In this concise history of war, Jeremy Black ranges widely, giving due attention to non-western as well as western traditions. The history of war is inextricably bound to the history of the world. Through a detailed exploration of 'world-scale' issues of warfare, presented within a chronological framework that spans human history, Jeremy Black skilfully illustrates this fact whilst providing the reader with other astute insights and compelling interpretations of war. War: A Short History is a dramatic move away from the formulaic, western approach to military history. Too narrow in its focus on wars specific to the west and too simple because of an over-reliance on a technologically-deterministic reading of warfare, this approach has been rejected by Jeremy Black in favour of a global model that takes all factors into account when considering the strengths and weaknesses of a particular military tradition. This is a book that is as important for its relevance to current world issues of conflict as it is for its thorough consideration of a monumentally significant aspect of human history. 'It ranges from the early wars in China to a succinct treatment of the Second World War including the latest research on the vast subject area. The author stresses the non-Western traditions in his survey together with the global wars of the modern era and making it all very relevant to the present state of warfare. It should prove useful to both the seasoned historian and the novice to military history.' - The Bulletin of the Military Historical Society 'His text is dense but it is crammed with erudition and surprisingly, given its enormous scope, makes very few sacrifices in its readability.' 'Read this' - Times Educational Supplement Jeremy Black is Professor of History at the University of Exeter, UK, and a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of America and the West at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, USA. Used Book in Good Condition