I have the older edition that I bought back in 2001, and it's fantastic. I used this book everywhere for my two-week trip to Paris, and more than the other three guide books I bought. The reason this book is so useful is that it doesn't describe the sites in long wordy paragraphs like the others. It's the one book I carried around everywhere. It includes tons of pictures that allow you tell quickly if you're at the right location, even if there's no sign (or if the sign is in a strange language). The pictures and illustrations make all the difference, and the layout is easy to understand. The maps are also useful and clear. The binding is also reasonably good quality, so that it hasn't fallen apart in spite of heavy use. I just loaned my friend this book, and he used it on his ten-day trip to Paris, and he also liked it. I can only imagine that this latest edition is as good or better than the one I have. If I make another trip to another place or city, I'll check what this series has to offer, first.

...P>It is outstanding. The illustrations are excellent, the maps accurate and detailed. The only better map is the No 2 Plan to public transport available free from Metro stations, which shows metro , RER and bus routes with named streets, and the more expensive book maps by arrondissement available in Paris.

But unless you want to cart around two books, the maps in this volume are excellent (warning: there are a few places they DON'T cover, so if you are planning visits to some of the less touristed arrondissements, you will need a map book as well).

I used this in conjunction with Fodor's Around Paris With Kids, and together they covered everything we needed as a family.

The house style of Eyewitness Guides is now well-known, and this volume is as good as, if not better, than any. You really can't go wrong if you pack this. It will even make you want to go places you might otherwise have dismissed.

There are two kinds of travel books: those you use to help you plan a trip and those you want to have in your pocket when you make it. This exceptional book falls into the latter. Although it features some information on hotels and travel, these aspects of a prospective trip to Paris will be handled much more thoroughly by other volumes. Where this book excels is in its comprehensive coverage of things that any traveler will want to know, primarily the question: Where am I, and what do I want to see while in this section of Paris? Some travel books contain more information, but many of these fail to filter that which is likely to be of interest and that which is not. What is amazing about this one is the usability and pertinacity of the information presented.

The book begins with a brief history of Paris, and then provides an overview of the city as a whole. Much of the remainder of the volume consists of introductions to specific areas of Paris, letting any traveler know what the immediate highlights in any area are. The presentation of the information is as attractive as one can imagine, with beautiful graphics, beautiful photographs, and marvelous summations of the various highpoints in the city. The book ends with a useful index and a collection of high quality maps. Best of all, the book is amazingly compact and durable given the sheer mass of information it packages. Unlike its competitors, it will never be an encumbrance because of its size.

I have not looked at any of the other DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, but this one is so gorgeous that it is definitely the series that I would look at first in any trip that I was contemplating making. It is such a marvelous book that one could consult it with profit merely as a way of getting to know a city, even if one is not planning to travel there.

In Quest for Decisive Victory, Dr. Citino analyzes the progression of warfare from the age of Napoleon to the opening battles of the Second World War. The study consists of the numerous military leaders in the period looking for methods of winning a decisive victory in Napoleonic style despite the great technological advances of the time. Dr. Citino puts to rest the abundance of myths that have risen about the period, especially the military doctrine of all commanders in the opening stages of the First World War. In the period following the end of World War I, Citino is at his best, providing a tremendous amount of information about the great debate of the "interwar period," and the opening battles of World War II, which proved some analyists to be correct in their debates, and others to look like fools. Overall, Dr. Citino's narrative style makes the work enjoyable to read and easy to understand.

Dr.Citino's work is exceptionally well written in describing the roots of combined arms warfare. The first part of the books descrbes the small wars before the outbreak of the First World War. The absence of artillery support made tasks made the infantry's task extremely difficult in the the Boer War and the Russo-Japanese War. Another factor that impeded success was the lack of communications so that the Russian army was able to escape repeatedly from the Japanese pincers. Dr. Citino also analyzes the little known Balkan Wars of 1912-13... This is by far the best book about military thought of the early twentieth century,but Citino could have written more about the Russian and American military thought during this time period. Nevertheless I would highly reccomend this book to anyone interested in military thought and practices.

