Through magnificent color photographs, this coffee-table book takes readers to 34 European battlefields as they appear today. Most of these locations hosted famous conflicts, e.g., Hastings, Agincourt, Blenheim, Waterloo, and Normandy. Others, such as Marchfield (1278) in what is now Austria, are not as well known. Travelers may have driven by some of these sites unknowingly, while others bear scars and extensive memorials and cemeteries. Narrator Cowper, military history editor at Osprey, provides ample background information to accompany the dominant images by Buellesbach. An alternative approach to military history, richer on mood than historical detail, this will appeal to military history enthusiasts, landscape photography buffs, and some readers considering future travels.

This profusely illustrated book is divided into four narrative sections: "Age of the Galley," "Age of Cannon," "Nineteenth Century," and "The Modern Era." Each section details the major battles of the era and describes the weapons, ships, sailors, and commanders, supported by drawings, including cutaways of naval vessels and tactical diagrams of major engagements, that bring the subject matter further to life. Beginning with the Battle of Salamis in 400 B.C.E. and ending with the Battle of Midway in 1942, this book is effectively a quality ready-reference tool, useful to a wide range of interested readers.

In his intriguing and opinionated look back at various military episodes and circumstances throughout history, Donald (Sticklers, Sideburns, and Bikinis) seeks to clear the fog of war with some trivia. The results may surprise, shock, or amuse depending on the particular tidbit. Readers will find out the reality behind the World War II radio announcer named Tokyo Rose and learn of U.S. involvement in Pancho Villa's assassination in 1923, not to mention the supposed world travels of a certain appendage belonging to Napoléon. There's also Che Guevara beyond the iconic image and numerous misquotes put right. Many may know a good deal of this material, but there's lots of pertinent information for those who love history trivia and getting their facts straight.

A visitor's guide for those traveling by automobile, this book is arranged chronologically by battle, beginning with the Battle of Crecy (1346) during the Hundred Years' War and ending with the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. The majority of the sites are from World Wars I and II, but there are also locations from the War of the Spanish Succession, the French Revolution, and the Franco-Prussian War. Mueller provides a historical narrative for each site, embellished by sidebars with additional data (e.g., forces involved, result and casualty figures). He provides driving directions to each battlefield and then directions for touring the sites themselves, noting important landmarks. No dining or accommodation suggestions are included, but for visiting these historic battlefields, the book is invaluable. It's a good option for armchair travelers and historians as well.

O'Brien (Fame by Chance) offers 75 vignettes ranging across all eras of military history, profiling some well-known and lesser-known figures and their actions, arranged first into the two subtitled categories and then by subcategories—five good (e.g., "those who seized the moment") and five bad (e.g., those who had "a streak of cruelty"). Though O'Brien doesn't say much new here, the book serves as a useful reminder of quiet valor, overconfidence, inattention, etc., by means of its short biographies of men ranging from Julius Caesar to Alvin York, Erwin Rommel, Audie Murphy, John F. Kennedy, and William Calley. A very readable narrative that will inspire some and educate most.

Lavishly illustrated with contemporary paintings, photographs, maps, diagrams, and images of artifacts, this book begins in 3000 B.C.E. with the conflicts in Sumer and Egypt and concludes with the occupation of Iraq. In between is the history of humankind told through our battles, which shaped politics, technology, and culture. There are time lines and sidebars galore, which enrich the narrative as they illustrate the evolution of weapons, uniforms, key movements, and figures in each chapter's period of history. From the battlefield, contemporary accounts are included, the earliest being a letter from a Roman soldier. Great visuals, easy-to-find information, and good cross-referencing throughout make this a fine choice for all broad military history collections.

Black (history, Univ. of Exeter; Crisis of Empire: Britain and America in the Eighteenth Century) places the War of 1812 in its international context, giving the U.S. conflict with Great Britain a different significance than is the norm from historians on this side of the Atlantic. The international stage then contained the Napoleonic Wars, with Britain and France particularly locked in a bitter struggle. A concurrent war with the United States presented problems to a beleaguered English government, not least of which was its secondary importance to the conflict in Europe. This thought-provoking discussion of an all-too-often overlooked conflict in U.S. history (and one to have its bicentennial soon) is highly recommended for specialists and interested readers.

Few are the new regimental histories of the Civil War that go much beyond battlefield actions and the casualties list. Cilella (president, Atlanta Historical Soc.) presents this upstate New York unit's history from the mens' point of view, from recruitment to discharge and beyond. Using diaries and letters, we get not only the story of their extensive role in 25 engagements of the Civil War, but also the soliders' views of just about everything—slavery, politics, family, the officers who led them, and their friends who served beside them—expressed either around the campfire or in a letter. A throwback to the regimental histories compiled in the 19th century but with even more attention to the men on the ground, this is a very readable and informative volume; highly recommended.

For those interested in a fuller understanding of medieval warfare, covering the years 500 to 1500 C.E., this book should be square one. The siege was the basis of battle then, and British historian Hindley covers the subject from the development of the castle as strongpoint to the evolution of fortified towns and cities; logistics and supply; the machinery and weapons of war; and the parts women and camp followers played in battles, some taking a very active role in combat. All of this discussion is anchored in the author's depictions of the famous sieges of the period, as well as of the First through the Fifth Crusades. Broken down into digestible sections (e.g., "Machines of War" is divided into "Crossbow" and "Catapult"), the extremely readable results are recommended.

Arranged chronologically, this atlas combines period photographs and illustrations, rare period maps and modern cartography, with just enough narrative to explain the two-page spread devoted to each subject (the majority being about particular battles or campaigns). Each spread's short essay numbers its facts so as to key them to their placement on the accompanying map, a great boon to readers' geographic understanding. The 80-some period maps are excellent examples of Civil War cartography and the contemporary view of the conflict. Arranged into chapters, each covering one year of the war, and opening with a time line for the period, the text also features numerous sidebars throughout, offering micro-timelines, biographies, and images showing the human side of the war. All of these special features make this large-format atlas a superior choice for Civil War buffs as well as those new to the subject.

In his new look at a complex problem, U.S. Major Mountcastle contends that Confederate guerrilla warfare during the Civil War grew from the bottom up; that Union reprisals to it began in the ranks—not as an order from higher headquarters—in the western theater, specifically in Missouri, as early as 1861. Nominally a Union state, Missouri was divided from the start, so much so that its new governor was appointed, not elected. It was soon under martial law and a succession of commanders, including Grant and Sherman, were soon convinced that retaliatory punitive action against Confederate tactics was justified and that it must extend to civilians and their property. Hence the total war that resulted. This is a valuable close-up study of the ugly side of war, best appreciated by specialists.

The history of the young boy sailors who went to sea in the late 18th and early 19th centuries is engagingly related here in former merchant banker Ronald's first book. Ranging in age from eight to 16, these midshipmen (apprentice officers) came from all levels of society, but the majority were pretty much embarking on their last chance to succeed in life: wayward sons of upper-class families; lower-class sons escaping the gallows. Using primary sources, including letters, diaries, poems, and some service records, Ronald relates a history of the naval wars of the period from the engaging and stirring vantage point of these very young men. Especially for British naval and Nelson buffs, plus fans of historical fiction series by C.S. Forester and Patrick O'Brian, this is an essential read.