The Greatest War Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from Military History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy

I usually stick with known writers like David McCullough, Walter Isaacson, and Stephen B. Oates. This time I went for a new name and I'm glad I did. I had read about the little known reason why Mr. Lincoln had ordered a raid on Libby Prison in Richmond, but it had never been so interestingly explained as Mr. Beyer does in this book. It's by far one of the best books on military history that I've read. I'll describe it as having a good sense of drama with a scholar's meticulous attention. Unlike my newest one, "Kill Me If You Can", Beyer's book is one that anyone interested in military history will enjoy. No, this is not a veiled commercial. I'll assure you that unless you're an exception, you'd hate my book. Truthfully, I'm beginning to believe my motive for writing it was to see just how many people I could alienate. Bob Miller

This little book might be called a bathroom reader of military trivia. Just some of the little tidbits to be learned include: America's Worst General (Commander in Chief of the Army in 1796), the American traitor who led the American Army to victory at Saratoga, the origin of the song Taps, the word Bazooka, the Battle where 32 american soldiers and more than fifty wounded and there was no enemy, the invention of G.I. Joe. I could go on, there are a hundred tales here, but you should be able to get the idea. One thing though, like with peanuts, after you read one, you're unlikely to be able to put the book down.

When I first saw The Greatest Stories Never Told by Rick Beyer, I bought numerous copies. They made great gifts for my college nephews, cousins, father, brother-in-law, etc etc. including one I keep in my guest bedroom for visiters. It was perfect. Now when I first heard the title of his new book, I was a bit hesitant. I am so not into military history I thought, so I only got a few copies to give away. BUT...then I started reading.. One, the book is perfect for when you only have a few minutes at a time to read a couple of pages. AND THEN these are tidbit of tales that do astonish and stupefy. I certainly might not have heard of the female Lawrence of Arabia, or that Santa Anna of the Alamo story had something to do with the invention of chewing gum. And now I need to order more copies including another one for me, as my friend took mine away when she started reading it in the car.

I'm a fan of non-fiction, but not of military books in general. My brother "doesn't read books." But there were so many cool things Beyer's first book [The Greatest Stories Never Told] that I was sure he would love it. He did. If anything, this War Stories book is even more interesting. Even for me, there is a lot to hold my interest, and I am definitely not in the typical military history book group. The best part is that all the stories are really true, not just probably true, and the sources are in the back of the book so you can check it out.

I first bought this book for my dad who is total military history buff. But I happened to start reading it myself and was completely taken in by these stories. I'm the last person you'd ever find reading a book about the history of war. But I couldn't put it down. Each story--just two pages--are utterly intriguing, juicy morsels of fascinating information. There's also a tremendous amount of humor in the book. I read it from cover to cover and then passed it on to my dad. My dad is the kind of guy who owns virtually every book ever published on the subject of military history. Because he knows so much, I thought maybe he wouldn't dig this kind of approach. Boy was I ever wrong. He couldn't stop reading his favorites out loud to me--which was essentially the entire book. Bottom line: this book is one of those few gems that is so well done and so interesting that it will appeal to high school kids, retirees, men, women, etc. I went out and bought Beyer's first book after finishing this one and it's just as wonderful. If you're looking for a gift that's educational but fabulously entertaining, you can't go wrong with these.