Dr Citino's newest book is a must read for anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of modern military history. I anticipated this books publication for over a year and was not disappointed. The focus of the Quest For Decisive Victory is the evolution of tactics and strategy to deal with the innovations in technology and the changing battlefield. From the rise of the "invisible battlefield" due to smokeless powder in the Boer War to the simple introduction of the wireless radio set to the tank intended as a replacement for hand flags as the main form of communication among tank commanders , a weapon system or technical innovation is only as good as the commanding Generals understanding of its capabilities and how best to employ it in war. Dr. Citino Traces this process from 1899-1940 showing how the static stalemate of war first appearing in the Boer War and the Russo Japanese war was finally overcome by the "War of Movement" as practiced and envisioned by Guderian, Rommel, Fuller, and Von Seckt.

Records of the Medieval Sword is a remarkable volume, representing a body of work in the subject area with no equal.

Although the information is provided in an extremely authoritative manner, it is written in a very personable way, leaving this reader with a desire to know (have known?) the author.

If I were to attempt to be overly critical of this book, I would mention that there are a few minor, but still rather annoying, typographical errors and mis-numbered illustrations that detract somewhat from the otherwise masterly scholorship presented in the volume.

Also, in my opinion, a reference such as this should be provided in a hard cover edition, with full color plates wherever possible.

I will treasure this addition to my library.

This book contains a life-time's work and research of the sword. All the way from the early Scandinavian sword to the swords of the Renaissance and gives full in-depth summary and description on each piece. The author, Ewart Oakeshott is the leading expert of medieval swords and has taught me plenty (if not more) from his previous works. I am satisfied with the latest one here. "Records of the Medieval Sword" is well suited for a sword expert as well as for beginners and is for all to enjoy. The only thing I have to complain is that the binding of the book isnt done very well, but then again it could just be mine only. But then again, it should stop you from purchasing one.

This book is full of pictures and data covering the full developement of the Medieval Sword in Europe. It contains the only complete typeology of swords, based on thier blade shape and function. It is written in a very readable form by a man with a genuine enthusiasm for swords, without the usual dry-as-dirt pedantry that is usually associated with books of this type. While by-passing some important data, it is far more comprehensive that any other book of it's type.

This book tells how British General Haig threw thousands of his own men through mud in fruitless assaults on the German trenches. It tells in great detail how many lives were lost for how little ground taken and how the British General staff could not devise any new ways to fight and ignored the losses. It is an excellent book for anyone interested in military history or even psychology.

There"s not to much to add from the other reviews I think. This is a highly readable book. Much can be said of a operation that lasted 3 months at such a terrible cost and then give up what you gained in only 3 days! The book also points the finger of blame not just on Plummer, Haig, and Gough but also the war cabinat overseen by Loyd George and Robertson. A must read for those who never understood the campaigne.

Unlike the usual dross (though still readable) that many WWI history books are like, this is an amazingly good book.

The authors have obviously done their background work using the primary sources to an extent that to the reader, they convincingly break several WWI myths as routinely stated in many WWI history books.

The first being about Battles of Attrition; making it clear the aims of the Generals in the various battles had solid strategic objectives that they were trying to gain. The Attrition excuse being made after the event to try and make a failed battle sound like a victory of sorts.

Tanks were not a war winning weapon in WWI, but of importance for supporting the infantry (tanks being highly vunerable to artillary. The argument by the authors is that artillary was the WWI winning weapon on the Western Front.

The main eye opener (for me at least) was the primary importance of artillary and evolving role and technology of the artilliary which had developed (high accuracy continuous correction shelling, counter battery, creeping barrage) to the point by 1917 that potentially, the British could break the German lines on the Western Front to a limited extend, and with limited casualties. However the hankering by Haig for a Breakthrough (and continous belief that one more push would demolish the morale of the German Army) helped lead "inadvertantly" to another attrition style battle.

Overall, well worth buying and hopefully setting the standard that future WWI histories will be written to.

I'd heard about this book for years, but it was out of print and I was not able to locate a copy. I'm happy to report it was worth the wait. It even made me feel young again because it's written with a rare physical energy and youthful exuberance...and humor. In fact, Belloc wrote this in such a fresh and vigorous way he made me laugh out loud 101 years later.

As a young man Belloc took off for a personal pilgrimage from Toul, France to Rome, Italy -- and he didn't want to take an easy way. If he had a choice of going around a mountain or over it, he wanted to go over it. It happened more than once that he walked into an inn and told others what he had just done -- only to find they didn't believe him! I wanted to grab his listener by the arm and say, "I know he did it! I was with him!"

