Soldier: A Visual History Of The Fighting Man

by R.G. Grant, Tim Collins (Contributor)

Focusing on the frontline soldiers who fought for their tribes, their cities, their overlords and their countries-from the Ancient Greeks who repelled the invading Persians in the 5th century to the US Marines in action in Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf, this visual history paints a compelling portrait of the frontline soldier through 2,500 years of history. The third in a series of illustrated military history books, following the highly successful Battle and Weapon, Warrior features vivid accounts of daily life, training, and tactics of the ordinary fighting man. AUTHOR BIO: R.G. Grant is a history writer who has published more than 20 books, including titles on the Revolutionary War, World War I and II, and the Vietnam War. He's also the author of DK's Battle, Weapon, and Flight: 100 Years of Aviation.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference, War, Military History, Military Fiction, Martial Arts

360 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

R.G. Grant is a historian who has written extensively on many aspects and periods of history. Among his more than fifty published books are: Battle, Soldier, and Battle at Sea (2005, 2007, 2008). He was also a major contributor to the ITV Visual History of the Twentieth Century (1999) and consultant for Chronology of World History (1995). He is also a contributor to 1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History, where earlier versions of his contributions to Britannica first appeared.

Reviews

[Manos Velivasakis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Το βιβλίο εστιάζει στους απλούς στρατιώτες, στις συνθήκες που πολέμησαν και στον εξοπλισμό τους, από την αρχή της ιστορίας μέχρι και σήμερα, από τους αρχαίους Έλληνες οπλίτες ως τον σύγχρονο πεζοναύτη. Παράλληλα βλέπουμε τις μάχες που πήραν μέρος και ουσιαστικά ολόκληρη την πολεμική ιστορία. Πολύ ενδιαφέρουσα είναι η παρουσίαση ιθαγενών πολεμιστών όπως της Αμερικής, οι Ζουλού και οι Μαορί. Το βιβλίο είναι πλούσιο σε φωτογραφίες, χάρτες και διαγράμματα, ενώ δεν λείπουν και κάποιες επιπλέον αναλύσεις για τους χώρους διαβίωσης, όπως πχ ένας ρωμαϊκός στρατώνας, τα χαρακώματα του Α' ΠΠ ή το B-17 Flying Fortress. Για όσους δε αρέσκονται σε επιτραπέζια wargames, το συστήνω ως ιδανική αναφορά για να μπεις στο κλίμα κάθε σύρραξης, καθώς οι αναφορές σε κάθε περίοδο είναι περιεκτικές και διαβάζονται μέσα σε 10-15 λεπτά.

[Dimitri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Visually impeccable two-page spreads of uniforms surrounded by the fighting man's tools and weaponry: the Redcoat in particular is a military buff's centerfold. Sadly, neither uniforms nor weaponry on display are framed by sufficient info on their tactical use.

As a result, Grant's earlier volumes Battle & Battle at Sea: 3,000 Years of Naval Warfare , which do contain scattered notes on weapons & uniforms in between the fights, are colourful keepers. Soldier is redundant.

[Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book shortly after getting battle at sea. It had great pictures and had basic information. I especially like the soldier pack, which is very neat. However, at first I was disappointed because I thought it would be like battle at Sea. However, after I realized it wasn't, I did enjoy it. In the end, I think it is a great short read and a good introduction into Human war.

[Shoaib · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very underrated. It gives you a concice and clear visual about soldiers in different ages. From Greek soldiers to modern soldiers. But it didn't cover soldiers from very important ancient empires like Ancient Egypt and Ancient Persia or Nazi soldiers in WW2. In my opinion, it is worth reading if you are intrested in history, otherwise you will find this book a boring one!!!!!

[Chase Parsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one kick-ass book! A visual feast for the eyes, this beautiful coffee table-esque volume teachers the reader about different types of warriors throughout history. I especially liked Grant's information about common soldier life, which was amply done. There is also great stuff about tactics, various wars, weapons, supplies/uniforms, and more...it all was very interesting.

