If you are like us, you like to read books. At least I hope you do, as it’s one of the best ways to open your mind to other ideas and recognise those that are just plain mad and avoid them. The nice thing about that is that if you do not agree with the ideas you can call the book whatever you like and not walk away with your teeth in a cup.
We have a lot of people who use this site who are not heritage consultants or history buffs, but who do have an interest; and they just don’t know where to start. We thought that we might list a few of the books we have read lately and tell you a little about them. Some were good, some were average and some were absolutely fantastic. This is Part I of what will probably be a many part series!
It Doesn’t Take A Hero – General H. Norman. Schwarzkopf
I found this little gem in a second hand bookstore in Byron Bay. General Schwarzkopf’s autobiography is a well laid out and interesting story about a man who rose to the top of his profession whilst gaining the respect of his peers. This is in no way a dry military history or whining self justification, it is a matter of fact story that takes you from his days as a boy in the Middle East, through West Point, Vietnam, the Cold War and Operation Desert Storm. The book allows readers that are unfamiliar with the military to come to a clear understanding of why someone would join the Army and what would drive and motivate them throughout their life there. For those who do like military history, this is a book that is critical to the understanding of the Coalition campaign in the Gulf in 1991, providing the reasoning behind the actions and plans that led to one of the most successful military campaigns in history.
Castles of Steel – Robert. K. Massie
I like reading military history, as this list will show, but occasionally you find a book that truly makes the era it described come to life. Castles of Steel is one of those very rare books that you just keep reading until you fall asleep sitting up with a crink in your neck. The follow on to his book Dreadnaught, which described the naval arms race prior to World War I, Castles of Steel provides an in depth picture of the personalities, powers and machines that influenced the naval actions of World War I. But that is not the strength of the book; Massie writes in a ways that is more akin to a good fiction story, never dull and always building to a climax. Additionally, Massie is able to boil down the always complex people, actions and ships to the most simple descriptions that still maintain the critical elements that defined them. This means that both an expert on the time, and a novice with no idea, can both experience the full benefit of this excellent history.
The Trafalgar Companion – Mark Adkin
A lot of histories are called comprehensive. This one sets the bar. There is comprehensive text or comprehensive illustration, rarely both. This tome, and it is a tome, is one of the most remarkable books I have ever had the pleasure to stumble across. Commissioned for the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, it examines in intricate detail every facet of naval technology, organisation, construction and multiple other areas in a way that makes this a reference book for many subjects. Additionally, the life of Lord Nelson and several other battles, including the methods for fighting them, are included. No expense was spared in the production of this book and it shows, as I have never come across such an amazing work of both history and art. One thing this book does do is make me want to get my hands on the Waterloo Companion.
Encyclopaedia Idiotica: History’s Worst Decisions and the People Who Made Them – Stephen Weir
This is one of the best historical snippet books I have ever read. Weir takes some of the most outrageous and appalling events in history and examines which of the seven deadly sins or three cardinal virtues motivated the proponents and led them, and many innocent people, to ruin. This is a serious book that in no way takes itself seriously – something that adds to its impact. Weir starts with Adam and Eve, passes through Rome and a few other places along the way, gets stuck into Winston Churchill and finishes with corporate greed. This is a very well thought out and presented book that, despite often having a light and tongue in cheek tone, is a book that make you think very deeply on the motivations of those who have the power and circumstance to change history and the fates of many.
