An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present (Dover Military History, Weapons, Armor) [Paperback]

David Eggenberger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1985 | Series: Dover Military History, Weapons, Armor

Essential details of every major battle on land and sea in recorded history, from the first battle of Megiddo in 1479 B.C. to the Grenada conflict in 1984. Included: strategic situations, roles played by political/military leaders, troop numbers and training, tactics and objectives, casualties and losses and military/political consequences. Index. 99 illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; Rev Sub edition (September 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486249131
• ISBN-13: 978-0486249131
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,577 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Military
  • #60 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > History

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a "must have" reference for all history buffs!, August 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present (Dover Military History, Weapons, Armor) (Paperback)

I ran across the first edition of this book over 25 years ago while in high school and still consider it one of my most valued references. The current edition covers the history of warfare up to 1985, and a new edition would be great, but it is still an incredible resource. Every battle of any significance from the dawn of recorded history is represented by an entry, 99 of which are accompanied by a small map. The battles are listed in alphabetical order, but the author helpfully lists the chronologically preceding and following battle of a campaign or war at the end of each entry, so that you can easily place each battle in its historical context. There are also separate entries for each war which lists all the battles for which there is an entry in the book. The individual battle descriptions are sometimes terse and lacking detail, but for the most part, the key strategic, political, and tactical issues are addressed. Summaries of losses in personnel and equipment are usually included. But don't get the impression that this is a dry, boring tome of dates and statistics! This book is a great pleasure to read. Each vignette is well-written and often includes the fascinating little tibits of humanity that make the history of man's terrible penchant for conflict such a compelling subject of study.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Time Eater, August 2, 2002

By 

"sjboles" (Riverside, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present (Dover Military History, Weapons, Armor) (Paperback)

This book is an excellent reference book, providing a number of quick and easy ways to find out about a given battle. It has rarely failed me, and then in inconsequential battles which I could not find elsewhere. It has generally provided me with the information I needed in a precise and comprehensive form.
But the problem is that at the bottom of each article is a reference to the battle preceding and the battle following. I just naturally have to look them up and then the ones before and after those. Then I get distracted and read the article preceding or following the one I had sought and go off following those battles and wars. Thus I spend half and hour to two hours when I just wanted to find one bit of information. It is delightful to do so, but the book is a very effective time eater.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As Handy as It Gets, September 15, 2007

By 

Javier P. - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present (Dover Military History, Weapons, Armor) (Paperback)

This is a nice battle dictionary, from the most ancient times to 1984, with special attention to US involvement but every battle with any major importance is included. It's a basic introductory work and the level of detail is somewhat low, so anyone looking for intensive reference, especially if interested in the purely military aspects, should of course look elsewhere, but it's still good for the casual reader.

What this book is very good at is getting you interested in the historic importance of the events. All descriptions include references of what led to the battle and what resulted of it, of course both usually more battles, whose names are added to the end of every description; so you can never have only one. You can also look for the name of a war instead of an specific battle, and you'll get a list of its battles; or the name of a country for an extensive list of all-time battles. An index of places and people is of course also included, so navigation is really easy as well as tempting and engaging.

This paperback edition is quite sturdy and the pages won't fall off unless you try really hard.