Category Archives: BookReview

Adam Chapman, Welsh Soldiers in the Later Middle Ages 1282-1422 (Ditcham)

Adam Chapman Welsh Soldiers in the Later Middle Ages 1282-1422 (Boydell, 2015) 264pp.  $95 From the time of William Shakespeare onwards, the English armies of the Hundred Years War have generated many legends and half-truths (particularly relating to the periods … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Adam Chapman, Welsh Soldiers in the Later Middle Ages 1282-1422 (Ditcham)

Eduardo de Mesa, The Irish in the Spanish Armies in the Seventeenth Century (Fissel)

Eduardo de Mesa The Irish in the Spanish Armies in the Seventeenth Century (Boydell, 2014) 260pp.  $120 Eduardo de Mesa’s tome on Irish soldiers that served in Habsburg Spain’s armies succeeds on at least five levels. First, it establishes a … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Eduardo de Mesa, The Irish in the Spanish Armies in the Seventeenth Century (Fissel)

John France, Warfare, Crusade and Conquest in the Middle Ages (Rodriguez)

John France Warfare, Crusade and Conquest in the Middle Ages (Ashgate: Variorum Collected Studies Series, 2015) 374pp.  $165 Everybody knows the Variorum series by Ashgate, a series of books that puts together some of the best articles of well-known historians. … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on John France, Warfare, Crusade and Conquest in the Middle Ages (Rodriguez)

Michael N. Salda, Arthurian Animation: A Study Of Cartoon Camelots on Film and Television (Albright)

Michael N. Salda Arthurian Animation: A Study Of Cartoon Camelots on Film and Television (McFarland, 2013) 220pp.  $45.00 After spending about two-hundred pages discussing (in often exhaustive fashion) around 170 different animated representations of the Arthurian myth cycle from around … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Michael N. Salda, Arthurian Animation: A Study Of Cartoon Camelots on Film and Television (Albright)

Richard Kirwan and Sophie Mullins (eds), Specialist Markets in the Early Modern Book World (Ditcham)

Richard Kirwan and Sophie Mullins (eds) Specialist Markets in the Early Modern Book World (Brill, 2015) 414 pp.  $188.00 The world of early modern printing was a notably diverse milieu- in some ways as diverse as contemporary publishing, with major … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Richard Kirwan and Sophie Mullins (eds), Specialist Markets in the Early Modern Book World (Ditcham)

Rhys Morgan, The Welsh and the Shaping of Early Modern Ireland 1558-1641 (de Mesa)

Rhys Morgan The Welsh and the Shaping of Early Modern Ireland 1558-1641, Irish Historical Monographs XI (Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2014) xii+ 230pp.  $120.00 Rhys Morgan’s The Welsh and the Shaping of Early Modern Ireland is a welcomed addition to the … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Rhys Morgan, The Welsh and the Shaping of Early Modern Ireland 1558-1641 (de Mesa)

Michael Mallett, Mercenaries and their Masters: Warfare in Renaissance Italy (Albright)

Michael Mallett Mercenaries and their Masters: Warfare in Renaissance Italy (Pen & Sword, 2009) 304pp.  $39.99 Eschewing the common focus of military history books on mere biographical history, this work serves as a particularly excellent example of a book written … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Michael Mallett, Mercenaries and their Masters: Warfare in Renaissance Italy (Albright)

Hunt Janin with Ursula Carson, Mercenaries in Medieval and Renaissance Europe (Fields)

Hunt Janin with Ursula Carson Mercenaries in Medieval and Renaissance Europe (Macfarland, 2013) 220pp.  $39.95 Mercenaries in Medieval and Renaissance Europe by Hunt Janin with Ursula Carson is at best a problematic book. [1] The back of the book tells … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Hunt Janin with Ursula Carson, Mercenaries in Medieval and Renaissance Europe (Fields)

Martin J. Dougherty, The Wars Of The Roses: The Conflict That Inspired Game Of Thrones (Albright)

Martin J. Dougherty The Wars of the Roses: The Conflict that Inspired Game of Thrones (Amber, 2015) 226pp.  $34.95 The subtitle of this book gives away its intent, even though there is a disclaimer pointing out that this book has … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Martin J. Dougherty, The Wars Of The Roses: The Conflict That Inspired Game Of Thrones (Albright)

Ian Stuart Kelly, Echoes of Success: Identity and the Highland Regiments (Ditcham)

