THE WARGAME COMPANION
The Face of Battle
1976
NON-FICTIONLandmark study examining three battles — Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme — from the perspective of the ordinary soldier, asking what combat is actually like for those who must endure it.
Programmed Wargames Scenarios
1983
NON-FICTIONFifty pre-programmed wargame scenarios using solo and umpire-free mechanics, a foundational reference for scenario design still used by historical wargamers.
The Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic
2010
NON-FICTIONAccount of Hannibal's invasion of Italy and the catastrophic Roman defeat at Cannae, the tactical masterpiece that still influences military thought.
On War
1832
NON-FICTIONThe foundational text of Western military theory. Clausewitz's analysis of war's nature, strategy, and the relationship between war and politics.
A History of Warfare
1993
NON-FICTIONKeegan's ambitious survey of warfare from primitive conflict through the nuclear age, arguing that war is a cultural rather than purely political act.
Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors
2004
NON-FICTIONThe story of the Battle off Samar — when a tiny force of destroyers and destroyer escorts charged the most powerful Japanese surface fleet of the war to defend the Leyte Gulf invasion.
Peleliu 1944: The Forgotten Corner of Hell
2005
NON-FICTIONHarrowing account of the First Marine Division's assault on Peleliu — one of the bloodiest and most controversial battles of the Pacific War, fought over an island of questionable strategic value.
The Sharp End: The Fighting Man in World War II
1980
NON-FICTIONClassic examination of what combat was actually like for the ordinary infantryman in WWII — covering fear, exhaustion, morale, and the gulf between official narratives and soldier reality.
The Peninsular War Atlas
2010
NON-FICTIONThe most comprehensive cartographic history of the Peninsular War, with over 150 detailed operational maps covering every major engagement from Rolica to Toulouse.
Agincourt: Henry V and the Battle That Made England
2005
NON-FICTIONThe definitive modern account of the Battle of Agincourt, combining close reading of contemporary sources with analysis of the armies, terrain, and tactics that produced Henry V's famous victory.
Thermopylae: The Battle That Changed the World
2006
NON-FICTIONScholarly account of the Battle of Thermopylae by a leading classicist, examining the historical reality behind the Spartan stand and its extraordinary afterlife in Western culture.
Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America
2004
NON-FICTIONRolling Stone journalist's embedded account of the 1st Recon Battalion's charge through Iraq in the opening weeks of the 2003 invasion — raw, unfiltered, and unflinching.
No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah
2005
NON-FICTIONMarine veteran and journalist Bing West's on-the-ground account of the two battles for Fallujah — the first assault halted by political pressure and the brutal second assault that cleared the city.
Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War
2002
NON-FICTIONBiography of John Boyd — the iconoclastic Air Force colonel who created the OODA loop concept and whose theories on maneuver warfare reshaped modern American military doctrine.
The Campaigns of Napoleon
1966
REFERENCEThe most comprehensive study of Napoleon's military campaigns ever written. An indispensable reference for understanding Napoleonic warfare.
Enemy at the Gates
1973
NON-FICTIONThe definitive account of the Battle of Stalingrad, told through the eyes of soldiers on both sides.
Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege
1998
NON-FICTIONBeevor's masterful account of the battle that changed the course of WWII on the Eastern Front.
D-Day: June 6, 1944
1994
NON-FICTIONThe climactic battle of World War II told through the accounts of those who were there.
The Longest Day
1959
NON-FICTIONClassic account of the Normandy invasion from all perspectives — Allied, German, and French civilian.
A Time for Trumpets
1985
NON-FICTIONComprehensive history of the Battle of the Bulge by a historian who fought in it.