THE ANATOMY OF ERROR; Ancient Military Disasters and Their Lessons for Modern Strategists

Language: English

Published by St. Martin's Press, 1990

0312050518 / 9780312050511

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Seller: Ancient World Books, Toronto, ON, CanadaAncient World Books

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Dustjacket has very minor shelfwear else Fine.; Two more books of military history written for general audiences. Strauss and Ober discuss strategic failure in the classical world in terms of defeated generals and political leaders from Xerxes of Persia to Julian the Apostate. These losers share a common incapacity to consider and overcome unexamined assumptions about themselves and their enemies, say the authors. But the authors go on to defend good decision-making in relentlessly Clausewitzian terms that overlook the essential differences between the state systems of 19th-century Europe and the ancient Mediterranean. Such presentmindedness is unlikely to liberate the study of ancient history from its specialist ghetto. Karl proposes to describe situations from Thermopylae to Dien Bien Phu in which "an elite unit of soldiers stands to the last men with little hope of victory. " His definition of "elite" is extremely broad. The mixed bag of Germans and other Europeans that defended Berlin in 1945 hardly qualifies as an elite in the sense of the Theban Sacred Band. Moreover, instead of concentrating on the composition, motivation, and behavior of these doomed units, Karl writes generalized campaign history, with the last stand itself sometimes dismissed in a few paragraphs. The Anatomy of Error is flawed by a restrictive analytic structure; Glorious Defiance fails to progress beyond descriptive narrative. Neither can be recommended except as supplements for large collections.; 8.5 x 1 x 5.75 Inches; 272 pages.

Seller Inventory # 1885

Title
THE ANATOMY OF ERROR; Ancient Military Disasters and Their Lessons for Modern Strategists
Author
Strauss, Barry S. & Josiah Ober
Publisher
St. Martin's Press
Publication year
1990
Condition
Fine
Dust jacket
Near Fine
Binding
Hardcover
Language
English
ISBN 10
0312050518
ISBN 13
9780312050511
Seller catalogs
Classical Studies, Greek History, Roman History

Ancient World Books

Toronto, ON, Canada

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since December 15, 2005

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Ancient World Books is a scholarly bookshop dealing in various topics of the ancient and medieval world.

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Medieval Studies, Roman History, Greek History, Byzantine Studies, Classics

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Ancient World Books

ON, Canada