With the reading of this last book in Mr. Maybury’s original nine book series “The Thousand Year War in the Mideast," I have finished them all. I enjoyed them all even though the Clipper Ship was not as good as the rest. Too many funnel stories.

Yes, I have already ordered the WWI and WWII books for my further enjoyment.

I find Richard Maybury a remarkably intellectual thinker and presenter of his view of history, politics, law, various economics factors, and of course many other issues. There is however a great deal of nothing more than his personal opinion on certain issues.

Enjoy them, yes without a doubt? Did I learn from them, I believe that I leaned a great deal? Do I accept every idea or assertion that he makes, no of course not?

He may be brilliant in his presentation, form and style but to accept his assertions as gospel, because I like those qualities, would be foolish indeed. I find some of what he attempts to sell as absolute fact and “the other side” as he calls it, quite thought provoking; but some of it I find completely unsubstantiated by other works on the same subjects.

In his attempt to get his nephew to see the other side...he quite often seems to blindly and incorrectly "take" the other position as if it were the only possible way of looking at the issue, which is completely inappropriate and often untrue.

For instance, as a former Marine who took great pride in singing “from the halls of Montezuma...to the shores of Tripoli” and learning the history behind it, I take great exception to his implication that America was nothing more than a complete lackey to the English and the Europeans.

One page 205 he tells us that “This will be the first case of the U.S. fighting the Europeans’ wars for them.” I find that an odd lack of research when in the college edition of “The National Experience” A History of the United States by Blum, McFeeley, Morgan and Schlesinger, Jefferson’s determination to stay out of entangling alliances and “wars” was not undone, by his mere desire or naiveté to be the puppets of the Europeans or the lackeys’ of some other power; but because he - actually found paying tribute - for immunity from attack to be too costly and humiliating to America. In short it was intolerable to him as President of this nation to grovel to another nation.

This could just as easily be looked upon as a positive step to inventing the concept of international waters and the idea of free trade agreements! In any case, it resulted in an 1805 peace with the Pasha stopping his tributes and later the end of all tributes in that area in 1816, according to their account.

So I believe that Mr. Maybury, although learned and scholarly, has failed to consider all sides of the issue, the times these events were conducted in, and the necessary mentality of those dealing with the world and an emerging new nation and world player. If we would have done nothing, tribute paying would have continued, does he believe that would be a good thing? Encouraging such high seas confrontations?

Could he be implying that we just do as liberals seem to want us to do with incidents of killing, by simply ignoring attacks on our property and the loss of life and write them off? Hey, what’s a few dead Americans here or there if we can secure favor with an enemy and understand him or her right? I am glad most of our presidents do not have that mentality, although the last one did, which was a real shame.

In addition as an emerging nation could Mr. Maybury really and truly believe that we should have been isolationist for the last 250 years? Democrats say yes out of one side of their mouths while saying no to any Republican who professes the same concept. It is a good word when they use it but a curse word when someone else does.

If we had been, then we would have gone the way of the Incas, Aztecs, American Indians and the French and just about every other defeated nation or people on earth. Non-involvement except for trade would be a great plan, in a world that never entered into the technological age, or that did not enter into the flying machine age or the age of rocket boosters, or the submarine age or the aircraft carrier age or the nuclear, biological and chemical age.

But that is not the world we live in. If we were still getting around with wooden ships, and balloons and horses and such, it would be fine to espouse those philosophies, but thank God we were flexible and fluid enough to adapt, adjust and become a world power broker and player in those days, and overcome the enemies who would by now be teaching our children how to speak their language by force.

I believe Mr. Maybury’s opinion go astray when they do not consider the real world and how it has holistically evolved. Sometimes even bad decisions were for the best of reasons when viewed from the long view. Sure we have made mistakes in the past, but he cannot assure anyone that not making those decisions would have produced any safer a world then we have right now. And the Middle East would be a hot spot with or without our minor involvement. By his own admission it was so long before the USA came onto the scene.

