Encyclopedia of Warrior Peoples and Fighting Groups

Product Description

Many military groups throughout the world have excelled in their craft either by fortuitous circumstances, outstanding leadership, or intense training. This volume surveys the units and populations from ancient times to the late 1990s that have come to historical promincence via warfare. Each entry in the A-Z sequence begins with a brief introduction and describes the origins of the fighting group, roles of major leaders in organization and command, innovations in strategy and tactics, conquests and accomplishments, circumstances of decline or disbanding, and effects of future warfare and organizations. Entries include such headings as Assyrians, Boers, Huns, Japanese warrior priests, Mongols, paratroopers, Rangers, Rough Riders, and Viet Cong.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #2817596 in Books
* Published on: 2006-09-01
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Hardcover
* 654 pages

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up-From Afghans to Zulus, and from the Spartans and Knights Templar to the Green Berets and the Flying Circus, this volume covers all of the basics on most of the fearsome fighting groups throughout history. They are listed alphabetically by their official name, but if readers don't know that Napoleon's army was called the Grande Arm e, they can find a reference to it under Napoleon in the index. The articles are short (usually one to two pages), and many include a black-and-white reproduction, photo, or map. Some of the pictures are a bit hazy. Each article ends with a brief selection of references. The index includes particular battles as well as individual leaders. The absence of the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot seems a bit striking, but otherwise, this is a good reference book that will also be popular with browsers.-Herman Sutter, Saint Pius X High School, Houston, TX

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Davis (Encyclopedia of Invasions and Conquests: From Ancient to Modern Times, LJ 1/97) and Hamilton (history, St. Philip's Coll.) here approach their subject from the viewpoint of the people involved. Drawn from a wide variety of cultures and time periods, groups range from specialized military units such as the Green Berets and Varangian Guard to peoples organized in a military structure, such as the Hittites and Zulus. The encyclopedia is in standard A-to-Z format, with an index to locate subtopics. Each well-written, analytical entry includes more detail than would be found in a general encyclopedia and three references for further exploration of the topic. This work is especially suitable for high school students, undergraduates, and general readers with an interest in military history.?Stephen H. Peters, Northern Michigan Univ. Lib., Marquette
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Customer Reviews

One of the best I have ever read!!!5
This book is fantastic! I learned more in two days with this book than an entire semester in a college classroom. I love the writing. Some of the pieces read like novels. I do wish there were more illustrations, but one can't have everything. And I agree with the review by Clint from Texas that the guy from Turtle Island or where ever definitely has an agenda. ... Whoever reads this, listen to me, "this book belongs in your collection." I just hope there is a volume two in the works.

Totally different opinion5
After reading the first review from Turtle Island, I wonder if he is reading the same book that I am. After some reflection, it occurs to me that the reviewer has much more of an issue with his own limited perceptions than with this book. I found WARRIOR PEOPLES to be informative, educational, VERY useful as a research tool, and amazingly well-written. It would be interesting to see what actual credentials the Turtle Island reviewer possesses; he certainly cites no concrete examples, but instead engages in unfounded and obviously biased criticisms. I give WARRIOR PEOPLES five stars; any military historian or history buff would do well to have this book in their libraries.

There's no such thing as "warrior peoples "1
This book probably deserves 2-3 stars for the quantity of information it contains, but the quality is quite another matter. Throwing warrior peoples in with fighting groups, e.g. the Green Berets or the Long Range Desert Group from World War Two, simply lumps together units which have little or no connection (beyond merely being warriors) except possibly in the mind of the authors. The result is a work which has no conceptual coherence apart from whatever interest the authors may stimulate in their audience.

Even taking this work on its own terms, there are many omissions among "warrior peoples;" only the best-known are included, such as Gurkhas in the Indian or British Army, or Zulus from South Africa. Others who have ben labeled in this fashion, such as the Ila of Zambia or the Ngoni of Malawi and Mozambique, simply aren't here. But the Sikhs are included, despite their assigned role in British India as police, not soldiers. So it is conceived in vague, even misleading terms.

The grossest flaw, however, is that "warrior peoples" simply do not exist, except in the colonial mindset that pigeonholed and then drafted/enlisted them. The term is presumably updated from "warrior races," which is archaic to say the least. But no peoples are naturally more suited to be warriors than others; their history or circumstances may impel them or compel them to combat, but not heredity. People may resemble a warrior race if one looks only at the warriors, but this slights the full range of human endeavor pursued by all human groups.

There are also some factual errors which tend to limit the book's value for reference, and the deceptively long bibliography omits key works which might aid readers (and the authors) in critically analyzing their preconceptions. Cf. Cynthia Enloe's book "Ethnic Soldiers," and Anthony Kirk-Greene's article "Damnosa Hereditas," in Ethnic and Racial Studies.

Though this book has been recommended by reviewers for high-school students and other readers, it may actually interfere with their understanding by encouraging them to think in terms of ethnic and racial stereotypes. For those willing to think critically, rather than stereotypically, about warfare's relation to forms of group identity, this book is simply not satisfactory.