Customer Reviews

The Punic Wars 264-146 BC (Essential Histories)

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

 

 

Another decent Osprey book. Only 95 pages and easy to read. The book has some holes in the content, but it is only meant to be a starter. I mean how can you cover all three Punic Wars in 95 pages? You can't. I have read quite a few Osprey books because I like the abridged content, but in this case I didn't think the 95 pages was enough. For instance the battle of Cannae was covered in two pages. That just wasn't enough for the single most important battle of all the Punic Wars and one which could have ended Rome before it ever became the empire it grew into. I like the glossy pages and the color maps were very helpful. The author spends a little time on the social aspects of these wars between Carthage and Rome and how they affected ordinary citizens. This was helpful, but again it was only a couple pages and the one page bibliography wasn't much help for further reading. I'm sure it is difficult to write about the Punic Wars because it is all one sided. After the third war Carthage was completely wiped out so we have no evidence or writings which came out of Carthage. All the primary sources have come out of ancient Rome. Generally speaking I like these Essential Histories series of books and I would recommend these to anyone. However, if you really want to learn about the Punic Wars I would suggest searching elsewhere for a larger volume. This one is just too short.

This book gives a decent summary of Polybius. Good maps, illustrations, and photographs enhance the reader's understanding of the geography and topography of battles.

"The Punic Wars," however, falls short in its summary of the Third Punic War: only three or four pages are spent discussing its events. Furthermore, the author provided excellent coverage of the interwar years between the first two wars, yet completely ignores the 50+ year gap between the end of the second war and beginning of the third.

For someone already versed in Roman history, this book may not contain much new information, but for a reader who wants a good, short overview of the Punic Wars, then this works fine for that. At less than one-hundred pages, The Punic Wars 264-146 BC can be read in one sitting, and I found little quarrel with the author's presentation of facts or take on the conflict. Not comprehensive, not meant to be, this book is perfect for someone only wanting to gain a sound working familiarity with these conflicts.

This book is both an excellent overview and an easy read. The author, Nigel Bagnall, successfully combines all three Punic wars into a narrative that is simple to follow. It has the breakdown of chapters that are common to Osprey's "Essential Histories" series. Of particular note is that the majority of the book is focused on the war itself. That is not always the case. Nevertheless, it still contains the usual chapters on chronology, background to war, and portraits of both a soldier and civilian. The author appears to understand modern military theory. This is evident by his analysis of the wars at the strategic, operational, and tactical level. To a small degree, this book is more than just a narrative of events. Of note is that a considerable amount of attention is given to the First Punic War. Most narratives tend to focus on Hannibal's exploits in crossing the Alps and the subsequent battles on the Italian peninsula.

The author does a great job of helping the reader keep track of the various characters. For example, he describes Claudius Pulcher, who lost a battle after receiving a bad omen from the gods. Claudius is noted for throwing a chicken overboard to drown when it failed to give a favorable sign. When Claudius is mentioned later in the book, the author is quick to point out the chicken reference. By using this writing technique, the reader is able to quickly remember the significance of that particular individual.

As with all Osprey books, this one contains an assortment of landscape photos, drawings, and maps. The battle maps are clear, easy to understand, and uncluttered. In addition, there are photos of ancient coins, statues, and other artifacts.

Bottom line: this book is very well written. The author did an excellent job of clearly describing this conflict. The events are separated in a chronological manner that allows the reader to easily follow along. The reader will not be disappointed with this excellent overview of the war that began Rome's march to becoming an empire.

The great difficulties with writing a history book are always a) Trying to present the information without bias (or as close as is possible), and b) taking the reader with you on the journey, involving them in the events.
Nigel Bagnall succeds on both counts.This is a book packed with all sorts of interest and some wonderfully clear and precise military writing.Bagnall clearly knows his subject well, and his enthusiasm for the history of this great conflict is contagious.
This is a history book that will involve and engage you fully.

I have some knowledge of Roman history, so this book fell a bit short. If you are looking for a quick overview, it is probably OK. However, on several points I questioned it factual accuracy. For example, the Cicero I have read about lived in the first century BC, not the first century AD. Since this correspond with the transition between Republican and Imperial Rome, this distinction is critical.

I decided to give this book a try because I'd read and really liked the book on Alexander the Great in the Essential Histories series. it was short and captivating.

but I was less impressed with this volume on the Punic Wars. as far as presentation is concerned, I think it's short on images, anecdote and other things that made Alexander a smoother and more enjoyable read. these things aren't superfluous, they help the history go down easy :)

I was uncomfortable with the overall structure of the book: the not-entirely-chronological presentation of the wars, the brief Hannibal/Scipio biographies which followed, etc. the progression didn't seem natural.

also, in terms of content, the introduction was a little week in telling us what the Roman Republic was like at the time, what it's tendancies were, etc.

to this book's credit, you can't beat a short and concise history if, like me, you're not a big historial. this volume of the Essential Histories series just didn't pull it off well.