Unless of course he is trying to tell us a world owned, operated and ruled by a completely Islamic regime or tyrants like the Stalin’s, Hussein’s, Khomeini’s, Arrafat’s and Hitler’s and such would be better for us. If we were the wimps he suggests we should have been in world affairs back then, then that is exactly what the status quo would be today. No it is a good book, but the final solution to history as he sees it is an incorrect one, I think.

1000 Words

Richard Maybury is a very rare bird. He can take a complex subject, such as why the US government is engaged in a war with radical Islam, and explain its root causes in simple, truthful terms. He is a tough, hardheaded, fearless thinker who is unafraid to go past the facile explanations of the mainstream press and seek out the deeper causes of socio-political phenomena. Maybury relies on science, reason, and a penetrating study of history for his explanations. He is also an ex-military man with an astonishing grasp of military history and the current level of effectiveness of US armed forces

For instance, his analysis begins in the 8th century with the founding of Islam. He explains why the devastation visited upon the Islamic world by the European Crusades and the Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan in the 11th-13th centuries still exert a powerful influence on the peoples of the MidEast.

He also clearly identifies the theoretical basis of his reasoning, i.e., Austrian (free market) economics and the natural or "scientific" jurisprudence that underlies the evolutionary development of Common Law, the basis of American freedom. I was stunned by his ability to extract from his studies the two basic laws (stated in short, simple sentences) upon which every successful civilization is and has been based. He explains in another book how America's success derives from the founders' understanding of these two laws. He writes that he has never found anyone who disagrees with the rightness of these two laws...although the current American political state massively violates both every day. In the context of this book, he shows how the US government's intervention in Middle Eastern affairs tramples on the two laws that, ironically, have always been the source of American freedom and prosperity.

I have read most of the deeper academic works of the Austrian school and am well-read on American/European history. I have also applied myself assiduously to understand the current conflict and its probable outcome. However, until I read Maybury's clear, concise book, I honestly did not understand what was going on. Maybury has given me the tools I was seeking to grasp the nature of the current conflict. For instance, he not only predicted that something like 9/11/2001 would happen years before it did, but also why it was bound to happen. He also predicts that unless the US gov't withdraws from the MidEast and apologizes for over 50 years of murderous meddling in the afffairs of the Islamic world, we will face far worse consequences. Maybury is also honest about the limitations of his ability to predict. He lays out the principles upon which he bases his projections in straightforward terms so you can judge his conclusions for yourself.

Maybury uses simple examples to explain why he thinks the way he does. Eg, he asks how we would feel if the Iranian navy were permanently deployed in Chesapeake Bay. He further states obvious truths that the mainstream somehow overlooks, such as, that the US military is over there in their homeland killing people right & left and has been doing so for 50 years; their military is not over here on our (US) homeland. He points out, without justifying them, that two decades of Muslim attacks on Americans have been in response to prior American attacks on Muslims that have killed thousands of innocent islamic men, women & children.

Maybury does not take sides (the thinks both sides are wrong) but does show how the American government (not the American people) has instigated the current version of the "1,000 Year War" through its continuous interference in the Middle East or as he calls it "Chaostan." Finally, he explains why the US gov't cannot possibly cure the ills of tyranny, poverty & constant violence that plague that part of the world. US meddling will only make things worse at great cost to both sides.

I feel so strongly about the rightness of Maybury's analysis in this book that I urgently recommend it to any and all free thinking people the world over, but particularly my fellow Americans. We are truly on the brink of potentially catastrophic events and Maybury is the one thinker I have come across who shows a realistic pathway out of the war and chaos to come.

Have you ever wondered why the people of the Middle East and Asia have such a hatred of America? The Thousand Year War explains, in lucid detail, why America is considered evil by so many people in the world. This book takes easy steps through the last thousand years tying the past to the present, and tying the Crusades to September 11. This book is an absolute must for anyone wishing to understand the world we presently live in.