Ian Stuart Kelly Echoes of Success: Identity and the Highland Regiments (Leiden: Brill, 2015) 259pp.  $142.00 Ian Stuart Kelly, Echoes of Success: Identity and the Highland Regiments, History of Warfare 104 (Brill 2015). xii + 259 pp. $142.00. Note- In … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Ian Stuart Kelly, Echoes of Success: Identity and the Highland Regiments (Ditcham)

Christine Shaw, Barons and Castellans: The Military Nobility of Renaissance Italy (Sposato)

Christine Shaw Barons and Castellans: The Military Nobility of Renaissance Italy (Leiden: Brill, 2015) 284pp.  $149.00 Christine Shaw’s Barons and Castellans is the first book-length English language study of the military nobility, an important but often overlooked segment of the … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Christine Shaw, Barons and Castellans: The Military Nobility of Renaissance Italy (Sposato)

Georgios Theotokis, The Norman Campaigns in the Balkans, 1081-1108 (Sposato)

Georgios Theotokis The Norman Campaigns in the Balkans, 1081-1108 (Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 2014) 262pp.  $99.00 Georgios Theotokis’s The Norman Campaigns in the Balkans is an ambitious study of the clash between two distinct military cultures and their concomitant institutions, … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Georgios Theotokis, The Norman Campaigns in the Balkans, 1081-1108 (Sposato)

James Waterson, Sacred Swords: Jihad in the Holy Land, 1097-1271 (Albright)

James Waterson Sacred Swords: Jihad in the Holy Land, 1097-1271 (London, UK: Frontline Books, 2010) 206pp.  £19.99/$39.95 In Sacred Swords, the third work by historian James Waterson dealing with the time of the Crusades from the Muslim perspective, Waterson works … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on James Waterson, Sacred Swords: Jihad in the Holy Land, 1097-1271 (Albright)

Gregory I. Halfond (ed.), The Medieval Way Of War: Studies in Medieval Military History in Honor of Bernard S. Bachrach (Albright)

Gregory I. Halfond (ed.) The Medieval Way Of War: Studies in Medieval Military History in Honor of Bernard S. Bachrach (Ashgate, 2015) 332pp.  $129.95 The most remarkable aspect of this book is the level of sincere and heartfelt praise the authors … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Gregory I. Halfond (ed.), The Medieval Way Of War: Studies in Medieval Military History in Honor of Bernard S. Bachrach (Albright)

Christopher Matthew, A Storm of Spears: Understanding the Greek Hoplite at War (Goodrich)

Christopher Matthew A Storm of Spears: Understanding the Greek Hoplite at War (Pen & Sword, 2012) 336pp.  £25.00 This work is one of great importance for the understanding of the ancient Greek hoplite and his gear and overall tactics. The … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Christopher Matthew, A Storm of Spears: Understanding the Greek Hoplite at War (Goodrich)

Timothy Venning, An Alternative History of Britain: The Hundred Years War (Krug)

Timothy Venning An Alternative History of Britain: The Hundred Years War (Pen & Sword, 2013) 256pp.  £19.99/$39.95 The title of Venning’s series, An Alternative History of Britain, may be somewhat misleading; Venning’s goal is not to create some sort of … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Timothy Venning, An Alternative History of Britain: The Hundred Years War (Krug)

Guillaume de Machaut, The Capture of Alexandria, trans. Janet Shirley, introduction and notes by Peter Edbury (Rogers)

Janet Shirley (tr.) Guillaume de Marchaut, The Capture of Alexandia (Ashgate, 2001) 254pp.  £79.00 The Capture of Alexandria comprises a blank verse translation of Guillaume de Machaut’s La prise d’Alexandre by Janet Shirley, an informative historical introduction and notes by the … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Guillaume de Machaut, The Capture of Alexandria, trans. Janet Shirley, introduction and notes by Peter Edbury (Rogers)

Noel Fallows, Jousting in Medieval and Renaissance Iberia (Muhlberger)

Noel Fallows Jousting in Medieval and Renaissance Iberia (Boydell & Brewer, 2011) 574pp.  $99.00 This substantial study might almost be called “The Encyclopedia of Iberian Jousting.”  It brings together a wide variety of evidence – textual, artistic and material – … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Noel Fallows, Jousting in Medieval and Renaissance Iberia (Muhlberger)

Jared Kirby (ed.), Italian Rapier Combat: Capo Ferro’s ‘Gran Simalcro’ (Hester)

