Customer Reviews

A Concise Dictionary of Military Biography: The Careers and Campaigns of 200 of the Most Important Military Leaders

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This is a superb collection of mini-essays on the 200 most important figures in land warfare from A.D. 941 through 1988. The 199 men and 1 woman are listed chronologically at the beginning and then alphabetically, with cross-references where necessary, in the text. The individual entries not only recont major achievements and failures, but also deliver a cogent analysis of each leader's relative worth as a military commander -- only Marshal Zhukov is given notoriously short shrift.

Like all books, this one has its quirks: sailors and airmen need not apply, but a couple of paratroopers and military theorists made the cut. Coverage is international but heavily weighted toward Western Europe at 130 entries, or 69 percent. However, considering that Europe dominated warfare in this millenium, the book is not excessively biased in that direction.

Naturally, no work is perfect, and this one lacks an index, bibliography, sources, and suggested reading.

Yet, despite these minor shortcomings, I believe "A Concise Dictionary of Military Biography" will stand as a landmark work for its brevity, sound judgment, and clear writing.