I thought Drakulic's writing describe the feelings of someone's whose society has been destroyed and a new one springs up. Her feelings as well as others are exposed in this book. This book summarizes the dispair of those who witnessed the Serbo-Croatian War of 1990-1991. I think the feelings described in this book, might only apply to the minority of the Croatian people. It certainly conveys a mother's anguish at seeing her child in a country at war.
I think this book conveys the human disaster of war. People suffer in a number of ways. They may not be soldiers, but they still suffer. Old ways die, and new ways may not be convenient to old people. Opportunities arise as can be seen where the woman confiscated another woman's apartment. War makes people old. I think all these feelings are conveyed in the book.

I read this book while studying the Balkans in school and shortly after September 11th. The book is about living war, a concept that is impossible to understand until one has been in a war like situation or has read this book. While I know that I can never say I felt as much pain as she did, I do have a better understanding of what it must have been like for her after 911 and after reading this book. It is an enjoyable read with the ability to touch on deep subjects without being too complex.

I could not put this book down. The author shares, almost in diary form, her insights as the Serb-Croatian war ripped apart her country in the early 1990's. After reading this book,one begins to understand the impact that war had on those who lived that war. While so many books about war describe carnage and attrocities, this book shares the impact that war has on the psyche and hearts of "every day" people making clear that not all wounds in war are to the body. The book reads like well written fiction. Unfortunately, it is not. I can't adequately describe this book. READ IT.

For my background reading on Central and East European EU Candidate Countries, I have been reading several books on the history of the Balkans. For the period 500-1453 I took the book from Prof. Obolensky (for 1453-early 20th century I recommend L. Stavrianos, Misha Glenny, and G. Hodos). I found the book clearly written and well set out. The central message of this study runs like a red thread thorugh the book. The influence of the Byzantine East Roman Empire on the law, culture, religion and art of the countries in that region is shown to be of major importance and is clearly one of the major shaping actors in the early history of the Balkans. Yet at the same time during this period there was no slavish following of whatever came from Byzantium. The complicated story of attraction and repulsion, the ongoing flow and struggles with the 'Byzantine Commonwealth' (i find prof. Obolenksy's expression in this contect quite useful) of the different peoples in the Balkans makes good reading and, for me, gives met the sense of a good first grasp of the outset of history on this fascinating region. This book is not always easy to read and not only for beginners, but the more rewarding for it.

After the fall of Rome, Byzantium was the greatest, richest, most prestigious city in the known world. It was the center of the Orthodox religion and a great center of culture. It was also the target for every barbarian tribe who wanted a piece of the wealth land and culture.

Dimitri Obolensky's readable book achieves two purposes. First he describes the relations between the Byzantine empire and her neighbors. Obolensky explains how the Byzantines used one barbarian tribe against another, like the Avars, Slavs, Bulgars, Pechenegs, Russians and Khazars. He also shows how the Byzantines used religion to influence the tribes and gain control over them. Eventually the barbarian tribes worshipped Byzantium, but did not trust it.

Secondly Obolensky describes how the barbarian cultures like the Bulgars and the Russians adopted the culture and civilization of Byzantium. The new comers learned art, literature, law and religion from Byzantium.

This book covers the period from 500 AD to the fall of Byzantium in 1453,
starting with a description of the geography, roads and trade routes the Byzantines used, and their strategic importance. Then Obolensky recounts relations in order of region, from the Balkans, then east-central Europe and finally the coast of the black sea.
Obolensky shows how the Byzantines became the source of legitimacy among the states that made up the commonwealth like the Bulgars and the Russians. Finally he recounts how the barbarians learned art, religion, law and literature, and civilization in general from the Byzantines.

The book includes many well placed maps and photos that make this complicated subject clearer. Obolensky's book is a must read book for anyone interested in the history of Byzantium or medieval eastern Europe.

I can't praise highly enough this well researched, masterful look at the mechanisms of cultural diffusion in the Balkans and Russia in the Byzantine period. Obolensky, an unquestioned leader in the field of Byzantine studies, has put together a cogent, precise and elegantly written book that, while not really for the layman, is clear enough for most persons with some familiarity with the topic. He demonstrates the role of what he calls "intermediaries", e.g. merchants, missionaries and mercenaries, in spreading Byzantium's unique Graeco-Romano-Christian culture throughout the Slavic world. A little attention is paid to Byzantium's influence on the West and on the structures of the Ottoman state, but the real focus realy is on the Balkan states. And, well, where have you seen that lately?

