I've been reading novels set in the Roman Empire (one series concerning the rise of Julius Caesar, another set much later in Roman Britain), so I thought I'd borrow some nonfiction from the library. It seems, however, that all I care about is looking at Roman art and reading about the structure of the military.
Also that it is a good thing I developed this quirk now and not five months ago, because I would totally have tried to talk spook into naming the shrimpbaby Gaius.
Anyone have any good military history to recommend?
Thursday, July 23, 2009
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If you haven't already, check out the Osprey Military reference section at World's Biggest Bookstore.
Then cry a little that they're 20 bucks each :(
Osprey books are a very good thing to get from libraries.
I have many good military history recommendations, but I must say my interests are more along the lines of how the Roman army behaved in the field, which is, of course, different than it's structure - although related.
I like my copy of: Warfare in the Classical World by John Warry which has bits of the same kind of pictures as the Osprey books but you get way more for your money. It also has a really illustration of why the Romans beat the Greeks.
I found The Art of War in Western World by Archer Jones really valuable for putting the Roman army's (well, every army in western history, really) tactics into a historical context.
Whee! Check out the amazing powers of my friends!
Did you want just Roman military history or military history in general? If you're interested, the two greatest books on the subject (after Clauswitz of course) are "A History of Warfare" and "The Face of Battle" both by John Keegan.
For Roman history that has some bearing on the military aspect, Peter Heather's "Fall of the Roman Empire" is an instant classic. It focuses maily on the faliures of the Roman military and government during the 4th and 5th centuries.
Also, you may enjoy Tom Holland's narrative history "Rubicon" for some more personal insight into the lives of the more celebrated characters of the late Republic and early Empire.
Finally, I can lend you the entire HBO Rome series on DVD if you like.
Oh....read Boethius' "Consolation of Philosophy". It explores the strange mix of Christian and Pagan thought near the end of the Roman empire, and is one of my favourite books ever.
LoL spelling.
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