Book recommendation/request thread

[Thanas]

At the polisci 100 level, we're taught about the security dilemma; when you see your neighbor buying tanks, so do you. However, Stuart has said what your neighbor does is largely irrelevant. You make your strategic mission and build war machines based on that. Does that mean the concept of an arms race is invalid? What if your strategic mission is the conquest of the neighbor?

How much cross training do we get from other armies? If I were to napkinwaffe an infantryman, he'd be a guy who took krav from the isrealis, did boot camp with the marines, advanced training with the french foriegn legion, and final training with Russian spetsnaz. Do planners trawl other nations for ideas, or are the training methods arrived at independently?

For questions, please use the appropriate Forum, in this case the HAB or start your own thread. Please do not use a book recommendation thread to get questions answered.

Oh, and anybody who answers those questions in this thread will get Hos'ed. I am in a particularly bad mood today, so please, do try.

[Enforcer Talen]

Sorries. Was trying to get book recommendations based on those questions.

[Twigler]

I'm currently reading "The Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947" by Christopher Clark which I find to be an excellent read, so consider that my recommendation.
It covers the changes in society, politics, religion, and international relations of Prussia (I'm using the name Prussia for sake of ease in this case) in great detail for a book with that scope. The style writing is engaging and easy to read for an amateur historian. Clark gives you a real idea of the challenges faced by the state and the people throughout the centuries, what their concerns were at the time, how they saw their rulers, and how the identity of the Kingdom slowly developed from a group of domains with little in common into a state with a strong national identity.

So now my ask: after this I'd like to read something of similar quality and scope that details the history of Bavaria or the southern German states as a whole. If anyone has any recommendations I'd appreciate it.

[Ilya Muromets]

I've been reading the 1632 series by Eric Flint, and it got me really interested in the Thirty Years War. However, keeping in mind that it is fiction, and that there'll be some degree of literary license involved, I wanted to look up some actual sources. However, all I have access to are encyclopedia articles (too broad) and Net-based sources (which still feel incomplete). I was wondering if there are any good, comprehensive books on it and if anyone had a recommendation so I'll have some idea as to which titles to look out for the next time I go to the local books stores.

Suggestions are appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[Ilya Muromets]

Oh, fuck. I missed the book request thread stickied right above this.

Could a mod please merge this to that one?

[The Duchess of Zeon]

The Thirty Years' War by Geoffrey Parker is about the best introductory reader to the events of the conflict and their implications for Europe that I can think of off the top of my head.

[TC Pilot]

If you want to go more in-depth, read C.V. Wedgewood's Thirty Years War. It's dated (first published in '38), but it's still a fantastic account of the war.

[Ilya Muromets]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll try to see if those can be found here.

[Big Orange]

Here's a couple more OK history books off the top of my head:

Persian Fire: The First World Empire, Battle for the West (Tom Holland) - Forget about 300, Persian Fire seems to be as good a start as any to dispel the nonsense of that film, with a fairly detailed overview of the Persian Empire (a unified superpower of Eurasia) and its many clashes with the outlaying Greeks (a patchwork of squabbling city states), with detailed, engaging descriptions and histories of the Persians, the numerous tribes and kingdoms ruled by the Persians, the Spartans, and other Greek peoples, and how they conducted their military campaigns.

The Origins of the Final Solution: The Evolution of Nazi Jewish Policy September 1939-1942 (Chris Browning) - A detailed account of the Final Solution, a horrific genocidal policy that is shown in this book to be a more gradual and organic process than originally assumed, and how it tied into (and was excacerbated by) Hitler's widening war campaign.

[Oberleutnant]

Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic
In a similar vein as Big Orange, I found Tom Holland's earlier work very entertaining. Although I cannot vouch for its accuracy, the book should serve as a good starting point for someone looking to understand of Ancient Rome. It worked for myself. Holland's narrative history is vividly written and enjoyable to read. Also look for Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom from the same author.

The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy
Adam Tooze's economic history of the Nazi Germany before and during the war smashes all the myths and assumptions of the so called German superiority, economic or military. Has been recommended and discussed several times at the forum.

[spaceviking]

Concerning ‘The Wages of Destruction’ I found ‘Hitler’s Second Book’ to be great compliment to it. If I recall correctly, Tooze heavily sourced it for some of his chapters. It is also a great source for understanding Hitler in its own right.

[ray245]

Can anyone recommend me a book that focus on the Western and Eastern Roman Empire during the late fifth century? While there are a fair number of books that covers the late Empire in general, I have yet to encounter a book that covers on the Roman Empire from 450 to 476 in an extensive manner .