Jared Kirby (ed.) Italian Rapier Combat: Capo Ferro’s ‘Gran Simalcro’ (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012) 192pp.  $65.00 Slowly but surely the works of the great masters of swordplay are being translated into English for the benefit of a much wider readership. We … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , | Comments Off on Jared Kirby (ed.), Italian Rapier Combat: Capo Ferro’s ‘Gran Simalcro’ (Hester)

Phillip Matyszak, Imperial General: The Remarkable Career of Petellius Cerialis (Roberts)

Phillip Matyszak Imperial General: The Remarkable Career of Petellius Cerialis (Pen and Sword Military, 2011) 188pp.  $39.95 If one were to create a list of the most researched periods in Roman history, the Year of the Four Emperors would receive … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Phillip Matyszak, Imperial General: The Remarkable Career of Petellius Cerialis (Roberts)

Helen Nicholson and David Nicolle, God’s Warriors: Crusaders, Saracens and the Battle for Jerusalem (Klarner)

Helen Nicholson and David Nicolle God’s Warriors: Crusaders, Saracens and the Battle for Jerusalem (Osprey Publishing, 2005) 224pp.  $29.99 Helen Nicholson and David Nicolle have not written an introductory text.  The book is not large, but packs information into almost … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Helen Nicholson and David Nicolle, God’s Warriors: Crusaders, Saracens and the Battle for Jerusalem (Klarner)

Chris Peers, Offa and the Mercian Wars: The Rise and Fall of the First Great English Kingdom (Wallace)

Chris Peers Offa and the Mercian Wars: The Rise and Fall of the First Great English Kingdom (Pen and Sword, 2012) 198pp.  $39.99 Chris Peers in Offa and the Mercian Wars writes an excellent popular military history of the medieval … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Chris Peers, Offa and the Mercian Wars: The Rise and Fall of the First Great English Kingdom (Wallace)

David Nicolle, The Fourth Crusade 1202-04: The Betrayal of Byzantium (Allen)

David Nicolle The Fourth Crusade 1202-04: The Betrayal of Byzantium (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2011) 96pp.  $19.95.  ISBN 9781849083195  The eleventh and twelfth century European Crusades to the Near East has been an increasingly discussed controversial topic, both among Historians as … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on David Nicolle, The Fourth Crusade 1202-04: The Betrayal of Byzantium (Allen)

Carruthers, ed., The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: Illustrated and Annotated (Allen)

Bob Carruthers The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: Illustrated and Annotated (Pen & Sword Books Ltd.: Barnsley, 2013) 372pp.  $24.95.  ISBN 9781781591482  Arguably the most important single work to our understanding of the Anglo-Saxon period of English history is The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Without … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Carruthers, ed., The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: Illustrated and Annotated (Allen)

Waterson, Defending Heaven: China’s Mongol Wars 1209-1370 (May)

James Waterson Defending Heaven: China’s Mongol Wars 1209-1370 (Frontline Books: 2013) XXXIV and 236 pp.  $31.59 Defending Heaven is James Waterson’s fourth book. Whereas the Mongols have made cameo appearances in his previous works, they take stage front and center … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Waterson, Defending Heaven: China’s Mongol Wars 1209-1370 (May)

Waterson, Defending Heaven: China’s Mongol Wars 1209-1370 (Claussen)

James Waterson Defending Heaven: China’s Mongol Wars 1209-1370 (Frontline Books: 2013) XXXIV and 236 pp.  $31.59 The Mongol conquest of China serves as a clear break in Chinese history, helping to determine the character of China’s final two imperial dynasties, … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Waterson, Defending Heaven: China’s Mongol Wars 1209-1370 (Claussen)

Karatolios, Greek Fire and its contribution to Byzantine might (McMahon)

Konstantinos Karatolios (trans. by Leonard G. Meachim) Greek Fire and its contribution to Byzantine might (Lulu: 2014) 40pp.  $3.03. In the last years there have been an increasing number of works about medieval naval warfare that try to fill a … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Karatolios, Greek Fire and its contribution to Byzantine might (McMahon)

John Hosler, John of Salisbury: Military Authority of the Twelfth-Century Renaissance (Nakashian)

John Hosler John of Salisbury: Military Authority of the Twelfth-Century Renaissance (Brill, 2013) 227pp.  $133.00.    In John of Salisbury: Military Authority of the Twelfth-Century Renaissance John Hosler seeks to raise Salisbury’s profile among historians of the High Middle Ages, … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on John Hosler, John of Salisbury: Military Authority of the Twelfth-Century Renaissance (Nakashian)

