The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough [Hardcover]

David G. Chandler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1994

A military history which illuminates the complexities of 18th century war fare. The author draws upon a wide range of sources to explain how the regimental officer and soldier fought and manoeuvered, whether in the line of battle or in the siege trenches.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Spellmount Ltd Pub; 2nd edition (August 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0946771421
• ISBN-13: 978-0946771424
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,367,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A seminal work by a master historian, October 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough (Revised Edition) (Hardcover)

The author is an eminent military scholar and this work, first published in 1976, still gives readers an accurate and comprehensive introduction to its subject. Chandler has a nice command of the English language, is thoroughly versed in the details and arcana of the technical aspects of the military art of the age he writes of, and places the subject of the book very adeptly into the context of the times, with appropriate nods to politics, economics, and the cultural ethos. He further offers good insights into the influence of the preceding era's style of warfare on that practised in the age of Marlborough, as well as giving an idea of the impact of Marlborough's period on the subsequent evolvement of warfare later in the 18th century.

As in any work of synthesis, Chandler's work cannot replace primal sources such as drill manuals, letters, diaries, memoirs, etc., from participants in the warfare he covers. Nor should it be read in expectation of giving a book-length treatment to any one battle or campaign -- Chandler is clearly painting with a broader brush in hope of giving us the big picture, albeit one that gives enough detail to stand magnified scrutiny.

Those who come to the subject via Chandler's work may well be intrigued enough to delve into more narrowly-oriented works on specific arms, units, battles or campaigns. Those whom want a good slice more of the reality of the age than the decent but very, very brief overviews offered by, say, the Osprey series cannot go wrong with either a used or reprint version of this book. Let those who cavil at its quality offer a list of more complete, accurate and pleasurable books covering the same topic in the same fine but broad manner.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yet Another Bumper Information Harvest from Chandler, June 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough (Revised Edition) (Hardcover)

Informative, entertaining and well organized, The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough is an essential work for anyone interested in the European military art of the early 18th century. The book includes detailed comparisons (including diagrams in many cases) of the competing tactical systems used by infantry and cavalry of the day; in addition, there is extensive material on artillery technoloogy and employment as well as engineering and siegecraft. The individual fortunate enough to own this work, Nosworthy's *Anatomy of Victory,* and Christopher Duffy's various volumes (alas, many are currently out of print--strong arguments for publishing-on-demand) will know about as much about 18th-century warfare in Europe as any layman really needs to know.

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting information., July 18, 2011

By 

Paul S. Teague, Major, US Army Retired (Germany) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough (Revised Edition) (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed reading the Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough by David Chandler although the book could have just as easily been entitled The Art of Warfare in the Age of Vauban. While I didn't find any new information about the battles fought I found the chapters on the development of infantry and infantry weapons interesting as well as what was written about the cavalry. Most fascinating to me however were the chapters dealing with artillery and especially how the fusing of the shells was done.
While not a work I would recommend for someone interested in the campaigns of the era I would strongly encourage anyone interested in the mechanics of how soldiers fought at that time to buy this book. If you ever wondered how soldiers fired a match lock, or are interested in the use of ricochet firing in siege warfare, and many more little known tidbits then you will enjoy this book.