The Oxford Companion to Military History First Edition

by Richard Holmes (Editor)

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ISBN-13: 978-0198662099

ISBN-10: 0198662092

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From the Trojan War to World War II and beyond, The Oxford Companion to Military History brings together an international team of more than 150 experts who illuminate war's bloody past.
Ranging from the Alamo and Amphibious Operations to Marshal Zhukov and the Zulu War, here are 1,300 alphabetically arranged entries that provide a wealth of information on warfare from the classical period to the present day, including the social, political, technological, and economic
background of major conflicts. There are biographical profiles on military leaders (Napoleon, Caesar, Eisenhower), theorists (von Clausewitz, Sun Tzu), and inventors (Fulton), among other notable figures. The contributors also discuss weapons and equipment; wars, campaigns, and battles; strategy and
tactics; espionage and propaganda; logistics and fortifications; and military life, literature, and medicine. In addition, the book includes many wide-ranging contextual entries on topics as diverse as animals in war, pacifism, and venereal disease. The Companion boasts 75 specially commissioned
maps, 20 in-text line diagrams, extensive cross-referencing, and guides to further reading.
With superb coverage of land warfare in Europe and North America, plus numerous entries on war in the air and at sea around the world and throughout history, The Oxford Companion to Military History is the most wide-ranging and authoritative reference on all aspects of military history
currently available.

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Since there is no end to this planet's being plagued by wars, there is concomitantly no end to books on military history. The latest addition to the publisher's illustrious "Companion" series is this elegantly edited volume of essays covering people, places, and all things military since the beginning of recorded time when, it seems, wars also began. Holmes (military and security studies, Cranfield Univ. and the British Royal Military Coll. of Science) has obtained the talents of nearly 150 other prominent military historians in crafting more than 1300 entries relating to battles, generals, weapons, diplomats, military theorists, and nearly every other conceivable nuance generated by our incessant need for armed conflict. Excellent maps accompany entries about specific battles, and most entries conclude with a short, useful bibliography. One may quibble now and then about the sources recommended for further reading why, for example, is there no mention of Donald Smythe's Guerrilla Warrior (o.p.), an outstanding biography of John J. Pershing? but all in all this is a reference tool of remarkable quality. Highly recommended for both public and academic libraries. Ed Goedeken, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Holmes is professor of Military and Security Studies at Cranfield University and the Royal Military College of Science. He has presented two popular BBC Television series on military history and authored six monographs on the subject.

Although this reference work surveys all military services from ancient to modern time periods, it emphasizes land warfare in Europe and North America from the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries. It contains approximately 1,300 entries arranged in an A-Z format written by some 148 contributors from Great Britain, Europe, and North America. There are 31 feature articles of two or more pages on topics such as Artillery, Infantry, Logistics, Peacekeeping, Tactics, and Women in the military. Appropriately placed throughout the text are 70 black-and-white maps and 15 black-and-white illustrations. Entries are cross-referenced and signed, and many contain a short bibliography of one to five items at the end.

There are numerous single-volume reference tools with coverage similar to that of The Oxford Companion to Military History. One recent example is Cowley's Readers Companion to Military History (Houghton Mifflin, 1996), which has more than 600 entries, 40 maps, and 89 black-and-white illustrations. All entries are signed, and most have short bibliographies. Holmes compares favorably with Cowley, with more entries and maps but fewer illustrations. The Oxford Companion to Military History should be considered by high-school, public, and academic libraries that need a convenient military history guide. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; First Edition (August 2, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 1072 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0198662092
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0198662099
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.56 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.94 x 2.4 x 7.8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,183,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #841 in Military History (Books)
- #1,218 in Historical Study Reference (Books)
- #1,479 in History Encyclopedias

