The Reader's Companion to Military History [Hardcover]

Robert Cowley (Author), Geoffrey Parker (Author), Society for Military History (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1996

How did war originate? What makes a war popular or unpopular at home? How common is desertion or mutiny? What makes a successful guerrilla insurgency? How have armies been fed throughout history? The Reader's Companion to Military History addresses these and other intriguing aspects of the most destructive, fascinating, and relentless of human enterprises -- war. Filled with surprising anecdotes, little-known facts, and rare illustrations, The Reader's Companion to Military History covers major events and battles, commanders and theorists, weaponry and technological advances, and strategy and tactics. What makes the volume especially distinctive, however, is the range of thematic articles, covering such topics as courage, discipline, the effects of weather on warfare, military justice, surrender, the role of propaganda, the use of animals in war, the evolution of uniforms, psychological warfare, and morale. Unlike many military histories, the volume covers Asian, African, and South American history as well that of Europe and North America. Subjects range from the Persian Wars of 490 B.C. to such contemporary topics such as the revelations of Robert McNamara, gays in the military, and ethnic cleansing. One hundred fifty distinguished military historians, biographers, and journalists produced this volume under the editorship of Robert Cowley, editor of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, and Geoffrey Parker, Robert A. Lovett Professor of Military and Naval History at Yale University. The result is a remarkable chronicle of warfare that combines compelling historical narrative with the latest in contemporary scholarship.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA. This well illustrated, solidly researched, articulately written volume is a major contribution to the field of military history. YAs will find short articles helpful for researching term papers and for satisfying curiosity regarding wars and the people, institutions, and doctrines that fight, wage, and control them. While other compendia deal with military history from the start of recorded time, such as E. R. Dupuy and Trevor N. Dupuy's The Harper Encyclopedia of Military History (HarperCollins, 1993), none approach the subject from as many different aspects as this one. This objective work deals with military history on five continents (nothing on Australia) and from ancient times to this decade. It contains compact and thorough articles on conflicts from the Algerian War to the Zulu Wars; major battles from Actium to Zama; significant land, sea, and air combat leaders from Edmund Allenby to Georgii Zhukov. Also included are military philosophers and their theories from Sun Tzu to Karl von Clausewitz; and military technological advances from Greek Fire to land, sea, and air precision-guided munitions. Some articles are as current as today's newspaper, such as "Gays in the Military." What makes the publication so effective is its brilliantly composed, lengthy, and thorough index. Finally, and most importantly, the military historians who wrote the cogent essays are tops in the profession.?Alan L. Gropman, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Cowley, editor of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, and Parker (naval and military history, Yale) bring together the contributions of 150 journalists, historians, scholars, and biographers in more than 590 entries to this polished one-volume encyclopedia of war. Although Western-oriented and with an emphasis on 19th- and 20th-century warfare, it offers more than just a routine listing of people, places, and events in the history of war. The editors have skillfully added well-written pieces on the art and science of war, including entries on deception, strategy, discipline, espionage, logistics, geography, laws of war, origins of war, weather, and treachery. Best are the entries on the theories of land and naval warfare, especially those by Clausewitz, Corbett, and Mahan. Also included are numerous sidebars of little relevance or value, most being entirely subjective and without historical foundation (e.g., "Ten Best War Movies," "Ten Best Works of Historical Fiction About War"). Recommended for general readers.?Col. William D. Bushnell, USMC (ret.), Brunswick, Me.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 573 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395669693
• ISBN-13: 978-0395669693
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,241,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A top-shelf reference book, June 10, 1998

By 

Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Reader's Companion to Military History (Hardcover)

I originally picked this up at the library, just to browse through, but I stayed up late several nights running, absorbed in the essays and following the cross-references from topic to topic. My wife took pity on me and bought it for my birthday.

You needn't be a military historian to understand it and you needn't be an academic to enjoy it. The editors have done a wonderful job of unifying the submissions of a large number of specialists and of controlling the jargon level. The articles also discuss art, philosophy, and other theoretically non-military subjects, as well as weapons and tactics. And the scattered lists -- the 10 best battlefields to visit, etc. -- will get your attention.

Very highly recommended.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reference book aimed at armchair historians, May 24, 2002

By 

David W. Nicholas (Van Nuys, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Reader's Companion to Military History (Paperback)

This is one of the better reference books I've purchased, for all the wrong reasons. Instead of trying to produce a completely comprehensive encyclopedia of military history (there are already several available) the authors wisely went a different path, aiming the book at an audience that doesn't just want dry facts.

Cowley used to edit Military History Quarterly, and Parker is a professor in Ohio. Together they collected essays from 150 historians on a range of topics, many of them more vague than descriptions of battles or campaigns. There are also lists of Top Tens, like best commanders, most underrated, decisive battles, etc. The authors said once that the book was intended to be browsed through rather than used as a reference exclusively, and it's very good for either.

A fine book, and a good addition to any library owned by a military history buff, enthusiast, or academic.

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent set of insights, November 10, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Reader's Companion to Military History (Paperback)

Reader's Companion To Military History provides an encyclopedia of warfare from the early Persian Wars to modern times, providing almost six hundred articles detailing major battles, commanders, theories, weapons and strategies. Articles come from military historians, biographers and journalists and provide an excellent set of insights.