Brewer Paul. Warfare in the Renaissance World

Raintree Steck-Vaughn Company, 1999. — 88 p.Describes the widespread changes in the conduct of war that occurred in the 200 years between the beginning of the sixteenth century and the end of the seventeenth century. Ten titles describe the causes, consequences, strategies, weaponry, and key figures of warfare from ancient times to the present. Authentic photographs of modern wars transport the reader to battlefields and war-torn countries. Illustrations help readers visualize uniforms, weapons, and battlefield scenes of bygone years. Details of important campaigns are presented in boxed sidebars. This pattern is repeated in Medieval World and Renaissance World, but the authors' dry and academic descriptions fail to capture the drama (and also the chaos, blood, and degradation) of battle. Especially in the latter two books, the texts get bogged down in complicated political background without ever helping readers grasp the significance of the events being described. One comes away from reading about the Hundred Years War or the Thirty Years War without much understanding of how these conflicts influenced the course of history. The emphasis in all three books is on European wars. A token chapter at the end of each one acknowledges that the other parts of the world witnessed major conflicts, but little detail is provided. Discussions of weapons and tactics presume a background in military history.