illustrated throughout • Includes special panel features on important people, battles and concepts
Contents
Introduction Geoffrey Parker; Part I. The Age of Massed Infantry: 1. Genesis of the Infantry (600–350 BC) Victor Davis Hanson; 2. From Phalanx to Legion (350–250 BC); 3. The Roman way of war (250 BC–AD 300); Part II. The Age of Stone Fortifications: 4. On Roman ramparts (300–1300) Bernard Bachrach; 5. New weapons, new tactics (1300–1500) Christopher Allmand; 6. The gunpowder revolution (1300–1500) Geoffrey Parker; Part III. The Age of Guns and Sails: 7. Ships of the line (1500–1650) Geoffrey Parker; 8. Conquest of the Americas (1500–1650) Patricia Seed; 9. Dynastic war (1494–1660) Geoffrey Parker; 10. States in conflict (1661–1763) John A. Lynn; 11. Nations in arms (1763–1815) John A Lynn; Part IV. The Age of Mechanized Warfare Williamson A. Murray: 12. The industrialization of war (1815–71); 13. Towards World War (1871–1914); 14. The West at War (1914–18); 15. The world in conflict (1919–41); 16. The World at War (1941–45); 17. The Post-War World (1945–1995); Epilogue: the future of western warfare Geoffrey Parker.
Reviews
‘… exceptional … beautifully illustrated … A highly readable book, and an interesting one, both for the expert and the amateur enthusiast. A must for college libraries.’ U. S. I. Journal
‘Highly polished and well illustrated, this book is a comprehensive history of the Western (European) way of war, spanning ancient Greece to today’s modern methods and policies of destruction … The text is superbly supported by numerous and handy sidebars providing details, insights, and anecdotes … Parker’s conclusion is historically based and particularly chilling.’ Library Journal
‘... uniformly excellent...’. The VVa Veteran
‘… this book deserves close attention from the student of military affairs … The attractive volume makes imaginative use of diagrams, maps, and pictures, which serve far more than merely decorative purposes. In short, a valuable overview of the history of warfare, and a worthy companion of other fine one-volume surveys.’ Foreign Affairs
‘From an analysis of the Western habits of war to a review of developments which influenced the professional development of combat, this is recommended for any one studying history and conflict.’ The Midwest Book Review
‘ … [CIHW has] been pulled together by the finest military historian currently writing.’ Jeremy Black
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