Instruments of War: Weapons and Technologies That Have Changed History

(Hardback)

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Description

This highly detailed and well-illustrated single-volume work documents the evolution of warfare across history through weaponry and technological change. In war, the weapons and technologies employed have direct effects on how battles are waged. When new weapons are introduced, they can dramatically alter the outcomes of warfareand consequently change the course of history itself. This reference work provides a fascinating overview of the major weapon systems and military technologies that have had a major impact on world history. Addressing weapons as crude as the club used by primitive man to the high-tech weapons of today such as unmanned drones, Instruments of War: Weapons and Technologies That Have Changed History offers nearly 270 profusely illustrated entries that examine the key roles played by specific weapons and identify their success and failures. The book begins with an introductory essay that frames the subject matter of the work and discusses the history of weapons as a whole. The text is concise and accessible to general readers without extensive backgrounds in military history yet provides the detailed information necessary to convey the complexity of the evolution of warfare through technological change.

Reviews

Recommended for high school and undergraduate libraries and public libraries whose patrons need accurate and brief summaries. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduates; community college students; general readers. * Choice *

Author Bio

Spencer C. Tucker, PhD, has been senior fellow in military history at ABC-CLIO since 2003. He is the author or editor of 52 books and encyclopedias treating military and naval history, many of which have won prestigious awards.