The Battles that Changed History (Dover Military History, Weapons, Armor) [Paperback]

Fletcher Pratt (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Military History, Weapons, Armor | Publication Date: March 27, 2000

Profiles of 16 decisive struggles from ancient and modern times. Gripping accounts range from Alexander the Great's overthrow of the Persian empire in the 4th century BC to World War II's Battle of Midway. Pratt depicts the circumstances leading up to the decisive clashes, the personalities involved, and the historically important aftermath. 27 maps.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (March 27, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 048641129X
• ISBN-13: 978-0486411293
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #251,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great popular history writing, May 31, 2001

By 

David A. Ross - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Battles that Changed History (Dover Military History, Weapons, Armor) (Paperback)

Like A SHORT HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR, Pratt's BATTLES THAT CHANGED HISTORY is a terrific entry-level volume, especially for the young reader. He combines a snappy, thrilling writing style with a keen ability to explain complex historical situations and an original thesis about the role of military power in world history.

The key to this book is the phrase "Changed History" in the title. In his introduction, Pratt takes pains to distinguish his list of battles from those of the progenitor of the genre, Sir Edward Creasy, whose "Fifteen Decisive Battles" provided the inspiration for Pratt's work. Pratt notes that so many famous Western battles (e.g. Hastings or Tours) actually played a defensive or reinforcing role in history rather than "changing history." This insight leads Pratt to choose some battles that many might view as eccentric (e.g. Beneventum, the original "Pyrrhic victory", rather than, say, Zama, which ended the Second Punic War). It is Pratt's rationale for these choices, expressed in clear, crisp prose, that makes this book so valuable for younger readers in need of a boost in their motivation to read history.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An overview of world history, March 11, 2011

By 

Dstarr - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Battles that Changed History (Dover Military History, Weapons, Armor) (Paperback)

The title of Fletcher Pratt's book, The Battles that Changed History, sets forth Pratt's theme. He believes that battle can be decisive, the underdog can win, changing the course of history for good. The book is twenty examples supporting this theme. He takes classical Greece versus the Persian Empire for his first example. The Persian Empire was much much larger than the Hellenic city states. Despite smashing Greek victories at Marathon and Salamis, the Persians survived and prospered and by the end of the Peloponnesian War Sparta was accepting Persian subsidies to prosecute the war against Athens. Sparta won and imposed a crushing peace treaty. Pratt feels that in the ordinary course of events, the surviving Greek city states would have been gradually absorbed into the Persian empire, leading to quite a different history from what happened. In real history, Alexander came upon the scene, invaded and defeated the Persian Empire in head to head combat, leading to a Hellenistic Age, where Greek culture dominated the entire Mediterranean basin.
Pratt is a lively writer, with many good history books and much good science fiction and fantasy to his credit. He describes the era, the players, and the background as well as the events. He has some wonderful turns of phrase, such as "The Greeks had to go imperial to make it stand up." or "Within the omens instantly became favorable. The Romans poured out like a swarm of hornets..."
I first read this book in high school. Many years, and a college degree in history later, it's still good, and Pratt's basic theme is still very tenable. His knowledge of his subjects and their periods is very deep.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read, May 24, 2009

By 

J. Anderson (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Battles that Changed History (Dover Military History, Weapons, Armor) (Paperback)

Few writers can make history read like a story while at the same time educate with a multitude of facts. Pratt is one and this book is an excellent example.