About this title: The Face of Battle is military history from the battlefield: a look at the direct experience of individuals at 'the point of maximum danger'. It examines the physical conditions of fighting, the particular emotions and behaviour generated by battle, as well as the motives that impel soldiers to stand and fight rather than run away. And in his scrupulous reassessment of three battles, John Keegan vividly conveys their reality for the participants, whether facing the arrow cloud of Agincourt, the levelled muskets of Waterloo or the steel rain of the Somme.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books, New York
Date Published: 1978
ISBN-13:9780140048971ISBN:0140048979
Description: Good. Some minor warping along bottom from apparent water damage (does not affect readability of text). Crease in back cover. 365 p. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Random House, Incorporated
Date Published: 1977
ISBN-13:9780394724034ISBN:0394724038
Description: Good. An average used book that has all pages intact. Could have some creasing on the spine or covers. Note this book is considered a trade or oversize paperback book. Our ultimate goal is to provide you with a satisfying customer experience. read more
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 1978
ISBN-13:9780140048971ISBN:0140048979
Description: Very Good. 0140048979 Previously read trade paperback book in very good condition, some very minor shelf wear, no rips or tears. 03336581 _ read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 1983
ISBN-13:9780140048971ISBN:0140048979
Description: Good. Moderate cover wear with scuffing to edges and creasing. Age toning. GoodwillnyBooks is committed to providing each customer with the highest standard of customer service. You may return new items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. read more
Description: Good. Purchasing this DVD supports the North Central Regional Library. Thriftbooks and NCRL have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Library ID found on DVD and case. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Very good. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. 0670304328 Former library item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned. Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. read more
Description: Reader copy. By John Keegan; ISBN: 0140048979; Pub. : Penguin (Non-Classics); Pub. Date: 1983-01-27; Media: Paperback; Weight: 10.24 oz.; A couple cover corner tips are bent, curled; some creasing evident at corners. Cover has noticeable surface wear. Covers and/or pages show some curling. Noticeable creases on front and back covers. Some label residue on cover surface. Pages show indications of moderate to heavy use. Several page corners have been slightly bent. Several page corners had been ... read more
"As he confesses in the first few pages, John Keegan has never been in war, but he sure writes about it a lot. I'd always wanted to read a book by this eminent British historian and, to be honest, I chose this one because it was the shortest. For what it is, it's very good.
After a longish critique of how poorly history is generally written, especially by the Brits, Keegan gets down to the business of describing three historically significant European battles - Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme -- in great detail. Quite often, this is quite interesting, but without the storytelling sweep and narrative drive of great history. As the title suggests, Keegan is out to tell us exactly what battle is like, but the information he offers is (to quote a better, if far less accurate, historian) full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
"The classic examination of battlefield experience. The obvious, logical, and instinctual thing to do in the face of mortal danger is to flee. Why do men stand and fight in the face of death? What compels them to act against all reason?
Keegan looks at three battles fought in close geographical proximity. The English victory against the French at Agincourt, Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, and the British and French offensive against Germany along the Somme. This is not about strategy or even much about tactics. This is about how it felt to be a soldier in the battle.
What was it like to advance against the shower of arrows from the English archers? What was it like to stand armed only with lances and swards against the French cavalry charge? What was the experience of combat with swords and personal armor?
How did it feel to stand in an infantry square facing a cavalry charge? What was it like for cavalry to charge 19th-century artillery? Or to charge into the rifle fire of infantry? What did it look and sound and smell like to stand in line and square off against opposing infantry with 19th-century rifles?
What was it like in a foxhole under modern artillery fire? What was the experience of going over the top into machine gun fire?
In all these experiences Keegan considers the gut feel and psychological effects. Sitting helplessly in a trench not knowing when the artillery shell that will kill you will come. The overwhelming sensory experience of standing in front of a charging horse. The terrifying restriction of movement and vision from wearing 15th-century armor.
I know of no other book like this. It is the classic in it's field. And for good reason."
"Keegan's "A History of Warfare" made me want to minor in military history. It was readable. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for "The Face of Battle" which he wrote in the mid-1970s. He either became a much better writer or snagged a much better editor sometime between 1976 and 1996. Read this book if you wonder what it might have been like to be a soldier at Agincourt, Waterloo, and/or the Somme."
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