War in Human Civilization and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Used - Good | See details
Sold by TTPDC.
 
   
Sell Us Your Item
For a $0.96 Gift Card
Trade in
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Start reading War in Human Civilization on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

War in Human Civilization [Hardcover]

Azar Gat
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Free Two-Day Shipping for College Students with Amazon Student

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $13.19  
Hardcover --  
Paperback $21.48  
Amazon.com Textbooks Store
Shop the Amazon.com Textbooks Store and save up to 70% on textbook rentals, 90% on used textbooks and 60% on eTextbooks.

Book Description

November 16, 2006 0199262136 978-0199262137
In this truly global study, major military historian Azar Gat sets out to unravel the "riddle of war" throughout human history, from the early hunter-gatherers right through to the unconventional terrorism of the twenty-first century. In the process, the book generates an astonishing wealth of original and fascinating insights on all major aspects of humankind's remarkable journey through the ages, engaging a wide range of disciplines.


Editorial Reviews

Review


"War in Human Civilization is indeed the ambitious, sweeping book that the author set out to write. Both its scope and scale are impressive as is the wide range of sources and disciplines whose theories and methods are brought to bear on the 'riddle' of war.... The coverage and the deft weaving together of so many central theories on human behavior make this a book worth examining."--Michael S. Neilberg, Journal of Social History


"An immensely ambitious work covering not only history but archaeology, anthropology, ethnography, demography and economics, to name but a few... its weight of learning is borne aloft by the author's enthusiasm for his subject and takes his readers with it. If only there were more scholars like this." Michael Howard, TLS Books of the Year


About the Author


Azar Gat is Ezer Weitzman Professor of National Security in the Department of Political Science at Tel Aviv University. He has published widely in the field of military strategy and thought, including A History of Military Thought: From the Enlightenment to the Cold War, also published by Oxford University Press, and has taught and lectured at Freiburg, Oxford, Yale, Ohio State, and Georgetown universities.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 848 pages
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 16, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0199262136
  • ISBN-13: 978-0199262137
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 2.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,782,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
(10)
4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall this was a fascinating book to read. T. Kunikov  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement
He must read and write around the clock. K. Kehler  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
51 of 52 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb and comprehensive January 4, 2007
Format:Hardcover
I had a bit of time over the holidays so I read two new massive tomes on warfare, Gat's and one by Max Boot. Gat's stunningly comprehensive work is so good that it manages to make other 500+ page books seem positively lightweight and journalistic in comparison. This treatment of the history of war and warfare, or 'human belligerency' as Gat puts it, would overwhelm the non-specialist (it clocks in at about 820 pages), if it weren't for the author's ability to synthesize material, sum up scholarship and, last but not least, write some of the clearest and most lucid prose I've seen in the social sciences in ages. He makes forays into evolutionary theory, state formation, antiquity, technology and the rise of science, prehistory, the transition to agriculture, democratic peace theory, etc. The chapter on tribal warfare (in Agraria and Pastoralia, as Gat puts it) is -- as the saying has it -- worth the price of admission alone. His careful demolition of radical Rousseauist idealism is equally fascinating, but he is no simplistic, knee-jerk Hobbesian.

