Clausewitz

by Roger Parkinson

Book by Parkinson, Roger

Genres: Biography, Military History, History, Military Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 25, 1970

About the author

Roger Parkinson (b 1939), military historian.

Parkinson has written several books on the Second World War, and in particular on Dunkirk, the Desert Campaign and Pearl Harbour, and has published biographies of famous commanders such as Blucher, Clausewitz, Kutuzov, Ludendorff and Zapata.

His papers include typescripts and drafts of books and articles, some of which were published under the pseudonym of Matthew Holden; notes and files on military history, including the Vietnam War, NATO and Malaya; notes and files on the War Cabinet papers; photographs; and reel-to-reel audio tape recordings.

Reviews

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book completely as an afterthought, simply because I ended up having more money on me than I had originally thought; it turns out that it was the best possible luck which led me to that purchase. The works of Carl von Clausewitz were seen as indispensable to the study of war for the first half of the 20th Century, but since then have commonly been considered obsolete, a historical curiosity at best. Only in these last few years have a small but influential number of military historians begun to realise, after a close reading of 'On War', that contrary to popular belief Clausewitz had been nothing short of prescient in his recognition of the great importance of guerrilla warfare, as well as various other aspects of military art & science which remain relevant to this day...
This biography was extremely well-written and incredibly absorbing, to the point that I found myself breaking out maps both from my own collection & online in order that I might follow Clausewitz on the various campaigns in which he fought. According to what I have read in various places, I seem to have been doubly lucky, in that this book, by Roger Parkinson, is reputed to be superior to the biography of the same subject by Raymond Aron, which I obtained at roughly the same time but have not yet read. Mr. Parkinson did such an excellent job that I have great doubt whether it could have been improved upon by Professor Aron, but we shall see... In any case, I cannot recommend this book too highly- Carl von Clausewitz was and is so incredibly influential, on both the profession of arms and the study thereof, that without at least a rudimentary understanding of his life and work one could not be considered a serious scholar in either field. The fact that I have only now taken the time to develop a better understanding of the above highlights a serious deficiency in my own studies which I am now attempting to correct. This book is a useful step in the right direction, and is also well worth reading on its own merits.

[Jason Born · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched and impressively presented on the often-overlooked, underappreciated, and quite depressed Clausewitz. He was not only a prolific writer on the strategies of war, he wrote to his wife, Marie. Through those letters we see his inner sadness and bitterness and brilliance. Enjoyed this book immensely. Now on to the subject's work, On War.