[TC Pilot]

Consider looking into Peter Heather's The Fall of the Roman Empire. It's readable and informative, but has an annoying tendency to drift into "unscholarly" references and turns-of-phrase at times, most likely a product of being a relatively recent work. Of course, if you really want to look into it, start at the very beginning and read Gibbon.

As it stands, there's probably innumerable works that, roughly speaking, focus on the time period you're interested in.

[ray245]

Consider looking into Peter Heather's The Fall of the Roman Empire. It's readable and informative, but has an annoying tendency to drift into "unscholarly" references and turns-of-phrase at times, most likely a product of being a relatively recent work. Of course, if you really want to look into it, start at the very beginning and read Gibbon.

As it stands, there's probably innumerable works that, roughly speaking, focus on the time period you're interested in.

Yes, but his works covers the Roman Empire from the third century to the late fifth century. I'm looking for works that surveys the eastern and western empire during the mid fifth century to late fifth century in depth and was not written to explain why did the Western Empire fell.

[Big Orange]

The Road to Wigan Pier (George Orwell) - A engaging read on Britain of the 1930s by the author of 1984, published in 1937. Its main topic is coal mining in the industrial heartlands of Northern England, with the harrowing working conditions and squalid housing described in detail, but then it branches out into other topics like the encrouchment of automation and technology, longterm unemployment, socialism, Fascism, Communism, and the British Empire (which touches on Orwell's guilt about being a colonial police officer deployed in Burma). The Road to Wigan Pier can be found online.

[Stuart]

For anybody interested in the fine detail of British Colonial administration in the 19th century, I'd suggest "The Washing of the Spears" by Donald Morris. It's an excellent account of the rise and fall of the amaZulu empire and how it interacted with the slow spread of the Boer and British colonies. What's nice about it is that the characters involved come to life through their descriptions and history. The second half deals with the Zulu war itself starting with Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift.

[Garibaldi]

Anybody interested in military history (which appears to be most everyone) should read Weigley's The American Way of War, an excellent history of American war strategy since the Revolution. The later chapters are also an excellent insight into why war - or at least, most of America's latest wars - are so utterly useless; why they have lost their ability to produce decision.

[Twigler]

since Stuart mentions the Boer War, both history books by Thomas Pakenham dealing with Africa I've read are excellent reads.

"The Boer War" deals with the second war and covers in great detail the cause and pre-amble of the war. For the war itself each of the decisive encounters are covered extensively and from both sides, and it shows that he used the accounts of a lot of veterans from both sides to describe the battles.

He's very critical of the British role in this war, both in the way it started, in the way it was conducted, and how it ended. But at the same time he does give Buller a lot more credit than is usually his due. The only nit to pick is that the narrative focusses more on the British than the Boers.

The second book is
"The Scramble for Africa" which shows the almost accidental way colonial Africa was split up between the European powers. the scope is very extensive, but surprisingly detailed at the same time, switching easily between individual expeditions and the larger political frame work. The focus here is a lot more on the British colonies than the other powers, but it is still very comprehensive and eminently readable.

[The Grim Squeaker]

Can anyone recommend any good sources on the Post Cold War, pre 9/11 USA, and the affects of the end of the cold war on it, it's economy and the balance of global power? Websites, articles, etc' are excellent. (Even preferable).

"How did the Fall of the USSR/End of the cold war affect the USA's state as a world power/hegemony" ?

[Questor]

OK, I haven't asked for any recommendations here, but its coming up on summer. (Strange hours at work), so I get more reading time.

I think that in addition to what I have currently, I'd like to know more about the Russo-Finnish war.

Does anyone have any good authors or specific books?

[Karrick]

Can anyone recommend authors or books on the topic of ancient civilizations along the lines of Sumer and Akkad? English language only, unfortunately.

[xt828]

Are there any recommendations for books covering the politics of the USSR under Stalin, particularly from the Second World War onwards, and through to Kruschev taking power?

[Twigler]

Can anyone recommend authors or books on the topic of ancient civilizations along the lines of Sumer and Akkad? English language only, unfortunately.

Introduction level or more advanced? I can only give you a writer that's good for the first: Gwendolyn Leick. I have Mesopotamia and that will give you a solid intro into the civilizations you mentioned.

[ray245]

I would recommend A.D. Lee's War in Late Antiquity for anyone interested in the late Roman army. The discussion on the involvement of Emperors on campaigns, on how Emperors retain the loyalty of the army is extremely useful.

[Feil]

I am looking for a good history of the most recent Iraq-US war covering at least through 2006. Preferably focusing on the in-theater decisions, not US home-front issues. Books are preferred, but journal articles are also okay. I have electronic access to the JSTOR archive, which helps with journals.

EDIT: English language preferred, French okay.