A conflict of unprecedented ferocity, it abruptly ended the relative peace and prosperity of the victorian era, unleashing such demons of the twentieth century as mechanized. Author john keegan gives the impression late in this very good book that he held the kaiser partially responsible for the great war as he embarked on a pointless attempt to match britains maritime strength that. Knowledge of the enemy from napolean to alqaeda is a strangely unsatisfying book. The acclaimed author and preeminent military historian john keegan examines centuries of human conflict. As readers familiar with keegan s previous books including the second world war and six armies in normandy know, hes a historian of the old school. He received a degree in history from balliol college, oxford in 1953. The book the first world war by john keegan 1694 words. John keegan, who has written twenty books about warfare, especially world war ii, talked about his book, a history of warfare. Keegan discusses early warfare, the proliferation of bronze age warfare and then iron age warfare greek hoplites and phalanxes, roman legions and maniples. Aug 20, 2019 the first world war by john keegan is a mustread book for people who are interested in military conflict studies. He focuses on five crucial battles and offers new insights into the distinctive methods and motivations of modern warfare. A history of warfare is a book by military historian john keegan, which was published in 1993 by random house. Sir john desmond patrick keegan obe frsl 15 may 1934 2 august 2012 was an english. The shattering effects of the war to end all wars have been depicted unforgettably by novelists and.
Dec 09, 2008 the book has been criticized for years as being prohitler, yet keegan recognizes it as one of the most import books on the time period. Therefore, this paper is an analysis of the whole book that explores different elements that have been brought out by the author as well as the goal that it aims to achieve. The first world war john keegan 1959 words essay example. Oct 20, 2015 audie murphy to hell and back military audiobook. He also talks about the conquests of the horse peoples, first under. By now, the love affair with sandhurst was cooling. Short, graceful ruminations from one of our greatest military historians on the ugliest of topics. The reith lecturer in 1998, he is the author of many bestselling books including the face of battle, six armies in normandy, battle at sea, the second world war. Military historian john keegan spoke about his book the second world war. Audiobook the second world war by john keegan part 1 of 3. There are three primary strenghts to keegan s work. John keegan s world war ii is a superb one volume history of the military aspects of world war ii. In the book of war, john keegan marshals a formidable host of war writings to chronicle the evolution of western warfare through the voice of the most eloquent participantsfrom thucydides classic account of ancient greek phalanx warfare to a blowbyblow description of ground fighting against the iraqi troops in kuwait during the gulf war. Keegans many books on warfare are certainly among the most accessible in this field, and.
John keegan is our generations foremost military historian. John keegan has 104 books on goodreads with 107128 ratings. His 1976 book the face of battle helped start what is still called the new military history, with its emphasis on the. He was the defense editor of the more about john keegan. Acclaimed military historian john keegans anthology of war writing from 25 centuries of battle in the book of war, john keegan marshals. A conflict of unprecedented ferocity, it abruptly ended the relative peace and prosperity of the victorian era, unleashing such demons of the twentieth century as mechanized warfare and mass death. Nov 21, 2012 with the first world war, john keegan, one of our most eminent military historians, fulfills a lifelong ambition to write the definitive account of the great war for our generation. John keegans books include the iraq war, intelligence in war, the first world war, the battle for history, the face of battle, war and our world, the masks of command, fields of battle, and a history of warfare. The military offensive, from victory in 21 days to the insurgent aftermath. John keegan is a great scholar in the military history.
The book of war by john keegan penguin random house canada. While keegan certainly doesnt cover every aspect of the war he in fact explains that he will not attempt to do this in his prologue he does do an admirable job presenting the war contextually for readers. It is not a history of intelligence in war, it is a history of war with a bit of intelligence stuff thrown in for spice. The book the first world war by john keegan is a historical book that narrates the situations before, during, and after the first world war. John keegan, may 15, 1934 august 2, 2012 john keegan was born in london, england on may 15, 1934. John keegans the second world war is a masterfully written dissertation of wwii. I first discovered john keegan by reading his underrated book on the american civil war. Acclaimed military historian john keegans anthology of war writing. In the summer of 1914, europe enjoyed peace and prosperity that depended to a great extent on international cooperation in the commercial, intellectual, philanthropic, and religious spheres. It then occurred to me that i had never read a book that covered the whole of world war 1 and sought out a book that could do justice to such a huge topic. Acclaimed military historian john keegans anthology of war writing from 25 centuries of battle in the book of war, john keegan marshals a formidable host of war writings to chronicle the evolution of western warfare through the voice of the most eloquent participantsfrom thucydides classic account of ancient greek phalanx warfare to a blowbyblow description of. Nov 21, 2012 john keegan s books include the iraq war, intelligence in war, the first world war, the battle for history, the face of battle, war and our world, the masks of command, fields of battle, and a history of warfare.