This book is both a time machine and a vicarious adventure.

This is surely one of the most delightful reads you will ever find. Belloc is such a good story teller, and, writing from a Catholic viewpoint, paints a picture of Europe before World War 1, before the lights went out for 30 years of constant strife and destruction. Along with various colorful characters along the way, some long forgotten fortresses, and the Italian Alps, Belloc weaves his travels with personal anecdotes and observations. What a book, and it is quite a shame that his journey can not accurately be repeated by another intrepid walker! Enjoy without reservation!

Belloc's wonderful book is not for those who only travel to say they have "been there". For those are the tourists. This delightful book is for those who journey and realize that looking at lighted windows and medieval towns built into ancient crags is what makes life worth living. Written at the turn-of-the-century, Belloc's words flow magically and playfully to form a description not only of one writer's determined passage, but of a time already long gone. Simple pleasures are the best, especially when written by an artist with an eye for life itself.

If you are looking for a book that gives a tremendous amount of information, of the sort not often found in the books that primarily cover only the actual fighting, or the personality of Hitler and his henchmen, this may be the book you're looking for.

Most of the chapters run from 2 to 4 pages, often detailing subjects like Culture and Education, Farming in the Third Reich, Planning the Post-War Order, Exploitation and Plunder, and The Survival of Neo-Nazism. And do you like charts and graphs? Well, this book won't leave you disappointed.

All in all, well done.

I bought this book because I wanted to know about the actual mechanics of the Nazi government before and during WWII. This book contains a wealth of information in a very effective format. Each section is 2-4 pages with several maps and graphs, all clearly captioned, accompanied by a page or two of concise text. The book illustrates the state of Germany in the 20's and 30's, Hitler's rise, the path he took into the war, the Nazi plans for post-war Europe, and the overall cost of it all to Germany. Social, industrial, political, and military matters are all covered, in great detail (i.e. number of ships made per yer, broken down by type, number of women in the Nazi party '33 to '45, etc.). The text conveys the underlying situations behind issues of the day, such as Hitler's quest to "unite Germanic peoples" and the underpinnings of the Allies' pacifism in the face of it. I rocommend this book for anyone interested in that era of world history, novice or expert.

Just like the previous reader, this is THE book to read for maps and hard to get information. Pictures, tables, charts, maps...its all there for you to learn and understand the inside of the Third Reich.

A great story well told -- what more could a reader want? _Play to the Angel_, which takes place in Vienna in 1938, is narrated by twelve-year-old Greta Radky. Greta's older brother had been a promising concert pianist, but now that he has died, her mother is threatening to sell their piano.

Early in the novel Greta tells why the piano is so important to her: "I [played the piano] because it satisfied something inside me, the way a bowl of hot soup satisfied my stomach or a breath of fresh air satisfied my lungs. But the something it satisfied was deeper than my stomach or my lungs. It was the part of me that made me *me*."

Without preaching, _Play to the Angel_ provides a powerful example of a resolute heroine pursuing a dream in the face of obstacles -- in the closing chapters, the Nazi occupation. Greta receives lessons that are valuable to any performer: On nervousness: ". . . you must give the music in you a chance to chase away the fear instead of letting the fear chase away the music." Similarly, Greta is taught about two kinds of musicians -- one, which uses music to present his skill to the world, and the other, which uses his skill to present the music.

Maurine Dahlberg's first novel, _Play to the Angel_ has been nominated for the Mark Twain Award for 2002-2003.

When her brother dies, Greta Radky is left lonely; her mother doesn't love her as much as her deseased brother, her best friend moved away, and her father pulled a disappearing act when she was younger. The one way she finds joy is through the piano, which her mother wants to sell. When a piano teacher moves in across the street, she convinces her mother to let her take lessons and keep the piano. But her teacherm, Herr Hummel is on the run from the Nazis. After her first recital, she finds that Hitler has taken over Austria, and is worried for her teacher.

This book was incredible with a good insight on the war. I liked the plot very much.

I loved this book. I liked it because the history did not have anything to do with the book intil the end. It is about a girl named Greta who is living in Austria at the time of the rise of Nazi Germany. She loves to play piano, but her mother does not want her to play because it reminds her of Greta's deceased brother who was very good at piano. Greta is a very shy girl and not very brave, but that made her a good character to read about.

