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The Quest for Victory : The History of the Principles of War

This unique volume is a history of the principles of war from Jomini to the present. Alger, a U.S. Army officer, provides a useful source for students of modern military thought.

Fire Power: British Army Weapons and Theories, 1904-1945

A brilliant study of artillery and British Army organization and doctrine, Bidwell and Graham's clearly written and carefully researched account has earned high praise from scholars and soldiers.

Masters of the Art of Command

With emphasis on twentieth-century warfare, this work's excellent biographical chapters show how commanders at different levels functioned.

The War Lords: Military Commanders of the Twentieth Century

Carver's collection of forty-three essays on leading military land, sea, and air force commanders of World Wars I and II is an excellent source of capsule biographies. Especially inspiring is Dan Davin's essay on Lieutenant General Lord Bernard Freyberg of New Zealand.

History of the Art of War Within the Framework of Political History: Antiquity

In these four volumes, Hans Delbrück (1848-1929), a writer, military historian, and professor of history at Berlin University, discusses the art of war from ancient history to the age of Napoleon. One eminent historian has said that Delbrück's History of the Art of War is a "monument to German scholarship" for applying a new scientific method to the military records of the past. This modern English translation makes Delbrück's work available for the serious student of military history and thought.

On Infantry

The author, a Canadian Army officer, presents an outstanding synthesis of twentieth-century ideas and writings on the role of infantry in war. He focuses on the fundamentals of infantry operations, training, weapons, and tactics. Those interested in the characteristics of successful infantry should read this informative book.

A Military History of the Western World: From the Earliest Times to the Battle of Lepanto

The author, who was a British major general, military theorist, and historian, provides a narrative and analysis of warfare from earliest times to the end of World War II. A useful and quite readable reference, the volumes have been reissued in paperback.

History of the German General Staff, 1657-1945.

Görlitz' study is a thorough history of the German General Staff from its origins in the 1600s to the end of World War II.

The Profession of Arms.

General Hackett, a distinguished British soldier and scholar, eloquently explains the evolution of the military profession from ancient times to the present in this work, which was originally presented in 1962 as the Lees-Knowles lectures at Trinity College, Cambridge. His text is important for officers and has been reprinted from the Officers' Call series by the U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH Pub 70-18).

The Oxford Book of Military Anecdotes

Hastings' collection of 384 military anecdotes covers the span of history from ancient times to the Falkland Islands War of 1982. The editor, a former paratrooper, military historian, and experienced British war correspondent, collected tales that reflect the soldier's experience and emphasize the reality of war - men's efforts to kill each other. The material, some of which is humorous, can be incorporated into military history courses.

America's First Battles, 1776-1965.

Historians and military officers contributed ten battle studies to this work: Long Island (1776), Queenston (1812), Rio Grande (1846), First Bull Run (1861), San Juan (1898), Cantigny (1918), Buna (1942), Kasserine (1943), Task Force Smith (1950), and la Drang (1965). While each study varies in readability, this is an excellent collection of American operational military histories. As Professor John Shy indicates in the summary chapter, these studies address recurring questions about first battles.

Causes of Wars and Other Essays

This collection of articles by Britain's foremost military historian covers a wide range of subjects. Two articles are classics: "The Forgotten Dimensions of Strategy," which offers a framework for an analysis of strategy based on a study of the development of strategic doctrine and warfare over the past 200 years, and "The Use and Abuse of Military History," which explains how professional officers and academics should study military history. Also of interest are the biographical sketches of Liddell Hart and Montgomery.

Franco-Prussian War: The German Invasion of France 1870-1871, Revised Edition

Michael Howard, a distinguished British soldier and eminent military historian, provides a scholarly study of the Franco-Prussian War, 1870-71.

The Sinews of War: Army Logistics, 1775-1953

The history of logistics is dull reading, and this book is no exception. However, tactical operations depend on efficient logistics, and Huston provides a comprehensive history of U.S. Army logistics from the American Revolution through the Korean War.

The Face of Battle

What is a battle like? The author of this ingenious book, a former Sandhurst instructor, seeks to answer this question for himself and for soldiers who have not been in combat. He succeeds by analyzing three battles: Agincourt (1415), Waterloo (1815), and the Somme (1916). Already a classic, this book has been required reading for field grade officers at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

The Mask of Command

This famous British military writer's latest book analyzes Alexander the Great, Wellington, Grant, and Hitler as military commanders and leaders. Keegan examines these leaders' differing command styles and evaluates the imperatives of leadership necessary for successful command prior to the nuclear age.

