Carnage and culture
From the Preface...... I have deliberately concentrated on those West-East fault lines that emphasize the singular lethality of Western culture at war in comparison to other traditions that grew up in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. These valid generalizations should not imply that at times there were not real differences among particular European states themselves or that Western and non-Western cultures were either monolithic or always at odds with each other. And while I discuss larger issues of government, religion, and economy, my primary aim is to explain Western military power, not the general nature and evolution of Western civilization at large. This is not a book, then, written for academic specialists. Instead, I have tried to offer a synthesis of Western society at war for the general reader across some 2,500 years of history that concentrates on general trends, rather than an original work of primary research within a defined historical period. I have used formal scholarly citations in parentheses in the text only for the longer direct quotations—although detailed information concerning factual material is derived from primary sources and secondary books and articles discussed at the conclusion of the book.
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- 1. The Lever of Riches, by Joel Mokyr 2. Guns Germs and Steel, by Jared Diamond 3. A Farewell to Alms, by Gregory Clark 4. Power and Prosperity, by Mancur Olsen 5. Carnage and Culture, Victor Davis Hanson 6. Capital Ideas, by Peter Bernstein 7. The Geodesic Network, by Peter Huber
- I've been waiting years for someone to ask this question :)
Wishlited this last night on amazon: Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power by Victor Davis Hanson
Have read these and enjoyed these:
General Warfare theory: History of Warfare by Keegan
Intel: Intelligence and War by Keegan
Counterinsurgency: "Ghost Wars" by Steve Coll. For a really enjoyable experience read "The Great Game" by Hopkirk first.
The Civil War deserves it's own category. Watch the PBS dvds, actually buy them. If you're hungry for more dig into "The Civil War" by Shelby Foote is hefty but it's satisfying.
1776 is a classic.
"Blind mans bluff" is a great book about submarine warfare.
For more current stuff Robert Kagan is probably the most informed pundit on war and military strategy.
WW-II "The Last Lion" books 1 and 2 are about Churchill and they involve lots of military strategy. You should also check out "The gathering storm + the other six books Churchill wrote on WWII.
Man I could go on forever. I have "Panzer General" and "Caesar's Conquest of Gaul" on my nightstand...
Enjoy...
PS: Once you're well versed you'll hear people referring to Clauswitz a lot. When you're sick of hearing his name and you want more than the wikipedia entry go read "On War." Art of War goes w/o saying as well...
- For anyone interested in this topic, I very highly recommend _Carnage and Culture_, by Victor Davis Hanson. A fantastic book that destroys many assertions made in the more popular _Guns, Germs, and Steel_.
- He also misrepresents the view of Victor Davis Hanson-- I think he's referring to "Carnage and Culture", which has a much more nuanced (and thus far different) argument.