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James J. Bloom

A Marvel of Compression

Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2001

Verified Purchase

I just received this book, and have skimmed to locate items in my particular field of interest -- I am a military historian for fun and (very little) profit.
As I peruse favorite topics, I find it quite impressive. It's pretty comprehensive considering it has to include some trendy topics such as gender and war, as well as more traditional subjects such as battles, campaigns & leaders. There are a number of surprisingly complete and helpful articles on more obscure battles (most run about 300-600 words) and good overviews on campaigns and wars. The length of each essay, or blurb seems appopriate to the complexity or importance of the particular topic.
Comparisons with other compendia are appropriate. Brassey's published a two-volume encyclopedia of military knowledge in the mid-90s, each containing about 1200 pages, the first covering biography and history, the second military theory, concepts and weapons systems. The Trevor Dupuy "Encyclopedia of Military History", whose fourth edition appeared in 1993, is set up in a chronological and geographical scheme and runs over 1600 pages. At 1048 pages the Oxford Companion embraces the themes contained in all those volumes plus sociological matters, literature, journalism, humor, and pop cultural topics.
An impressive group of contributors, all prominent in their specialties, provide ample information both for the novice and the professional wishing to jog his or her memory. Sidebar treatments (some running several pages) on Artillery, armored warfare, airpower, seapower,uniforms, rank and insignia, signals, etc. are very handy reviews of these topics.
I have a few quibbles with the suggestions for further reading. Perhaps some out of print classics focusing narrowly on their subject might have been more appropriate than the suggested recent books that covered the person, battle or campaign as a minor part of a general history; but this is a very minor drawback.
Thhis is a very handy reference indeed, and most importantly, a pleasure to browse.

21 people found this helpful

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J. Parchois

Pleasantly Quirky

Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2018

Verified Purchase

Just love randomly leafing through this brick of a book. Taken as a whole, this Companion is animated by a bit of British whimsy, particularly evident in the biographies, that makes it more entertaining than you might normally expect from a tome of this type. Good addition to any library.

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Amazon Customer

An Invaluable Resource

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2019

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I teach Military English in a graduate school to military officers. This book sits prominently on my book table as a resource for my students.

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Martin Asiner

Military History: A Dispassionate View

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2005

War is both bloody and chaotic, yet if one wishes to understand it then one must not be so. In THE OXFORD COMPANION TO MILITARY HISTORY, editor Richard Holmes gathers the expertise of dozens of experts in military history to produce a massive text (more than 1,000 pages) on the entire spectrum of military history. When readers think of this topic they tend to think of battles and wars, and this text lists all the important ones and some that are known only to specialists. You want to know a one or two page summary of the battle of Stalingrad in 1942? Battles like this are discussed in detail and with clarity, often with surprisingly detailed illustrations and maps. Yet, this history includes far more than battles fought. Battles are not just set piece encounters of troop movements; they include the human element of both rank and file grunt and their respective commander. Further, battles are often won and lost solely on the basis of the technological superiority of one side over the other. Holmes' text includes all that and more. So for whom is this history intended? It it not for one who has no interest in matters of killing and strategy. It is for one who has a previous interest in a battle, a soldier, or a weapon. It is for one who has seen the film PEARL HARBOR and wishes to separate celluloid fantasy from historical fact. It is for the high school or college student who needs to know more than what is normally contained in a general history. And finally, it is for those who wish to have a handy one volume text of military arcana as the next step on a personal project or quest that involves using what Holmes' experts have to say. TOCMH is a superb gift to anyone who falls into any of the above categories.

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Taffman

Great book of reference - needs to be updated

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2018

Verified Purchase

An excellent reference written by experts in their field. It needs updating though.It was published in 2001, edited by the late (and great) Richard Holmes. A new edition would need to cover recent developments such as events in the Middle East, Syria, Iraq; the Near East, Afghanistan; and the Far East, China's expansion into the South China Sea; Russia's use of asymmetrical warfare to keep the West off balance and on new research into subjects such as the Western Front.
However, this is still a 'go to' work of reference. For example, the section on 'sacrifice' written by the late Bob Bushaway, introduces the concept of the heresy of 'patripassionism'. I have been a student of the British Army 1914-18 for many years but this was new to me. Items like this make this book a must for all serious students of military history.

One person found this helpful

m a mobbs

very good book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2019

Verified Purchase

history

jaappe

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 22, 2019

Verified Purchase

nice 2nd hand book for good price ...value for my money...

Trevor Lake

Essential reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2017

Verified Purchase

Essential for those interested /studying Military History.

Didier

Constant companion

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 15, 2007

Verified Purchase

Though I have by no means 'read' this book in the normal sense of the word I don't hesitate to give it a five star-rating. Historical novels is what I love to read most, and for those of you out there who share the same passion: the Oxford Companion to Military History will rarely let you down.

No book on military history can be truly exhaustive, but few are the times when you will not find the entry you're looking for, and they are invariable astute and to-the-point. On top of that, the maps are excellent too.

This Companion is that good I even find myself sometimes just happily browsing it, and I never fail to stumble across some interesting bit that'll capture my attention. More than worth the money!

3 people found this helpful

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The Oxford Companion to Military History First Edition

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