History of Military Mobilization in the United States Army, 1775-1945

The most comprehensive study of American mobilization, this volume is a detailed administrative history. While difficult to read, it is a rich source of information on a vital topic.

The Art of War: Waterloo to Mons

McElwee's study of the development of the art of warfare from the Crimean War in 1855 to World War I emphasizes how technology changed warfare.

Semper Fidelis: The History of the United States Marine Corps

Millett, a distinguished military historian and Marine Reserve colonel, presents an accurate, scholarly, critical, and complete history of the Marine Corps.

For the Common Defense: A Military History of the United States of America.

By far the best survey of American military history, this work covers the colonial era to the present. The selected bibliographies at the end of each chapter are helpful in providing a comprehensive survey of the literature.

Arms and Men: A Study in America Military History

Although dated, this recently reprinted survey of American military history remains worth reading both for factual information and for the author's assessment of the relationship between civilian and military leaders.

War Through the Ages

This is a lengthy, but easily read, encyclopedic survey of military history from the era of ancient Greece through the Korean War.

Makers of Modern Strategy from Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age.

Paret's compilation, written by expert historians, contains twenty-eight essays on strategic thought from the Renaissance to the present. These essays confirm that understanding war in history provides perspective for understanding current military thought. This valuable book carries on, but does not completely replace, the Edward Mead Earle edition originally published in 1943.

Men in Arms: A History of Warfare and Its Interrelationships With Western Society

This is an excellent survey of warfare and its relationship to society from ancient times to the present.

War in Modern World

Ropp's'study of warfare since 1415 is dated but still valuable. Often times, the footnotes are more interesting than the text.

The Oxford Book of War Poetry

This marvelous collection of 259 poems arranged chronologically by conflict begins with poems from the Bible and concludes with a poem offering a dark prophecy of nuclear disaster. In between are poems by John Donne, Walt Whitman, Rudyard Kipling, Siegfried Sassoon, Allen Ginsberg, and James Fenton-writers and soldiers who offer different and differing perspectives on war.

European Armies and the Conduct of War

Well written, clearly organized, and carefully researched, this first-rate survey of European military history from 1700 to the present covers both military operations and military thought.

Defense of Duffer's Drift

Major General Swinton, a noted English soldier and author, wrote this marvelous tactical primer as a captain shortly after he served in the Boer War. In six dreams, Swinton offers various tactical solutions to Lieutenant Backright Forethought, who is defending an imaginary piece of ground during the Boer War. Originally published in Infantry Journal (now Army) in April 1905 and now available as a reprint from the Combat Studies Institute, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, this book is great for junior officers to read and discuss.

History of Militarism

Vagt's thesis is that democratic, unmilitaristic societies are better at waging war than autocratic, militaristic ones, and he affirms this by analyzing the history of militarism from feudal times to 1945. Although dated (the first edition appeared in 1937), this work is significant in the historiography of Americans writing military history.

Command in War

Beginning with an assessment of the "Stone Age" of command and concluding with the helicopter and the computer, Van Creveld investigates the historical evolution of command, control, and communications. He also evaluates how command worked in major battles and argues that armies which allowed their subordinate commanders considerable latitude were most successful.

History of the United States Army.

This comprehensive history of the U.S. Army from colonial times to the present focuses on institutional history and the historic tension between professional and citizen armies. The author sees the dual American military traditions as a special strength in our democracy. Although very informative, this book is dull reading.

The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy

In this history of U.S. military strategy from 1775 to the 1960s, Weigley offers considerable information and analysis. His chapters on World War II particularly show how historical precedent influenced U.S. strategy, and he sees the strategic traditions of A. T. Mahan and U. S. Grant as significant in America's conduct of World War II.

Study of War

This systematic, scholarly study of war began as a comprehensive program at the University of Chicago in 1926, and the results were first published in 1942. The study is a pioneering contribution to war studies and peace research in the United States. In assembling information on armaments, the balance of power, technology, law, social organization, and attitudes about military conflict, Wright conveys his belief that war must be studied systematically to be understood