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Review
"'Generals succeeds because of the quirkiness of Urban's subjects, the quality of his writing and the originality of his conclusions.' Daily Telegraph"
Review
'As though Mark Urban, the diplomatic editor of BBC2's Newsnight, did not have enough to do in his day job, he is fast carving out a second career for himself as a first-class military historian.' Andrew Roberts
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In 'Generals' Mark Urban describes in his typically lucid, easy-to-read style the lives of 'ten British commanders who shaped the world' (which is the subtitle of the book). For your information, these ten men are:
- George Monck (1608-1670)
- John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722)
- William Howe (1729-1814)
- Prince Frederick, Duke of York (1763-1827)
- Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington (1769-1852)
- Charles George Gordon (1833-1885)
- Horatio Herbert Kitchener (1850-1916)
- Edmund Allenby (1861-1936)
- JFC Fuller (1878-1966)
- Bernard Law Montgomery (1887-1975)
Now any selection is of course to some degree arbitrary (and Urban freely admits so himself in his introduction), and although one might question whether all of these men really 'shaped the world' it still is undoubtedly a formidable collection, and Urban does each of these men justice in their respective chapters.
Don't expect full-blown biographies (each general gets a chapter of about 30 to 40 pages) but rather short but very incisive descriptions of each of these men's characters, and their unique contribution to British (or in some cases indeed world) history. All in all I found this a very entertaining and illuminating book, with a fresh outlook on each of these men (not all of whom were military geniuses either, some were fatally flawed). It definitely freshened my appetite to read more!
- George Monck (1608-1670)
- John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722)
- William Howe (1729-1814)
- Prince Frederick, Duke of York (1763-1827)
- Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington (1769-1852)
- Charles George Gordon (1833-1885)
- Horatio Herbert Kitchener (1850-1916)
- Edmund Allenby (1861-1936)
- JFC Fuller (1878-1966)
- Bernard Law Montgomery (1887-1975)
Now any selection is of course to some degree arbitrary (and Urban freely admits so himself in his introduction), and although one might question whether all of these men really 'shaped the world' it still is undoubtedly a formidable collection, and Urban does each of these men justice in their respective chapters.
Don't expect full-blown biographies (each general gets a chapter of about 30 to 40 pages) but rather short but very incisive descriptions of each of these men's characters, and their unique contribution to British (or in some cases indeed world) history. All in all I found this a very entertaining and illuminating book, with a fresh outlook on each of these men (not all of whom were military geniuses either, some were fatally flawed). It definitely freshened my appetite to read more!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Although 'Generals' is not a long book, it provides concise, beautifully written accounts of ten distinctive and different military men, some household names, others not. Urban writes with concise clarity, and each of the portraits leaves the reader with a sense of understanding of the personalities behind these military men, as well as sketching their careers. For example, Allenby was to me the successful, detached general, immortal in the image of the conquerer riding into Jerusalem. Now this is tempered by the sympathetic description of how distraught he became during the campaign on hearing of his son's death on the western front. For a reader with a general, non-academic interest in British history, this book is a terrific read.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Mark Urban's Generals is currently one of my best reads of 2008. It is well written, in simple English, therefore making it an easy read. His selection of Generals are excellent and his analysis of their impact certainly deepened my knowledge of how the British Army has developed over the centuries.
Finally, I find his comments about the relationship between the top of the British Army i.e. CGS and his interaction with the Politicians very good in understanding why our current CGS's act the way they do...they are the umbrella that allows more tactical gifted officers to operate without interference from the Politician who in the current era do not understand what it means to sacrifice one's life for Queen and Country.
A highly recommend book!
Finally, I find his comments about the relationship between the top of the British Army i.e. CGS and his interaction with the Politicians very good in understanding why our current CGS's act the way they do...they are the umbrella that allows more tactical gifted officers to operate without interference from the Politician who in the current era do not understand what it means to sacrifice one's life for Queen and Country.
A highly recommend book!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
another quality military history book from Mr Urban
If you have read Mark Urban, you will know what you are getting, easy accessible military history, written as a gripping read. Read more
Published 4 months ago by D. G. Thomas
An Interesting Work Dealing with ten British Generals who had a Major...
Generals by Mark Urban is a good book analysing 10 figures from the history of the British Army. The book provides potted biographies of each individual and then assesses their... Read more
Published 4 months ago by HBH
A good General history
Much respected as the Diplomatic Editor of BBC2's "Newsnight", Mark Urban has earned similar-ranking kudos as a military historian. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Matthew Norton
M Urban The Generals
Urban once again writes with great accuracy, imagination and flair. His obvious interest in the subject brings a zeal and enthusiasm that lifts what could be a drab military... Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2007 by Mr. P. Teare
An interesting and comprehensive book
Mark Urban, an ex-British Army officer, writes an interesting book about 10 generals right from the start of the history of the British Army up to the Second World War. Read more
Published on 2 Sep 2006 by W. Meddings
Mark urban does it again
This is the second book I have read by Mark urban,the first being his story of the 95th rifles under wellingtons command. Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2006 by Mr. T. J. Summers
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