Gat is philosophically astute as well as deep; he knows history as well as theory; and he even treats, if briefly, the question of the causes of war. Above all, the book is animated by his personality: one can surmise that, yes, he's quite intellectual, but his is a mind that is always probing, curious and interesting. (There's a picture of the author on the back flap. He is youngish but he has bags under his eyes. He must read and write around the clock. I for one am grateful.) This is my book of the year.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is truly a "shock and awe" book! Once again, Azar Gat will stun and amaze you with 800 pages of pure intellect to the Nth degree! I was always very impressed by his other books on war. Yet, with 28+ years of active duty military service and a personal library of 1000+ books on various military subjects - I have NEVER been more impressed by such a comprehensive interdisciplinary treatment on the "enigma of Warre". This book seamlessly blends psychology, sociology, archeology, anthropology, and history, along with a myriad of other relevant disciplines to provide the most extensive examination on the general theme of war that I have ever experienced. I am now totally convinced that all senior military officers should only study the broad scope of war from such a well-informed interdisciplinary approach {long before they delve into any details with the devil). This book is anything but a `same-old-same-old' standard perspective of war. This book will force a truly open-minded reader to reassess every facet of war - and every predisposition encountered about war. I believe that this book is "the" seminal document to begin a reeducation and reassessment of our all of our so-called `modern-day' beliefs, motives, policies, strategies, operations and tactics about war. This book should be a mandatory read for all senior officials at the Whitehouse, DOD, DoS,DNI, NSA, CIA, FBI, and ALL intelligence agencies. This book should be a mandatory read at every service staff college and war college. Get it - read it - read it again and again - and you will ponder new perspectives about the riddle of war for years to come.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This is NOT light bedtime reading! December 14, 2006
By Paladin
Format:Hardcover
This book actually contains all of the complete details necessary for a comprehesive 2-semester interdiciplinary course on war - at the graduate level. And even if you are a "war college" graduate from any military service - you've never read about war the way Azar Gat presents War. Reading Azar Gat requires one to study and reflect upon the massive amount of supporting comprehesive details that he so skillfully presents -as well as the overall perspective he supports. In this particular case, Gat presents a very detailed perspective of War based upon a cogent argument of complex bio-cultural interaction. He starts at the very beginning of primitive wars (primates/Homo Erectus), and works all the way on up to modern war as we know it. (And don't be fooled - because it's not Darwin's brand of evolutionary theory anymore either.) It is a very complex in presentation - but necessarily so in order to professionally justify a rather basic argument built upon well documented facts, propensities, predispositions and trends of human nature/nuture as they affect the phenomenon of war. It is an argument that is anything but mere opinion. This is an excellent 'insightful' book for mandatory reading at the highest levels of government or military - in any government or military. Surprisingly despite the complexities, it is quite understandable, for you often walk away with many thoughts like - "Well that's what I suspected all along." The price is a mere pittance vis-a-vis the facinating and illuminating content of this book. Anyone who reads "War in Civilization" will never look at War the same way again - including the current wars that are going on right now. You WILL have to read this book at least twice! It's a Keeper!
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars Beware of Propaganda
This book is a work of propaganda in the worst way, written by a military officer in the Israeli army. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Sage Radachowsky
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book on the Topic
This is by far the best book on the subject I've read. The author's approach is refreshingly holistic, combining insights from fields as diverse as anthropology, evolutionary... Read more
Published 16 months ago by A. Pillalamarri
5.0 out of 5 stars Eye opener
I learnt much reading this book. I also think it showed that the writer actually has military experience and knows what he is talking about. Read more
Published on April 10, 2010 by BernardZ
4.0 out of 5 stars In-depth study of war
Overall this was a fascinating book to read. It will take you some time to get through it. As more than one reviewer has pointed out, this is not a small text. Read more
Published on March 30, 2009 by T. Kunikov
5.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkable Book
WAR has the shortest title but is one of the largest books I own. It is packed with information and well-written. Read more
Published on June 23, 2008 by Tom Perkins
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read
The first line of Azar Gat's tome, War in Human Civilization, asks a seemingly innocuous question, "Is war grounded, perhaps inescapably, in human nature? Read more
Published on February 26, 2008 by D. Sayranian
5.0 out of 5 stars He explains it!
The comments provided by the other reviewers are fair and accurate, I agree with them, so I would only point out that this book does not merely describe what happened but above all... Read more
Published on July 20, 2007 by César González Rouco
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews



What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Forums

There are no discussions about this product yet.
Be the first to discuss this product with the community.
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 



So You'd Like to...



Look for Similar Items by Category