Customer Reviews

The Logistics of the Roman Army at War (264 B.C. - A.D.235) (Columbia Studies in the Classical Tradition,)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With a book this expensive you would think they could have found a decent editor, but such is not the case. This book is filled with hundreds of grammar and spelling errors (at times several on a single page) that would have been caught by even the most casual editorial review or even a read-through by an English 101 student. The editor of this volume (William V. Harris) should be ashamed to have his name attached to it.

If bad editing does not bother you, then I can recommend this book with five stars. It retreads a lot of ground in the field, but the author deftly combines a number of sources into a unified whole. Although by no means worth the $135 if you are simply a casual reader, the first two chapters alone (1. Supply Needs and Rations, 2. Packs, Trains and Servants) make the book *well* worth it for military historians hungry for hard numbers and thoughtful extrapolation.

For me this was a VERY expensive book, but it provided me with the answer to the question of not what the roman army did but how they were able to get their troops to the right place, at the right time and in condition to whip their opponents. Parts of this book reminded me of the Red Ball Express feeding Patton's army after his breakout. I highly recommend it to those who want to go beyond the "who" and the "what" of Roman military history.

Detailed and of interest to those who want an in depth look at the subject matter.

For example - the length of the columns and spacing meant that the rear had not left the camp by the time the van reached the new camp grounds.

I was able to read a copy at the library. The market price was $120 (direct from the author) at the time, perhaps 10- 12 years ago.