The Times History of War: The Illustrated Military History of the World from Ancient Civilisation to the 21st Century - Softcover

Isby, David C.; Brooks, Richard; Honig, Jan; Berg, Richard H.; Herman, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007164580 ISBN 13: 9780007164585

Publisher: Times Books, 2003

Synopsis

The most ambitious study of warfare ever published

From the Ancient World to the present day, The Times History of War reveals how warfare has been shaped by social, political, technological, agricultural and even climatic changes. It investigates how warfare has, in turn, been the agent of political and social change.

Lavish maps chart the campaigns and battles that have changed the course of military history. Diagrams and line drawings show how new weapons and equipment work.

From small unit tactics to grand strategy, The Times History of War is the most thorough analysis of warfare ever published.

About this title

From the Author:

A comprehensive overview of war throughout the ages
From the first wars of civilization - the chariot lords sweeping through ancient Mesopotamia and Homer's warriors on the plains of windy Troy - to today's darker threats of terrorism and biological weapons proliferation; The Times History of War provides and overview of how this most important human activity developed. The text - written by a team of specialists and experienced military historians (myself included) - is accompanied by extensive illustrations. The maps are the heart of the book, which serves as an atlas of military history, and presents the accuracy, comprehensiveness and clarity readers have come to expect from The Times series of historical atlases. For a reference atlas as well as an illustrated survey of military history, this book should be of interest to the general reader and specialists alike.

From the Back Cover:

‘Of all the historical disciplines, the study of military history is perhaps the most multi-faceted.’

Since the first nation states established armies, the theory and practice of war had evolved at different speeds at different times -- and on different continents. Changes in military techniques have built and toppled empires; conversely, political upheavals from the fall of Rome to the French revoltuion have changed the way nations go to war. Each chapter is devoted to a discrete period of military history: from the empires of the ancient world to the age of Napoleon; from Gatling guns to microchips. The Times History of War focuses on wars or battles typical of their time. Battles like Cannae, Waterloo and Stalingrad are examined in detail not because of their political consequences, but because they included all the key features of Ancient, Napoleonic and mid-twentieth century warfare respectively. Coverage becomes more comprehensive after 1914; all major twentieth century wars are included as the pace of technological change accelerates the development of strategy and tactics by land, sea and air.

This fully updated edition of The Times History of War charts the development of warfare since ancient civilization to the dawn of the 21st century.

Illustrated with 336 specially commissioned maps and diagrams and 150 photographs, a leading team of military experts reveal the evolution of theory, tactics and practice of military conflict, from the fall of Rome to nuclear submarines, ballistic missiles and ‘cyber-war’.

About this edition

• Publisher: Times Books
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0007164580
• ISBN 13: 9780007164585
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256