A quick warning to anyone who takes up the chore of reading this book. It is quite difficult to get through without serious reflection and time. It is definitely an enlightening book on the course of the world (not just military history) and the last chapter is truly one for discussion.

McNeill shows how military conflict and the advances in technology have stimulated mankind to better itself within the flux of a constantly changing balance of power. "Of War and Men" by Robt O'Connell also addresses this time honored conflict with a focus on culture, weapons technology and warfare.

A good read and an important book for those interested in a longer look at history and how we got here.

Mr. McNeill has put together a comprehensive analysis of the development of military power over the past thousand years, and it just happens to also be tremendously fun to read.

_Reactionary Modernism_ deals with the way in which certain thinkers on the German Right dealt with the ideals of rationality and technological progress fostered by the Enlightenment. Thus, as distinguished from the traditional Ludditism (i.e. rejection of technology) and anti-technological focus of the traditional right, certain thinkers among the conservative revolutionaries in Germany after the First World War were able to accept the idea of technological progress while rejecting the Enlightenment ideals of rationality. These thinkers distinguished between Technik and Kultur and tried to bring Technik into the realm of Kultur and out of the realm of Zivilisation. Brought together by the experiences of the front (Fronterlebnis) during World War I, the reactionary modernists praised a masculinized ideal of technology. Such reactionary modernist thinkers including Oswald Spengler, Ernst Junger, Carl Schmitt, Martin Heidegger, Werner Sombart, and Moeller van den Bruck were precursors to fascism and national socialism (and in fact many became outright Nazis before the Second World War). _Reactionary Modernism_ focuses upon the thinking of such "conservative revolutionaries" as these thinkers as well as upon the thought of the German engineers and their understanding of capitalism and socialism and various aspects of the Third Reich and Hitler's movement. On one side were the ideals of "blood and soil" and the Volk, opposed to the modern "liberal" ideals of capitalism, communism, and modern finance. The reactionary modernists often were quite antisemitic contrasting the life blood of the German Volk with the more nefarious qualities of "Jewish finance and Bolshevism". While much of the thought of the reactionary modernists fueled the catastrophe that became the Third Reich, reactionary modernism offered a unique perspective which synthesized the aspects of Techniks and Kultur while rejecting the ideals of the Enlightenment.

A review of Jeffrey Herf's "Reactionary Modernism: Technology, culture, and politics in Weimar and the Third Reich." By Michael J. Saporito, MA History candidate, Salem State College. "Reactionary Modernism: Technology, culture, and politics in Weimar and the Third Reich." By Jeffrey Herf. New York: Cambridge University Press. 1984. pp. ix, 251.

Jeffrey Herf's Reactionary Modernism studies the complexities involved in Weimar and Nazi Germany's attempts to simultaneously modernize and antiquate their nation. Herf explores the conservative, anti-democratic groups during Weimar and how they were able to bring together the technological modernization of Germany, while at the same time rejecting almost of the liberal qualities of the Enlightenment. Herf looks to the intellectual, political writings of Juenger, Sombart and Spengler (also, Heidegger, Schmitt and Freyer) to demonstrate how the intellectual community desired to bring Germany into the modern era, while still retaining their distinct German Kultur. Other interesting sources that Herf uses to state his case are German engineering journals and the research of historian Karl-Heinz Ludwig. These sources show how German engineers were brought inline with the reactionary modernist line of thought. Herf successfully demonstrates how the synthesis of technology and German Kultur not only existed, but also thrived. Reactionary Modernism's incorporation of anti-Semitism is detailed if full. Herf explains that this explanation of modern German anti-Semitism is more solid than the version set forth by Adorno and Horkheimer in "The Dialectic of Enlightenment." Anti-democratic groups in Weimar Germany saw the Jew as the reason behind everything that was wrong with Germany. Herf's conclusions show how the Nazis became lost in their ideology and this ended up making technology that was needed for the war effort suffer. The popular myths of German technological supremacy are put to rest. a "Reactionary Modernism" is a valuable source for anyone studying Weimar, the Third Reich or the influence of the Enlightenment in totalitarian governments.

