What is it good for?

August 5, 2009 7:39 AM

What are some good recent military history books?

My dad is a war history buff, and I need to get him a birthday present. I think I would like to buy him a military history book, and my best bet for not duplicating anything in his collection is to buy a book that's come out in the past 5 years. He's particularly interested in the American Civil War, World War II, and Irish history.

posted by mkb to media & arts (18 comments total)

These don't fit all of your constraints, but:

The New York Review of Books recently reissued A Savage War of Peace, and since that book was once considered rare, he may not have it.

For Irish history, consider Don Akenson's An Irish History of Civilization (2 volumes; link goes to the first).
posted by Prospero at 7:55 AM on August 5

It's not as focused on the shooting and the blowing things up, but Tooze's The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the German Nazi Economy was really very good.
posted by Comrade_robot at 7:56 AM on August 5

While neither of those, The Boxer Rebellion is a fascinating story of Colonialism, Evangelism, and the Chinese taking back their culture.
posted by Gungho at 8:07 AM on August 5

Anything by Antony Beevor

His most recent concerns the D-Day landings and was released earlier this year
posted by TheOtherGuy at 8:22 AM on August 5

Well, I guess chances are he's probably got this one, but "The Winds of War" by Herman Wouk is the best I've ever read (WWII historical fiction).
posted by Salvor Hardin at 8:39 AM on August 5

PS: The Winds of War is fiction, but Herman Wouk hired many researchers to help him do exhaustive research into the culture, politics, war, etc to make sure the context is intricately accurate. And it's great writing.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 8:41 AM on August 5

I just finished reading Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions that Changed the World, 1940-1941 by Ian Kershaw and thought it was excellent. Could be a touch dry and tome-like for those who enjoy lighter, more "popular" fare, but for a serious reader with an interest in and some background on WW2, highly recommended.
posted by littlecatfeet at 8:47 AM on August 5

The Face of Battle, by John Keegan is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in military history. It covers Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Battle of the Somme.

It's a great companion to Sharpe's Waterloo, by Bernard Cornwell, which in itself is a pretty spectacular introduction (and an easy read) to the Battle of Waterloo.
posted by KokuRyu at 8:50 AM on August 5

'The Third Reich at War' by Richard J. Evans. It's the third volume in a complete history of the Third Reich, but could probably be read a la carte enjoyably.

Or you could get him the whole shebang---I can attest to the first two books, though not directly about war, being wholly arresting.

So to speak.

Another that isn't new, but that he may not have read, is 'Red Victory' by W. Bruce Lincoln, being a history of the Russian Civil War, but including extremely captivating, and at times absolutely shocking, descriptions of the Russian Revolution(s), relevant portions of World War I, the fates of the Romanovs, the decline of Lenin, the rise of Stalin, the fate of Leon Trotsky, and countless other "Holy shit!"-worthy anecdotes. Highly, highly, highly recommended.

For teasers' sake, you get to read how one of the most notoriously depraved White Army generals, in order to save ammunition, successfully ordered captive Cheka agents to be hanged to death. By themselves.
posted by Darth Fedor at 8:58 AM on August 5

Er. That sounded like they were hanged to death 'alone', but what I meant is 'by their own hands.'

One who failed to finish the job was dragged by the noose around his neck to a nearby body of water and drowned.
posted by Darth Fedor at 9:02 AM on August 5

Seconding Antony Beevor. AFAIK, though, his new D-Day book is only available in the UK for now (should be published in North America relatively soon). Since MKB's location is in Salem, MA, this might be a problem (or a golden opportunity to give your dad something that he almost definitely does not have in collection).

Though, speaking of Brit import WWII lore ... if your dad is a fan of The World At War documentary series from the BBC, which used to air fairly frequently on PBS during the 70s and 80s, then he might be interested in the collected annotations for the series that was published last year. It's a pretty nerd-tastic compilation of interview notes that accompany the series, which itself is still the best overall documentary on the subject ... even if it is now getting a long in the tooth.
posted by bl1nk at 10:36 AM on August 5

Max Hastings just came out with anew one about Japan towards the end of the war called "Retribution". It's very good. I also like anything by John Lukacs.
posted by vito90 at 10:37 AM on August 5

I should also add that if you're not keen on paying a premium for importing UK edition, then I'd recommend Beevor's book on the Battle of Stalingrad. His Battle of Berlin book is also pretty good, though a little heavy on the raping and pillaging of East Prussia by the Red Army, with emphasis on raping.

imho, though, my favorite of Beevor's is his single volume Spanish Civil War history, The Battle For Spain, which should still be of some interest to any WWII history buff.
posted by bl1nk at 10:44 AM on August 5

It's a little older than five years, but this biography of Jesse James functions as a fascinating history of the Missouri/Kansas border war, a much-neglected aspect of the Civil War.
posted by Bookhouse at 10:49 AM on August 5

Seconding what KokoRyu said. I am reading The Face of Battle now and it is great, but you can skip the first and last parts where he talks about other military histories and the future of warfare (I think he got both wrong).

The Candy Bombers by Andrei Cherny is an amazing account of the political and military situation in post-war Berlin.

The Savage Wars of Peace by Max Boot tells about all of the "minor" military conflicts and interventions that the US has gotten into throughout it's history. Chances are you haven't heard of most of them.
posted by nestor_makhno at 11:37 AM on August 5

Another search resource for military fiction is blogger Tamara K. at

http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/search/label/Books
posted by Bruce H. at 2:51 PM on August 5

An Army at Dawn is the first of his Liberation Trilogy and won the Pulitzer. Well researched with lots of anecdotes and good writing.

Let me continue to plug Shelby Foote's History of the Civil War. It's fifty years old but so beautifully written it makes almost anything I pick up pale by comparison. But I'm sure your dad already has it.
posted by mearls at 5:12 PM on August 5

Check the Lincoln Prize winners and Frederick Douglass Prize winners (and 2009 finalists) for Civil War books. I'm sure there are similar awards for WWII and Irish history.
posted by mediareport at 9:56 PM on August 5