Acclaimed military historian john keegan s anthology of war writing from 25 centuries of battle in the book of war, john keegan marshals a formidable host of war writings to chronicle the evolution of western warfare through the voice of the most eloquent participantsfrom thucydides classic account of ancient greek phalanx warfare to a blowbyblow description of ground. John keegan is the defence editor of the daily telegraph and britains foremost military historian. John keegan, an englishman widely considered to be the preeminent military historian of his era and the author of more than 20 books, including the masterwork the face of battle, died. In this comprehensive history, john keegan explores both the technical and the human impact of the greatest war of all time. March 21, 2000 the impact of wwii on the future of warfare. The crucified christ was an appropriate symbol for millions of young men who diedtoo often anonymouslyon battlefields throughout the world between 1914 and 1918, writes historian john keegan in his ambitious onevolume overview the first world war alfred a. The first world war was a tragic and unnecessary conflict. Acclaimed military historian john keegans anthology of war writing from 25 centuries of battle in the book of war, john keegan marshals a formidable host of war writings to chronicle the evolution of western warfare through the voice of the most eloquent participantsfrom thucydides classic account of ancient greek phalanx warfare to a blowbyblow description of ground fighting. The reith lecturer in 1998, he is the author of many bestselling books including the face of battle, six armies in normandy, battle at sea, the second world war, a history of warfare awarded the duff cooper prize, warpaths, the battle for history, the first world war, and most recently. In a bookcover blurb extracted from a more complex article, sir michael howard wrote.
With the first world war, john keegan, one of our most eminent military historians, fulfills a lifelong ambition to write the definitive account of the great war for our generation. John keegan books list of books by author john keegan. Unnecessary because the train of events that led to its outbreak might have been broken at any point during the five weeks of crisis that preceded the first clash of arms, had prudence or common goodwill found a voice. He has no earthshattering new theories to challenge the status quo, no firstperson accounts to tug on the emotionswhat he does have, though, is a. For the past half century, john keegan, the greatest military historian of our time, has been returning to the scenes of americas most bloody and wrenching war to ponder its lingering conundrums. From primitive man in the bronze age to the end of the cold war in the twentieth century, keegan shows how armed conflict has been a primary preoccupation throughout the history of civilization and how deeply rooted its practice has become in our cultures. After graduation, he went to the united states on a grant to study the civil war. Unlike the epic histories for which he is best known, keegan the first world war, 1999, etc. John keegan s most popular book is the first world war. He is the defense editor of the daily telegraph london. He wrote many published works on the nature of combat between prehistory and the 21st century, covering land, air, maritime, intelligence warfare and the psychology of battle. He wrote a book about normandy and the bulk of john gaus tv series soldiers with his sandhurst colleague richard holmes. Keegan s unsurpassable erudition in military history with a readable format, focussing on eight episodes of the intersection of warfare with various forms of intelligence.
More than 50 years have passed since the surrenders of germany and japan brought an end to world war ii, but that conflictis still steeped in controversy. The definitive account of the great war and national bestseller from one of our most eminent military historians, john keegan. Jun 05, 1999 author john keegan gives the impression late in this very good book that he held the kaiser partially responsible for the great war as he embarked on a pointless attempt to match britains maritime strength that. Probing the mystery of how a civilization at the height of its achievement could have propelled itself into such a ruinous conflict, keegan takes us behind the. In this encyclopedically learned and immensely gripping book, one of our foremost military historians demolishes the famous dictum that war is the continuation. Sir john desmond patrick keegan obe frsl 15 may 1934 2 august 2012 was an english military historian, lecturer, writer and journalist. Keegan had been there for a quarter of a century, was himself over 50 and felt he still had a lot more proper books in him. He has a sure command of both the broad concepts of strategy and the intricate nuances of tactics. Nov 01, 2009 john keegan is our generations foremost military historian. It is an enjoyable book, but somewhat of a letdown if you are looking for the spy stuff. Among his contemporaries, john keegan is one of the most distinguished authorities on military history. In the words of noted military historian john keegan, world war i was a tragic and unnecessary conflict.
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