Brian Hall has really open my eyes in understanding what triggers the Balkan war ie suspicious, revenge, fear, not understanding and non-tolerance among the ethnic. These are the traits that usually leads to a disaster, no matter which part of world you live in.

I read Brian Hall's account of the Balkan conflict while in Zagreb on a language immersion program. I was incredibly impressed by his ability to give a balanced view on this incredibly difficult land. I felt his astute observations made it easier for me to remain neutral in my views and perceptions of the land, people and complicated situation. I was surrounded by ultra-nationalists, and honestly did not meet a single person in Croatia that could look at their role objectively. Brian Hall's insights helped me to step back and view the situation with a completely different outlook.

Brian Hall knows there is no reasonable way to explain what happened in Yugoslavia, so he doesn't even try, at least not in this exciting if somber travelogue. What he does do is travel extensively in that country and engage in conversation with all sorts of people, many of them journalists who themselves are trying to figure out what is going on politically in their own country. Apart from a few wry comments and astute observations on some of the more glaring inanities and venalities he encounters, Hall refrains from expressing his own opinions, prefering to let his several interlocutors express the truth in their own words and ways. The difficulty is that there are several truths here, or versions of it. Croatians are Catholic and they think they hate the Serbs because they are Orthodox. They are unable to admit they hate Serbs because they feel dominated by Belgrade. On the other hand, Serbs think they despise Croatians because they are Catholics and because Croatians helped the Nazis when they came calling. They can't admit to a certain envy of Croatia's Western orientation. An underlying philosophical theme of this book is 'attitude to truth.' South Slavic culture seems to believe that one can be in possession of the truth absolutely and for all time. The idea of striking out independently and asking questions that might lead to more and more questions is simply not part of the Yugoslav mindset. Each group or 'republic' has its own view of reality and this is usually so out of sync with the rest of the country that there is no point in discussion or conversation. The only solution is force, or so each party thinks. If you can't make sense of your neighbor's point of view, kill him and his family and friends. This general outlook must have helped Milosevic in his sleazy rise to power. Most Yugoslavs, as Hall points out, believe that Serbian and Croatian are two distinct languages, which is completely at odds with what linguistics tells us. And then there is Bosnia and its overwhelmingly Muslim population, unloved by both the Croatians and the Serbs. In hindsight, one shudders to think... The journey described in this book took place in 1991, when things were starting to heat up in the Balkans. Slovenia had just separated. The author shows how ominous things were at that point, how one didn't need much imagination to foresee what the unhappy future would hold, including the sad Kosovo events. Hall has done a masterful job of describing Yugoslavia on the verge of disintegration. He includes excellent descriptions of buildings and landscapes, but his more important work is reporting on the interviews he conducted with real people in real situations of frustration, danger, and sometimes despair. Now that the NATO bombing of Serbia and Kosovo is just a puzzling memory, we should all go and read a lot of books that show how and why all that came about. Of all such books, this is one of the best I know of.

This is an excellent history of Yugoslavia over the past critical fifty years, and sheds light on the roots of Yugoslavia's violent breakup in the 1990's. Reading this book will give insight into the sinister nature of the communist dictator Tito, who like Ceaucescu of Romania was one of the Western powers' favored, "good" communist despots. The chapters on Tito's rise to power during World War 2 and subsequent years of control will let readers in on the reasons for the 1990's Yugoslavian wars. Well worth the cover price.

