The Reader's Companion to Military History - Hardcover

Society For Military History (U. S.)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395669693 ISBN 13: 9780395669693

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 1996

Synopsis

An encyclopedia of military history covers the wars of Asia, South America, and Africa, as well as North America and Europe, and includes information on the major leaders, weapons, the use of propaganda, the evolution of uniforms, and more.

About this title

About the Author:

Robert Cowley is editor of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History and of the anthology Experience of War, described by Kirkus Reviews as "a bonanza for military history buffs."

From Booklist:

Cowley edits MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, and Parker, a well-known military historian, is a professor at Ohio State. Working with 150 other military historians, they have produced a companion to military history that manages to stand out in an overcrowded field of reference sources. Coverage centers on warfare in the West, giving "more weight to the conflicts, personalities, and developments that shaped warfare in the twentieth and, to a lesser degree, the nineteenth century." Limiting coverage enables the editors to devote more space to military leaders, battles, and topics of interest to readers in the U.S. and Europe. Non-Western personalities and battles are included, but entries are shorter, with fewer illustrations and recommended reading suggestions.

Among the topics included are "Knightly Orders," "Courage," "Change," "Mutiny," "Pacifism," and "Weather in War." One is surprised to find good discussions of war in Western art, in creative literature, and in Western music. These interesting essays serve to complement military dictionaries and encyclopedias devoted to battles, campaigns, and statistics, works such as The Harper Encyclopedia of Military History from 3500 B.C. to the Present (4th ed., HarperCollins, 1993) and Brassey's Battles, 3500 Years of Conflict, Campaigns and Wars from A^-Z (Brassey's, 1986).

Another pleasant surprise is finding "top ten" lists of the best historical fiction, the worst and greatest generals, the best war movies, the best military sites to visit, "Ten Military Might-Have-Beens," etc. Illustrations include black-and-white maps, drawings, and photographs. All entries are signed and there are cross-references. Suggested reading includes citations to both journal articles and books, mostly secondary sources.

Young adults and laypersons will enjoy this companion. It is highly recommended for school and public libraries; academic libraries might wish to include it in the circulating collection.

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0395669693
• ISBN 13: 9780395669693
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 573
• Editor: Cowley Robert, Parker Geoffrey