If you have ever wondered what an obscure military term like "cataphracti" means, this is the book for you. Dupuy, a highly respected military historian, delivers a concise description of major military trends, all wars in recorded history, their weapons, tactics and theater of operations. Major battles are described, mapped and discussed. The evaluations are even-handed and insightful. This is a reference book for the historian, the military historian, and the curious amateur. Informative, authoritative and eminently readable.

As a Canadian, I have very little knowledge of American history in general and the Civil War in particular. This book walked me through the war in great detail and provides an excellent base for future studies.

This is a very robust book covering military history up to the end of the Viet Nam war. It is broken down into chronological snipets that are grouped by locale. At just over 1,300 pages, it paints a good picture of the battlefield primarily at the strategic level. The authors did include a good deal of tactics as well as new technology also. This is a great book for research of military history.