by RichardBrooks (Author)
There have been a number of British battle books before, but never one as comprehensive, as scholarly - and as readable - as this. The meat of the volume is its 377 'battle articles' - from the skirmish between Caesar's invading Romans at Dover in 55BC, to the air battles fought between the RAF and the Luftwaffe above southern England in the late summer of 1940. These articles are underpinned by a wealth of additional material, both editorial and graphic, including for each battle a 'scoreboard' boxed panel of key data, including details of protagonists, size of armies involved, commanders and casualties. The volume includes 100 maps of key battles. OS grid references are provided for every battle described. Each chapter commences with an overview essay, outlining and explaining the key strategic developments of the period of warfare in question. Within each (major section), sub-sections identify logically related groups of battles (such as, in Knight and Castle, the era known as the Anarchy (during the reign of Stephen) and the conflict known as the Scottish War of Independence).
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 754
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: W&N
Published: 20 Oct 2005
ISBN 10: 0304363332
ISBN 13: 9780304363339
Book Overview: The most in-depth study of British and Irish battles and battle sites currently available on the market. A complete 'battle history' of Britain and Ireland from Caesar's landing at Dover in 55BC to the Battle of Britain in 1940. Describes 377 battles. All battle narrative accounts are rigorously based on extant historical sources. 100 detailed but clear black-and-white maps amplify and clarify the text. Both an unparalleled reference book and an exciting and involving work of narrative history.