Charles D. Stanton, Norman naval operations in the Mediterranean (Rodriguez)

In the last years there have been an increasing number of works about medieval naval warfare that try to fill a huge gap in the study of medieval military. The present volume is a welcome addition to this trend although it does not completely fit in it. Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on Charles D. Stanton, Norman naval operations in the Mediterranean (Rodriguez)

Hales — Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour (Walton)

Robert Hales Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour: A Lifetime’s Passion London: Robert Hales, 2013, 400 pp., £85 [note 1] ISBN 978-0-9926315-0-5 This gorgeous collector’s volume of arms and armour covering most of Asia is a stunning book. It includes numerous … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Hales — Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour (Walton)

Venning – Alternative… Anglo-Saxon Age (Webb)

Timothy Venning An Alternative History of Britain: The Anglo-Saxon Age Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Military, 2013. 224 pp. $39.95. ISBN 978-1-78159-125-3. “Nothing was inevitable.” In this one simple statement, printed on the back cover of Dr. Venning’s latest … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Venning – Alternative… Anglo-Saxon Age (Webb)

Nicolle — Fall of English France 1449-1453 (Ditcham)

David Nicolle The Fall of English France 1449-1453 Campaign 241 (Oxford, Osprey, 2012).  96pp.   $19.95/£14.95.   ISBN 978-1-84908-616-5. English historiography of the Hundred Years War, at least at the popular level, has tended to lose interest in the conflict after the … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged | Comments Off on Nicolle — Fall of English France 1449-1453 (Ditcham)

Carey/Allfree/Cairns — Warfare in the Medieval World (Bachrach)

 Brian Todd Carey, Joshua B. Allfree, and John Cairns Warfare in the Medieval World Pen & Sword, Barnsley-U.K., 2006. Pp. viii, 262. 47 Maps and 2 figure. Carey, assistant professor of history and military history in the American Military University … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged | Comments Off on Carey/Allfree/Cairns — Warfare in the Medieval World (Bachrach)

King & Simpkin — England and Scotland at War (Nakashian)

Andy King and David Simpkin  (eds.) England and Scotland at War, c. 1296-c.1513 History of Warfare 78. Leiden: Brill, 2012.  ISBN. 9789004229822.  $220.00.  409 pp. Volume 78, England and Scotland at War c.1296-1513, of Brill’s History of Warfare series continues … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , | Comments Off on King & Simpkin — England and Scotland at War (Nakashian)

Trigg — Shame and Honor [TMR]

Stephanie Trigg Shame and Honor: A Vulgar History of the Order of the Garter Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012. Pp. viii, 322. $55.00. ISBN-13: 9780812243918. Reviewed in The Medieval Review: TMR 13.03.21 Since at least Congenial Souls (2002), Stephanie Trigg has demonstrated a serious interest in … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Trigg — Shame and Honor [TMR]

Bom — Women in the Military Orders of the Crusades [TMR]

Myra Miranda Bom Women in the Military Orders of the Crusades The New Middle Ages. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Pp. xiv, 230. $85.00. ISBN-13: 9780230114135. Reviewed in The Medieval Review: TMR 13.03.15 The topic of women’s participation in the military orders is one which … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Bom — Women in the Military Orders of the Crusades [TMR]

Nicolle — European Medieval Tactics (2) (Fields)

David Nicolle European Medieval Tactics (2): New Infantry, New Weapons 1260-1500 Elite189 (Osprey, 2012) 64pp $18.95 978-1-84908-739-1 David Nicolle’s book European Medieval Tactics (2): New Infantry, New Weapons 1260-1500 is from Osprey Publishing in the United Kingdom.  Some additional illustration … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Nicolle — European Medieval Tactics (2) (Fields)

Turbull, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Nakashian)

Stephen Turbull Toyotomi Hideyoshi: Leadership, Strategy, Conflict, Command 6 (Osprey 2010) 64pp.  $18.95.  ISBN 9781846039607  Stephen Turnbull contributes an effective and enlightening look at the career of Hideyoshi Toyotomi in the sixth installment of Osprey’s Command series.  The series, with … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Turbull, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Nakashian)

Capwell — The Noble Art of the Sword (Mondschein)