A good read! This book is well-researched and contains information that everyone and their brother and sister should read. This man knows Yugoslavia, knows the history of the country, and demonstrates that the world had done nothing toward solving the "nationalities" problem after the fall of Nazi Germany, when a reconciliation was possible. The author demonstrates how the world stood by and allowed the Ustasha to highjack planes, to blow them up in mid-air, to run rampant with their terrorist ideals while the Communists were in power, even going so far as to give them the places to train their terrorist soldiers. While the author condemns Tito for not confronting the problem in Yugoslavia and dealing with it while he was in power, the author also condemns the rest of the world for their complicity to the crime.

During the recent troubles in former Yugoslavia we learned to hate the Serbs for their policy of ethnic cleansing. But this book explains that the Serbs had ample reason for their hatred of the Croats and for their desire to turn the tables on their former tormenters. The one ray of hope is that many Yugoslavs live in peace with their neighbors and intermarry regardless of ethnicity or religion, not obsessed with prolonging the hatred.

The atrocities against humanity committed by the Croats against Serbs, Jews and Gypsies (500,000 murdered) were more sadistic and horrifying than anything since. The evil Ustasha, the terrorist arm of the Croats, specialized in sadistic torture prior to murder, all in the name of religion.

I picked this book up to learn about Marshall Tito, the fascinating political figure who successfully resisted both Hitler and Stalin, and who kept the tinderbox of Yugoslavia at peace throughout his life. Tito must have been an amazing man. And he didn't do it with terror. It is incredible how he maintained independence in that part of the world surrounded by such aggressive nations. The Tito period was a time of prosperity for Yugoslavia, making even their Italian neighbors envious.

The sparse title of this book reflects the contents within. Slavenka Drakulic, a Croatian journalist turned writer, has given the world one of the sparsest, depressing novels of all time. It is a pity she's not better known because she is an excellent author. This book is one of several that she has written, and I suspect it might be her best one. I only came across this book because I noticed it was a book about the Balkans, an area in which I have an avid interest.

The whole book is essentially the inner thoughts of S., a half Serb/half Muslim schoolteacher who finds herself caught up in the Bosnian war in the early 1990's. S. is abducted at gunpoint and sent to a camp where she quickly finds herself in the throes of dehumanization. S. and groups of other women are tormented by guards, denied adequate housing and food, and denied proper medical care. The book nosedives into insanity when S. is chosen to become an inmate of the "women's camp," a special brothel set up to service the soldiers of the camp. S. and others are routinely raped and tortured. Drakulic tells us the details, which I will not reproduce here for reasons of decency. S. survives the camp by becoming the girlfriend of the camp commander. Eventually, S. is freed through a prisoner exchange and ends up in Zagreb with a cousin and her family. S. doesn't want to stay and ends up hitting the refugee lottery by getting a visa to Sweden. Unfortunately for S., she discovers she is pregnant by one of the soldiers involved in the rapes. S. agonizes over her condition and decides to put the baby up for adoption. The end of the book can be seen as either happy or depressing, although I tend to see it as the former, a triumph over the inhumanity of war.

Drakulic pulls no punches with this tale. The rapes are depicted in nauseating detail, as is the process of dehumanization practiced on all of the prisoners. Most jarring is the occasional mention of dates (can this really be happening in 1992? In Europe?). What Drakulic has essentially accomplished is shrinking down the process of war to the level of the individual. S. is one individual, and it staggers the mind to think there were thousands, or even millions, of stories analogous to hers. Certainly, referring to this character as "S." is a way of trying to illustrate this point. A name does not matter because so many are going through this trauma. The guards of the camp certainly don't care what her name is, nor do the people in charge of this war.

This is a sick book full of depressing and grim stories. I'm still glad I read it, though. It is good to be reminded of war and its horrors. War is not parades and glory. War is the systematic dehumanization of one group of people by another (although both sides are often dehumanized in the process). Those of us who may live out our lives in peace because we live in the West should consider ourselves very lucky. To not have to go through the things described in this book is like winning a global lottery. S. is highly recommended by this reader.

