The brilliant illustrations-the contemporary paintings and engravings,the portraits,letters and diaries,the newspaper cartoons-bring these great battles truly to life. Marlborough's letter to his wife on the evening of the battle of Blenheim, pencilled on the back of a tavern bill, and Montgomery notes for an address to his officers before the second battle of Alamein have tremendous immediacy, But there are other pleasures too. The maps and battle-plans, all specially drawn for this and tactics, while heroic paintings and the make clear the real distinction between the ideal and actual war. 77 full color illustrations and 360 in black and white, including 33 maps and battle plans.(Cyril Falls)
