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The Harper Encyclopedia of Military History: From 3500 BC to the Present
 
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The Harper Encyclopedia of Military History: From 3500 BC to the Present [Hardcover]

R. Ernest Dupuy (Author), Ernest R. Dupuy (Author), Trevor N. Dupuy (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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This is the latest revision of a meticulous and carefully organized reference work. As in previous editions (the most recent published in 1986 as the Encyclopedia of Military History), this compendium covers armed conflicts since 3500 B.C. This edition expands space devoted to the Near East, including the Persian Gulf War, the Soviet-Afghanistan War, and military operations in Lebanon. The invasions of Grenada and Panama by U.S. forces are discussed. Unlike the last edition (the second revised edition) in which the only new material was an addendum tacked onto the end of the book, revision is found throughout this volume. For instance, weapons used in ancient China receive more attention, reflecting recent scholarship and the author's own keen interest in weapons development. The chronological arrangement of the book fosters an understanding of world history and today's political boundaries and regional conflicts. The broader implications of specific battles and the introduction of new weapons are emphasized.

The encyclopedia's reference value is enhanced by clear line drawings of weapons and battle formations. One hundred seventy-four maps enable users to follow the narrative descriptions of battles and, in many cases, provide geographic orientation essential to understanding the political significance of a battle.

A selective bibliography is limited to books. However, many of the more important research publications are mentioned in the text. The index is divided into three parts: "General Index," "Index to Wars," and "Index of Battles and Sieges." It is an important feature of the encyclopedia since it is the best way to pinpoint information in the chronological arrangement.

This work complements the late Trevor Dupuy's last major effort, the six-volume International Military and Defense Encyclopedia [RBB Ag 93]. As were earlier editions, it will be useful in public and academic libraries.

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13 Reviews
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4.6 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars Pages worn from use, Jun 4 2004
By 
Saam Barrager (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Harper Encyclopedia of Military History: From 3500 BC to the Present (Hardcover)
This book makes superb companion reading to other history, or stands alone as a fun browser.

A couple of criticisms:

I have found a couple of instances in which the authors accepted their source material's claims uncritically and without reference. Numbers used by Herodotus, for example, are passed on in the book in a couple of places whereas these numbers are highly disputed among military historians and certainly are wrong. To Dupuy and Dupuy's great credit, they often give fantastic context and this is a very minor problem.

The bibliography cites works in English, German and Spanish. I presume them to read original works in French as well. Consequently, their treatment of East Asian military history is much weaker than their treatment of European military history. Nonetheless, I have not found another encyclopedia on East Asian military history that rivals this work.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasure, July 28 2002
By 
Ronald T. Jones (Chicago, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Harper Encyclopedia of Military History: From 3500 BC to the Present (Hardcover)
I have owned this book, Harper Encyclopedia of Military History, for a number of years and have yet to come across a text of military history exceeding the former in sheer volume of information. Harper is essentially 1500 plus pages of a timeline covering events from 3100 BC to the beginning of the 1990s. Interspersing this timeline are articles analyzing military developments and personalities within each era of coverage. What makes Harper so comprehensive is its detailed inclusion of events beyond Europe. Regions of the world that would customarily recieve scant to no attention in more Eurocentric works dealing with this topic are focused upon with a dramatic vigor that sheds light on leaders and wars unfamiliar to the West.(Given the prevalent ignorance of history, Western leaders and wars may be just as unfamiliar to a disconcertingly large segment of the Western world). This book is a great reference for anyone desiring a concise, year by year account of military operations in any time period. Harper is a tremendous, tireless resource for scholars and military history aficionados in general.
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4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and very complete research book, Mar 16 2002
This review is from: The Harper Encyclopedia of Military History: From 3500 BC to the Present (Hardcover)
You sometimes find yourself reading a book on History or even Historical Fiction. They mention a battle or a General. Where do you find more about it?

This is an excellent and very complete research book.

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