I grew up in Bosnia during the war and I have heard stories of rape and cruelty and all the things that were happening. Thanks to my mother I escaped all that and I never believed that such things are possible. That human beings are capable to do what my people did to each other in this war. It took me more than a month to read this book because I kept going back to the passages trying to find words that will make it less brutal. Reading "S" has cleared to me why all the rape did happen in Bosnia and why it is often a war crime. It is a very powerfull novel that reveals details that are taboo and not talked off. And I would suggest anyone who has a strong stomac to read it.

It is difficult to put into words how this book affected me. As a woman, it touches me to my very core. Slavenka Drakulic's honest portrayal of what some women suffered during the collapse of Yugoslavia is precise. At times it is absolutely unbearable. At times it is the most beautiful tale of human strength. It is definitely something to read about things that happen outside of our own lives. To look at these people and what they suffered is to take a step into a world that is entirely unfamiliar. Finally, I was able to grasp the severity of such conflicts that were often a sidebar on the nightly news when I was still a girl. The gravity of this book is devastating, but so forthright, it is impossible to stop reading. If you want to gain some perspective on the sufferings that occurred not to long ago, and are possibly still occurring to this day in certain parts of the former Yugoslavia, S. will definitely give you that perspective. Be prepared forever for an intense and graphic read. It will disturb you, and at times comfort, however, you won't be able to erase the images that Slavenka Drakulic superbly illustrates.

This is an excellent book that serves its stated purpose. Most shortcomings are related to the impossibility of summing up 1400 years of history in less than 300 pages. My main qualms are (1) that the emergence of the "Macedonian Question" is not elaborated clearly enough; and (2) that for a book that continuously (and rightly) underscores the theme of territorial frustration in Bulgarian history, the maps are absolutely useless. To fill in this deficiency, I would direct the reader to the excellent _Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of Eastern Europe_ by Dennis Hupchick and Harold Cox. They also produced a similar atlas of the Balkans. Either would work to clarify the myriad territorial complexities of Eastern European and Balkan history.

This is a thorough basic history of Bulgaria. It covers every major topic and most important events but does not spend too much time on any one event. It also does not bog you down with frivolous details. The book is very readable and moves along in a fluid chronological order. The only real shortcoming is the lack of information on the Ottoman Rule, which is so important to Bulgarian history. I was also hoping for some more details on the early Khans.

ive been a big fan of bulgaria for years. i was fascinated by bulgaria since before i could walk. this is the greatest book ive ever read. really!!! you will love it too!! buy it now!!! you WONT regret it!!

"Flash MX Components Most Wanteed" is targeted towards designers and those that shy away from ActionScript. The book focuses on explanations of how to use each of the components -- not how they were created or the design choices made while building these sometimes extraordinarily complex components. Many of the components contained on the CD are quite useful, but I personally could have done without the "nifty graphics" and image manipulation components. It's nice to have detailed explanations of each of the available component parameters (kind of like a product manual), but the book left me wanting more about the hows and whys of creating solid, useful Flash MX components.

I still can't believe i only paid so little for this book, it's just awesome! I've been using Flash for a couple of years now, but only recently started getting into MX components - any designer (or even developer?) looking for efficient solutions should really look into using them. I'm at the point now where i'm having to reuse as much code/design elements as i can now because
work is just soooo busy, and with this book you get a cd containing 21 components (actually, there's even more than that if you count some of the neat experimental ones!). I'm not even gonna try and work out how much development time this cd will save me, but I can't advise it enough - i really hope these guys bring more of them out. To be honest i've only looked through about half of these components so far, but i'm still blown away -
check out tool tip, the dynamic text 'stringthing', and the XML/actionscript converter especially - i didn't even realize i needed these things until now! The chapter on the movie loader is just a killer too. And there are also more 'crazy-stoopid' ones, like pattern generators and image modulators. What can i say, buy it and hope these authors bring out a sequel! Tons of fully-documented components, tons of examples, i'm a happy
designer!

Im coming from a unix/c background with over 10 years experience and I found this book to be really good introduction to Flash MX. Its written very clearly and concsicely and full of useful examples and great ideas. I got my project up and running very quickly with some very pleasing results. Keep up the good work boys!

