Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfeld to Waterloo

A selection of the History Book Club, this book talks about the historical circumstances and political conditions of the contending adversaries, the strategic thinking and the personalities of the military commanders, the tactical manoeuvring on the field of battle, the role of armaments and technology, and the performance of the soldiers. "One of the most interesting, important, and ambitious books about the conduct, and perhaps the ultimate futility, of war." —Gunther E. Rothenberg "[A] highly scholarly and wonderfully absorbing study." —John Bayley, The London Review of Books "What Russell F. Weigley writes, the rest of us read. The Age of Battles is a persuasive reminder that even in the age of 'rational' warfare, one can honestly wonder why war seemed an unavoidable policy choice." —Allan R. Millett, The Journal of American History