The Book of War - by John Keegan (Paperback)

About the Book

Acclaimed historian John Keegan brings together an amazing array of war writings, largely drawn from the protagonists themselves or firsthand accounts of the battles they describe. Includes descriptions by Caesar, the Duke of Wellington, Ernest Hemingway, and others.

Book Synopsis

Acclaimed military historian John Keegan's anthology of war writing from 25 centuries of battle

In The Book of War, John Keegan marshals a formidable host of war writings to chronicle the evolution of Western warfare through the voice of the most eloquent participants--from Thucydides' classic account of ancient Greek phalanx warfare to a blow-by-blow description of ground fighting against the Iraqi troops in Kuwait during the Gulf War. Keegan gathers more than eighty selections, including Caesar's Commentaries on the Roman invasion of Britain; the French Knight Jehan de Wavrin at the battle of Agincourt; Davy Crockett in the war against the Creek; Wellington's dispatch on Waterloo; Hemingway after Caporetto; and Ernie Pyle at Normandy.

"The best military historian of our generation." -Tom Clancy

"A monumental piece of literary military history." -Chicago Tribune

A brilliantly edited and comprehensive anthology."--The New York Times Book Review.

About the Author

Sir John Desmond Patrick Keegan (1934-2012), was one of the most distinguished contemporary military historians and was for many years the senior lecturer at Sandhurst (the British Royal Military Academy) and the defense editor of the Daily Telegraph (London). Keegan was the author of numerous books including The Face of Battle, The Mask of Command, The Price of Admiralty, Six Armies in Normandy, and The Second World War, and was a fellow at the Royal Society of Literature.