The Cambridge Illustrated History of Warfare

When I first picked up this book, I was a bit leary. I'm a history buff with an appreciation for academia, but decidedly not an academic. Thus, I don't want to read too much analysis as to the whats, wheres, whys, whens and ways things were done -- just give me the scoop and understand that I do want some detail. It appears that the editor of this book, Geoffrey Parker, gets it. "The Cambridge History of Warfare" could have been too academic: Its writers are all PhDs whose writings are probably not the most accessible to the layperson. But the end result -- a readable and engaging recounting of the evolution of western warfare -- couldn't have been an accident. The tone and voice of the book is extremely consistent and engaging, and does not feature paragraph-long sentences or tongue-twisting jargon. My only qualification to my positive feelings for this book is that the end chapters (regarding the world wars and the Cold War) seem to move away from the book's overall goal of charting the evolution of the West's style of warfare, becoming more of a blow-by-blow account of the battles that take place. Not to say that the point is abandoned -- it's not -- but it's less clear. If you're interested in military history, this is a great book to check out.

A nice straightforward history compilation. The book is a collection of summaries that read easily and are well written.

As with its political and economic systems, Western Europe came to develop very unique military institutions that had evolved from Greco-Roman military doctrines applying war as a science and as a precise instrument towards defined political ends: emphasizing on uniform training and equipment as well as strict discipline. This book studies the evolution of Western military institutions from antiquity to modern times and demonstrates how these progressive changes contributed to the modern doctrines of Western warfare that are used today by every nation-state. Geoffrey Parker did an excellent job in this work. Although many illustrative books are just that, this book has very detailed explanations in addition to very useful illustrations such as photos, maps, and diagrams. The book covers all of the important aspects of Western military evolution. For example, it will start by explaining how the early Greek phallanx comprised of citizen farmers was a significant factor to developing the citizen armies of the Roman legions to the later nation-state armies of 18th century Europe. The book looks at the impact of important military/political thinkers such as Thucydides, Caesar, Machiavelli, and Clausewitz, in the evolution of military doctrine. The book of course makes sure to cover how advances in science and engineering such as siege engines, firearms, and explosives changed the conduct of warfare and how armies adapted to such changes. This is nothing short of an excellent book that has the right balance between text and illustrations. Unlike other illustrative texts that are mostly pictures with little substance, this book is extremely thorough and detailed as to the main factors responsible towards the unique evolution of western military institutions and their impact on the world. I strongly recommend it.

The book accomplishes its goal amazingly well with clear graphics, lucid text, and wonderful accuracy . Easily the best in its field, the book gives you a profound understanding and knowledge of the european wars. The chapters are well written and up-to-date. The bibliographies are clearly stated to give the reader further information on a given topic. This is history of war at its finest.

Geoffrey Parker has assembled some of the best working military historians for this volume, so that each chapter is up-to-date, well written, and reliable. Unlike many illustrated histories, this one gives at least some endnote references, and includes excellent short bibliographies for each chapter. The illustrations are also outstanding. About as good a history of warfare as could be produced within its word limits. --Professor Clifford J. Rogers