World History of Warfare

World History of Warfare. By Christon I. Archer, John R. Ferris, Holger H. Herwig, and Timothy H. E. Travers. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002. ISBN 0-8032-4423-1. Maps. Illustrations. Index. Pp. XII, 626. $29.95.

This book deserves a review article, not a review, both because it is one of the best attempts to tackle its topic to appear in recent years and because, as a textbook for introductory college courses in military history, it will clearly be influential. Deservedly so, as the goals of the project are both worthy and largely fulfilled. The authors, all professors at one of the leading centres of military history, the University of Calgary, aim to comprehend both the operational and the war and society approaches, while...