Tobias Capwell The Noble Art of the Sword: Fashion and Fencing in Renaissance Europe London: Paul Holberton Publishing, 2012. 264 pp., 150 illustrations. GB£30/US$60. ISBN 978 0 900785 43 6 Wallace Collection curator Tobias Capwell’s gorgeous and well-conceived The Noble … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Capwell — The Noble Art of the Sword (Mondschein)

Potter — Monarchs of the Renaissance (Albright)

Philip J. Potter Monarchs of the Renaissance: The Lives and Reigns of 42 European Kings and Queens Jefferson, South Carolina: McFarland, 2012. 351pp. $40.00. ISBN 0-7864-6806-5. On the back cover of this book, there is a quotation that is belied … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Potter — Monarchs of the Renaissance (Albright)

Bysted et al. (eds.) — Jerusalem in the North (Albright)

A. Bysted, K. V. Jensen, C.S. Jensen, J. Lind (eds.) Jerusalem in the North:  Denmark and the Baltic Crusades, 1100-1522 Outremer. Studies in the Crusades and the Latin East 1 (Turnhout, Belg.: Brepols, 2012).  xiv+393pp. ISBN: 978-2-503-52325-5. According to the authors of … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Bysted et al. (eds.) — Jerusalem in the North (Albright)

Reid, Battles of the Scottish Lowlands (Manning)

Stuart Reid Battles of the Scottish Lowlands Battlefield Britain series (Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2004). 160 pp. £11.99. ISBN 184415078X. In Battles of the Scottish Lowlands, Stuart Reid offers a sweeping survey of battles and campaigns occurring around Stirling over … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Reid, Battles of the Scottish Lowlands (Manning)

Lambert — Shipping the Medieval Military

Craig Lambert Shipping the Medieval Military Boydell Press, 2011. 256 pp. $90.00 USD. ISBN 978-1843836544. A perusal of the Cumulative Bibliography of Medieval Military History and Technology, its updates, the International Medieval Bibliography and other military history bibliographies will demonstrate … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Lambert — Shipping the Medieval Military

Allmand — The De Re Militari of Vegetius [H-Net review]

An H-Net review from H-Soz-u-Kult, in German, has just been posted: Christopher Allmand. The De Re Militari of Vegetius: The Reception, Transmission and Legacy of a Roman Text in the Middle Ages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. 450 S. ISBN 978-1-107-00027-8. — reviewed … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Allmand — The De Re Militari of Vegetius [H-Net review]

Multi-volume review of books on medieval warfare

A multi-book essay review by Sean McGlynn has appeared in the European Review of History/Revue europeenne d’histoire 20.1 (2013): 153-159.  For those who have institutional access, you should be able to link to it here.  The books reviewed en masse are Medieval Warfare 1000–1300, ed. … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Multi-volume review of books on medieval warfare

Nicolle — Cross & Crescent in the Balkans (Goodrich)

David Nicolle Cross & Crescent in the Balkans: The Ottoman Conquest of Southeastern Europe Barnsley, UK: Pen & Sword Military, 2010. 256 pp. ISBN: 9781844159543 Dr. David Nicolle is perhaps best known as the prolific author of many of the … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Nicolle — Cross & Crescent in the Balkans (Goodrich)

Tondro — Superheroes of the Round Table (Cueva)

Jason Tondro Superheroes of the Round Table: Comics Connections to Medieval and Renaissance Literature Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2011. 248 pp. 68 ill. $40.00. ISBN 978-0-7864-6068-7. There is no doubt that Jason Tondro’s Superheroes of the Round Table: … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , | Comments Off on Tondro — Superheroes of the Round Table (Cueva)

TMR 12.06.10 Bagge, et al., Feudalism (Brown)

Sverre Bagge, Michael H. Gelting, and Thomas Lindkvist (eds.) Feudalism: New Landscapes of Debate. The Medieval Countryside 5. Turnhout: Brepols, 2011. Pp. 232. 80 Euros. ISBN: 978-2-503-53158- 8. Reviewed by Elizabeth A. R. Brown The City University of New York, Emerita ([email protected]) Available … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Comments Off on TMR 12.06.10 Bagge, et al., Feudalism (Brown)

Purton — History of the Early Medieval Siege c.450-1220 (Eads)

Peter Purton A History of the Early Medieval Siege c.450-1220. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press, 2009. Pp. xxvii+505.  ISBN 978-1-84383-448-9. As the date range in the title implies, this book is only half of the author’s history of medieval siege warfare.  … Continue reading

Posted in BookReview | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Purton — History of the Early Medieval Siege c.450-1220 (Eads)