Extreme War: The Biggest, Best, Bloodiest, and Worst in Warfare [Hardcover]

Terrence Poulos (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 462 pages
• Publisher: Citadel; 1st edition (January 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806527307
• ISBN-13: 978-0806527307
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,189,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars No Challenging Historical Treatise, Just Fun Facts, December 17, 2006

By 

Stratiotes Doxha Theon "2 Thes 2:15" (Richmond, Missouri) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Extreme War: The Biggest, Best, Bloodiest, and Worst in Warfare (Hardcover)

This is rather like the Guiness book of military history. A collection of some of the most, worst, best, biggest, bloodiest, etc. in military history. The author divides the book into several major sections based on an historical period: ancient, medieval, early modern, late 19th and early 20th century, and modern or recent history. Each section is packed with brief descriptions of the record-holding items organized within that section. It is a nice layout for reading in quick little tidbits without having to read in any particular order, just as the interest moves you. Fans of the History channel series, "The Most," will especially enjoy this book since the format is very similar. Not a bad showing for a book of its kind but I did find much of it lacking the detail most serious military history enthusiasts crave.

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable Reference, December 19, 2011

By 

J. English - See all my reviews

This review is from: Extreme War: The Biggest, Best, Bloodiest, and Worst in Warfare (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book that provides detailed explanations of a wide number of subjects. Organized chronologically with sections devoted to the ancient and medieval worlds, the early modern era, the 1816-1913 period, and modern warfare, it covers an eclectic range of extreme topics such as the best and worst weaponry, the greatest and least effective military leaders, the most innovative tactics, and the best and worst conducted battles. The strength of this work is the authoritative quality of the subject matter presented; for example, providing the definitive answer on the often confused terms circumvallation and contravallation. Exact specifications of weapons from the Roman pilum to the German Panther tank are also provided as well as succinct, but thoroughly researched profiles of various military commanders. In particular, the biographical sketch of General Alexander Patch stands out, as does the author's clear and concise treatment of the 1944 Battle of Mortain. In short, Extreme War is a highly valuable reference work for the serious student of military history.