This book is the second of five (so far) from the Osprey's Men-At-Arms Series on "German Army". The other four are:-

MAA 311 The German Army 1939-45 (1) Blitzkrieg;

MAA 326 The German Army 1939-45 (3) Eastern Front 1941-43;

MAA 330 The German Army 1939-45 (4) Eastern Front 1943-45;

MAA 336 The German Army 1939-45 (5) Western Front 1943-45.

These books basically cover the German Army uniform and rank insignia of specific time and place during WW2. Each book includes 30 to 40 b/w photographs of German soldiers in different types of uniform. There are also 8 pages of colour-plates in each book depicting the uniforms in colour. Since I own all five books, I observed that the drawing skill of Stephen Andrew improving gradually over the years.

These books are by no means a comprehensive account of the uniform of the German Army during WW2. However, the contents(text, photos and colour-plates) are excellent source of reference materials for modelling enthusiasts focusing on WW2 German Army.

This review applies to all five books.

This work is a splendid example of the new emphasis of the publisher on producing comprehensive works in a handy cheap format compared with the earlier broad brush treatments which covered too much in too little detail.
The new emphasis is on sets covering various national armed forces in as much detail as is available, consistent with the current purpose of the works in the series, which have evolved from an original emphasis on serving the military miniature maker market into works intended to enlighten the general reader in enough detail to satisfy the merely curious and to point the way to further reading.
Most of us, including myself, have little need for, or the patience to read, voluminous studies, often in foreign languages, covering many eras and nations. My main interest is in the US forces, their allies and their enemies in the twentieth century.
That said, these works should be purchased as presented, in sets within the series. Since they are produced as a set, the volumes cover only relevent parts of the general history and the clothing and individual equipment is covered as it appears in each period. The French Army, US Army, British Army, and Italian Army series all have three volumes, covering the major theatres and time periods of the war. The German set has five.
The German Army set should be read in conjunction with many other individual volumes covering their allies and opponents and the other German fighting forces such as the Waffen SS, and the Parachute units, which were part of the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe.
If you want an introduction to the fascinating variety of clothing and equipment of the forces covered, this set is for you.

This work is a splendid example of the new emphasis of the publisher on producing comprehensive works in a handy cheap format compared with the earlier broad brush treatments which covered too much in too little detail.
The new emphasis is on sets covering various national armed forces in as much detail as is available, consistent with the current purpose of the works in the series, which have evolved from an original emphasis on serving the military miniature maker market into works intended to enlighten the general reader in enough detail to satisfy the merely curious and to point the way to further reading.
Most of us, including myself, have little need for, or the patience to read, voluminous studies, often in foreign languages, covering many eras and nations. My main interest is in the US forces, their allies and their enemies in the twentieth century.
That said, these works should be purchased as presented, in sets within the series. Since they are produced as a set, the volumes cover only relevent parts of the general history and the clothing and individual equipment is covered as it appears in each period. The French Army, US Army, British Army, and Italian Army series all have three volumes, covering the major theatres and time periods of the war. The German set has five.
The German Army set should be read in conjunction with many other individual volumes covering their allies and opponents and the other German fighting forces such as the Waffen SS, and the Parachute units, which were part of the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe.
If you want an introduction to the fascinating variety of clothing and equipment of the forces covered, this set is for you.

The thing I noticed most of all about this book is the strength the author has is creating original and interesting characters - from the main character, who is overly honest, wry and sarchastic yet is deeply affected by the war, to the glue-sniffing former friend who is so out of it that he wants to join the Crotian army because he'll be paid more. I don't think this book could have been written in English-it has the feeling of a translation from Serbian (that's a good thing).

I'm only 17 but do to the recent activities in Yugoslavia, I've been thrown into its path. Arsenijevic is a writer who beautifully entwines comedy and tragedy. You are often laughing and crying because of the ambivalence. If you have been paying attention to the horrors going on in Kosovo right now, you somehow can understand, through reading, how those people fighting to remain normal feel right now. A must read. You'll never put it down.

This is a great book about methaphysical Belgrade during past ten years.