Given the choice between philosophising in the company of Socrates or fighting in the army of the soldier-monarch Charles XII of Sweden, most men, Dr Johnson observed, would prefer arms to argument. That physical danger should offer a more appealing prospect than logical thought remains one of the Great Cham’s more provocative insights. At one level, it explains why universal peace will not soon arrive, and at another why military history commands a larger readership than philosophy.
In recent years, a golden generation has set the bar pretty high in this field. Enthusiasts for vicarious soldiering have grown accustomed to the acute analysis of fighting and tactics provided by eloquent academics like John Keegan and the late Richard Holmes, and to the intense drama of war conveyed by such outstanding writer-historians as Max Hastings and Anthony Beevor.
Among the promising newcomers is Professor Saul David, whose well-received book on imperial warfare, Victoria’s Wars, spurred expectation that he might continue this rich seam.
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