This is the definitive introductory study of war. Professor Black introduces the subject in a broad manner, ranging across historical time periods and geographical boundaries. In this concise history of war, Jeremy Black ranges widely, giving due attention to non-western as well as western traditions. The history of war is inextricably bound to the history of the world. Through a detailed exploration of 'world-scale' issues of warfare, presented within a chronological framework that spans human history, Jeremy Black skilfully illustrates this fact whilst providing the reader with other astute insights and compelling interpretations of war. "War: A Short History" is a dramatic move away from the formulaic, western approach to military history. Too narrow in its focus on wars specific to the west and too simple because of an over-reliance on a technologically-deterministic reading of warfare, this approach has been rejected by Jeremy Black in favour of a global model that takes all factors into account when considering the strengths and weaknesses of a particular military tradition. This is a book that is as important for its relevance to current world issues of conflict as it is for its through consideration of a monumentally significant aspect of human history.

Author Biography

Jeremy Black is Professor of History at the University of Exeter and a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of America and the West at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia. He is the author of more than 70 books and has lectured extensively around the world.