If you are attempting to understand what happened in interwar Germany then this book is worth reading. The main philosophy is that Germany attempted to combine the beauty of modernization with the romanticization of a mythological past. This book helps to explain the foundations of the Nazi regime and why it became so appealing on a mass level. At times the reading gets tough and little on the dry side, but if you can get thought that part of it, you will find the book worth your time.

An unusual book that does not tell the story of a battle or the life of a general. Instead, it tells us about the lives of English soldiers. What they ate, how they were recruited, what clothes they wore. It helps to know a lot about British military history before you read this book. But it also gives the reader a lot of background information that you can use when reading other books. Not for everyone but a good source for someone really interested in British history

I like how this book points out in the beginning how in recent cinema the British redcoat has been derided by politically correct gibberish movies. This book shows how wrong Hollywood has been with its simplistic views on history. This superlative work provides more social history than true battle accounts. In this respect I am reminded of Byron Farwell's books on the British and Indian armies in the 19th century. These works were more social military history as well, just as Richard Holmes book is here. There is nothing wrong with this approach. Unless you prefer just pure military history instead.

Holmes deals with the earlier period of Horse and Musket, 1750s to 1850s roughly, and provides much needed analysis in that era. The reader will find a lot of fascinating information on the organization of the British army by various branches and departments. You can find out the number of regiments in the army, how they were broken down into different types, etc. He does this for infantry, cavalry and artillery. Readers will find this particularly useful because this information is often referred to eslewhere, but not elaborated on in other works. Here you will learn the anatomy of the British army. The book is filled with all sorts of fascinating details. The famed 95th Rifles for instance were formed from drafts from the militia and 12 line regiments.

Holmes uses extensive memoirs and first-hand accounts to illustrate his points. Many of these works have been cited elsewhere, but their inclusion here provides additional clarification. Some of the works are well known and are in print again, but their use here is useful. Some readers may become confused because Holmes tends to jump around from one period to another in order to make his point. Those not well versed in British military history of the period may find it difficult to keep up at times. Notwithstanding this minor point this is still a tremendously informative book. I personally found much that was new to me even though I have studied this topic for many years. It also clarified many other points that I was not sure on from readings elsewhere. This book should be read by all future movie producers so that they can get it right when it comes to portraying the redcoat on film. Doubtless they will chose to ignore it. Those interested in the topic and period can't go wrong with this excellent work. You will want to have this in your library for constant use.

Any avid reader of British or military history will enjoy this book on the British army of the 18th and 19th centuries. The author has performed extensive research using many primary sources, and has made heavy use of snippets from these sources in describing aspects of military life. Using quotes from journals or memoirs of the soldiers involved gives the reader a better understanding of the topic. This is not the stereotypical dry history book.

The book covers all aspects of military life in the British Army of this time period. Chapters are devoted to weaponry, typical army formations, cavalry, artillery, and auxiliary troops (engineers), as well as less typical topics such as camp life, barracks life, and women attached to the army ("Daughters of the Regiment"). The book doesn't discuss the battles of the period.

This book is an enjoyable read. I found the sections on the impact of the Brown Bess musket and the rifle, the organization of the army, the discussion on the types of men who became soldiers ("The Scum of the Earth", coined by the Duke of Wellington during the Peninsular War), and the descriptions of camp life to be particularly interesting. The reader gets a good feel for the social conditions, customs, tactics, and mindsets that made a soldier in the British Army of the time. That being said, I still don't think I will ever fully appreciate or understand how any sane person could stand still in front of an advancing enemy while wearing a red uniform that provided no camouflage under any circumstances.

If you are not familiar with all the battles of the British Army in this time period you may at times not fully understand the context of what is being discussed, especially in the chapters that describe the Army in India and Europe. Anecdotes from very different time periods were often used side by side to discuss the same point, which is valuable in proving a point but at times was a little disorientating. For example I had very little knowledge of the Army in India, so had to reread certain portions of the book to refresh my memory and make sure I understood the circumstances surrounding the anecdote or comment.

One other minor point. The author did extensive research, but almost exclusively relied memoirs and research done by British authors. Some sections mention views and stories about British soldiers from an opponent's perspective, but I would have been interested to see this theme developed into it's own topic.

On the whole, very readable history and well worth the time spent. This book is an excellent complement to any history books describing battles of the time period. I'm hoping the author's next topic is the British Navy.