- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (31 Aug 1978)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140048979
- ISBN-13: 978-0140048971
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.9 x 1.9 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
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- #48 in Books > History > Other Historical Subjects > Historians > Keegan, John
Face Of Battle: A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme
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Review
"'This without any doubt is one of the half-dozen best books on warfare to appear in the English language since the end of the Second World War.' Michael Howard, Sunday Times 'In this book, which is so creative, so original, one learns as much about the nature of man as of battle.' J. H. Plumb, New York Times Book Review"
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Book Description
'The most brilliant evocation of military experience in our time.' C. P. Snow
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a great work. I've always been facinated by the Human elements of war making. What posseses people to endure battle? What were the experiences of the various types of combatants through the ages? This book looks at all of this and much more.
Be warned, this is not light reading and nor shoul it be. Keegan employs complex structure in his language. This adds value for me. I've read this over and over and derived new thoughts each time. If you are interested in military history this is essential.
Be warned, this is not light reading and nor shoul it be. Keegan employs complex structure in his language. This adds value for me. I've read this over and over and derived new thoughts each time. If you are interested in military history this is essential.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
What's it like to be in battle? Many of those of us who haven't actually been in battle must have wondered now and then. After all, war and battle seem to be a permanent part of the human condition, and evidence of past battles surround us on all sides.
We may never truly know (except if you're willing to join one, I beg to be excused) but reading this book will bring you as close as possible to understanding what moves men to go out and kill others.
John Keegan tries to shed light on the matter using 3 well-known battles (Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme) and does so in an eminent matter. What he has to says is compelling, convincing, and very readable as are all his books. A great read.
We may never truly know (except if you're willing to join one, I beg to be excused) but reading this book will bring you as close as possible to understanding what moves men to go out and kill others.
John Keegan tries to shed light on the matter using 3 well-known battles (Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme) and does so in an eminent matter. What he has to says is compelling, convincing, and very readable as are all his books. A great read.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It has been several years since I read this book, and while the details are fading, the overall impression remains vivid. A theme running through the book is why a soldier would commit the seemingly irrational act of remaining on a battlefield, where a person could get killed. Keegan finds that the reasons have changed through time, and posits that one of the challenges leaders in modern warfare face will be getting their troops to fight rather than hunker down for the duration.
_The Face of Battle_ is, or at least was fairly recently, required reading for the U.S. Army Command and General Staff Course.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Flawed by awful grammer
Whilst undoubtedly this book has a lot of useful information I found the written style to be awful. The sentences were far too long and convoluted to the point where it was hard... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mr. M. Kostyrka
Excellent book
Brilliantly written and easily readable. Well-informed and thought-provoking. It often states the obvious that many people interested in military history would not even think about... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Exeter
Excellent
This is a fine exposition from a viewpoint I was not familiar with. The fact that the book is a 'classic' is I well known to specialists in the field, which of course, I am not. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Keith A. Mellard
I am a geek .......
Interesting book, but there are descriptions of these battles in other books (the Somme is covered in Keegan's own brilliant book on WW1) and the other stuff that Keegan adds here... Read more
Published 20 months ago by M. J. Harris
A Classic of Military History--or better, A Classic, period
Surely The Face of Battle was meant to be a very specialistic study of military history, dealing with a very specific issue, that is, what is combat seen from those who fight, be... Read more
Published on 17 Nov 2007 by Vittorio Caffè
Should be compulsory reading for A level
At one level full of fascinating detail e.g., on the benefits of riding your good horse at Waterloo and not your old nag in case it is shot from under you - at another level it... Read more
Published on 22 Dec 2006 by Alan Urdaibay
Pioneering modern military history!
This is the way to document and present military history! Many a contemporary author and historian have learned from Keegan. Read more
Published on 27 Aug 2006 by Steen Lykke Laursen
Military analysis with the smell of battle
Keegan has a real ability to write in an accessible and engaging way about warfare, which is presumably why he has found such great success. Read more
Published on 11 Nov 2003 by Gareth Smyth
A moralistic, liberal view of warfare
It is unusual for an historian to write a work critical of the methods of his own institution; it is even more unusual for a military historian to write a work that is pacific and... Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2002 by Daniel Jolley
A Brief Synopsis of the Book
The Face of Battle by John Keegan was a book written about the aspect of war that most books on Military History fail to accurately record. Read more
Published on 3 Dec 2001
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