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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The title says it all, December 29, 2009
This review is from: War: The Definitive Visual Guide (Hardcover)
This is a large, handsome book that was crafted by many talented historians. Its also an excellent reference and learning tool for an older child or adult. The presentation is visually striking and the prose is concise and easy to understand. The book is divided into seven chapters or timeframes, starting around 3000 BCE when organized war broke out along the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers in Mesopotamia and works it way through the Nile Valley, the Crusades, Spanish Conquests, the American Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, the World Wars, the Chinese Civil War, and up through the Iraq Wars. Continents included are Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, North and South America. By the time you reach the end, you will see the prominent empires begin, grow and then decline. You will see the geographic and cultural hot spots of each era, the key people that had the greatest impact. And as the years fly by you will see the steady escalation of the destructive power of the new weapons that were currently in vogue. The chapters are: War in Ancient World ....................... 3000 BCE - 500 CE War in the Medieval World ................ 500 - 1500 Early Modern Warfare ............ ......... 1500 - 1750 The Age of Revolution ...................... 1750 - 1830 The Dawn of Mechanized Warfare ...... 1830 - 1914 Era of the World Wars ...................... 1914 - 1945 Conflicts after World War II .............. 1945 - Present The Table of Contents is excellent and will help the reader quickly find the war or time wanted. There are additional timelines within each chapter to help refine your search. There is also a detailed Directory and Index to further aid your quest. The narrative for each event is relatively brief but its sufficient for the reader to grasp the significance of the period and to decide if further study is desired. The story usually includes key people, weapons used, tactics, and post war effects. Included with the narrative is a wealth of paintings, photos, artifacts, and maps that also instruct and will help tie everything together. The largest event covered is WWII and it takes up 18 pages while many topics receive only two pages. DK books are always professionally crafted and this book is among their best. It's a fascinating learning tool and a valued gift that will be appreciated by young adult or senior.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Typical DK Excellence, December 30, 2009
This review is from: War: The Definitive Visual Guide (Hardcover)
Absolutely great...for the most part. The book bears much similarity to the DK History Definitive Visual Guide, with usually two pages (occasionally more) dedicated to a certain topic (or subtopic) with a "before and after" section which details what led up to the war/stage of a war/etc and what led from it. DK History had an occassional set of two pages dedicated to a decisive moment or person, and while there are no individuals who are given full, "two page or more" treatment, the decisive moments typically cover battles (which are interesting sections) or general, history-spanning topics (such as "Helmets" or "Armor"). The true strength of the book, as with all DK books of this nature, is the sheer amount of material covered, and the the fact that the format is logical and the prose is very easy to read. The amount of information kind of overwhelms you, but in a good way, and it makes the experience of reading it seem like you are nearly drowning in the pleasure of reading it. Of course, as it is a book on war, you will naturally (and should) find plenty of room for disgust (and the opening flap in fact does remind the reader, with help of a certain quote by Robert E. Lee, of the simultaneous wonder and horror of war). But it is disgust which helps the reader to kind of grasp the amazing fact that warfare has played such an overwhelming part in humanity's history, which is certainly a fact which must be grappled by all those who strive for peace. One of my few problems with the book is that there is not really enough attention paid to theoretical concepts, such as Revolutions in Military Affairs (the notion of a true and sudden change which significantly alters the nature of warfare and often plays a key role in deciding the fortunes of battles). These theoretical concepts give us a good idea of the philosophy of war, which is extremely important for those who try to understand the "why" and not just the "what". Another problem is the fact that they do not profile single individuals, such as Louis XIV or Napoleon. I do realize that these individuals (among others) were given good singular attention in DK History, but why couldn't the writers of this book focused on the military significance of each innovator and brilliant commander in military history? Giving Clausewitz (who did not receive a "single profile" in DK History) such a focus would help to alleviate both of my problems. The reason I chose 5 stars, however, for my review was simply because this book lives up to the typical high DK standards. If you have any interest in military history (provided you're not a professor of military history who would probably know nearly every fact featured in the book) you will have much fun reading to do with DK's Military Definitive Visual Guide.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely a concise and complete visual guide about world wars., March 26, 2010
This review is from: War: The Definitive Visual Guide (Hardcover)
Definitely a concise and complete visual guide about world wars. It's worth as guide to find all important battles of humanity. Major combats are described in relative detail and minor can be merely listed.
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