The Reader's Companion to Military History

Rating:
Summary: A top-shelf reference book
Review: I originally picked this up at the library, just to browse through, but I stayed up late several nights running, absorbed in the essays and following the cross-references from topic to topic. My wife took pity on me and bought it for my birthday.

You needn't be a military historian to understand it and you needn't be an academic to enjoy it. The editors have done a wonderful job of unifying the submissions of a large number of specialists and of controlling the jargon level. The articles also discuss art, philosophy, and other theoretically non-military subjects, as well as weapons and tactics. And the scattered lists -- the 10 best battlefields to visit, etc. -- will get your attention.

Very highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent set of insights
Review: Reader's Companion To Military History provides an encyclopedia of warfare from the early Persian Wars to modern times, providing almost six hundred articles detailing major battles, commanders, theories, weapons and strategies. Articles come from military historians, biographers and journalists and provide an excellent set of insights.

Rating:
Summary: Reference book aimed at armchair historians
Review: This is one of the better reference books I've purchased, for all the wrong reasons. Instead of trying to produce a completely comprehensive encyclopedia of military history (there are already several available) the authors wisely went a different path, aiming the book at an audience that doesn't just want dry facts.

Cowley used to edit Military History Quarterly, and Parker is a professor in Ohio. Together they collected essays from 150 historians on a range of topics, many of them more vague than descriptions of battles or campaigns. There are also lists of Top Tens, like best commanders, most underrated, decisive battles, etc. The authors said once that the book was intended to be browsed through rather than used as a reference exclusively, and it's very good for either.

A fine book, and a good addition to any library owned by a military history buff, enthusiast, or academic.