Everything was worth reading but my top 10 chapters were (no order): the Greeks, English Longbowmen, Landsknecht, Ottomans, British Sailors, US Civil War soldiers, Zulu Warriors, Sioux Warriors, Soviet Tank Crewmen, and RAF Fighter Pilots. The book reminds me of the "Civilization" video game series with the different types of troops, or the TV show "The Deadliest Warrior" if anyone can make these esoteric connections.

One thing I noticed that is not quite a critique is that it focused quite heavily on British and American soldiers, and the WWII part might have been a bit overdone. It is also focused a lot on the last 100 years.

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably closer to a 2* than a 3* book. Somewhere in between history book and reference book the information is pretty sparse. If you already know about the timeframe, conflict, or decent information on general military history then you won't gain more than a tidbit or two from the written parts. That said all of the images are absolutely top-notch and high quality. Not necessarily the most varied like you would get in a true reference book but gets the job done. A book perfect for someone in middle/HS range or for your first foray into military history.

The book did bog down for me in the middle sections (roughly around shot and pike age to a little after). The big gripe I have though is the Euro-centricity of the work, especially prior to 1800. The modern age does a good job of addressing things like various gorilla groups but no mention of Medieval era china or much outside of Greece in the bronze age. Rather sparse on the Middle East during the Middle Ages as well. Some more focus in these areas could really have varied up the book and made it more interesting.

[Bogdan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb ilustrată și perfectă pentru “măsuța de cafea”, această carte prezintă diverși războinici de-a lungul istoriei umane, începând cu hoplitul grec și terminând cu infanteristul modern britanic. Bineînțeles că ne sunt prezentați și “starurile” principale ale istoriei, precum războinicul viking, legionarul roman, cavalerul medieval, samuraiul japonez, soldații otomani, mușchetarii englezi, parașutiștul american din WW2 etc.
Prezentarea este suficient de bogată cât să prezinte elemente și informații mai puțin cunoscute de publicul larg, dar cu siguranță nu ajunge la profunzimea pe care o poate oferi o operă întreagă dedicată unui singur tip de războinic. Pe lângă prezentarea istorică, editorii ne mai arată și echipamentul pe care-l foloseau respectivii războinici, uniformele și armele acestora. Este, deci, un adevărat festin vizual.

[Gino Gemignani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book while browsing a second hand store. Who knew a $4 investment would bring months of entertainment. Warrior is a large 9.5” x 12” hardcover with amazing photography, diagrams, and artwork. This mixed with informative facts and compelling stories transported me into a virtual museum through time from the Spartan to the Navy SEAL. Through this chronological journey:

-I witnessed the rise and fall of the individual champion like the Knight, French Cavalryman and Samurai.

-The transition from sword to pike to firearm.

-The operation of war machines by the British sailor, the Soviet Tank operator and the American ACE pilot.

Most of all it’s a testament to the bravery of the young soldier to face often impossible circumstances and push forward.

[MK · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, the cover of this book is the coolest thing I've ever seen. Many DK books have illustrations on the cover to appeal to children, but this one really stands out.

As the title suggests, this is a special feature on fighting men. Men of all ages have participated in wars with the intention of fulfilling their national pride and national duty.

However, we must not forget that the true purpose of war is always just a means of making money for international financiers and arms dealers, and the purpose is to divide and unify.

[Loko Luk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una guía clara y detallada de cómo la guerra ha evolucionado vista desde los zapatos se los soldados.
Para nada es una novela, menos un manual, me gusta pensar en este material como una enciclopedia.
Mi único tema con este libro es que ha intentado abarcar tanto que no ha profundizado en nada, me hubiese encantado que Soldier como título fuera una lista de tomos como los manuales de historia.

[Sidsel Sander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fed og meget brugbar bog. Især uniformsplancherne.

[Valzebub · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good introduction to many different fighting forces over the history of mankind. Many great pictures and illustrations. Worth a look for anyone interested in the history of warfare.

[Archie McKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it gave a detailed description on uniforms and equipment.

[Kaizer Konnur · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that got me into reading as a kid. It has great illustration with deep analysis with just few strong statements. I remember as a kid this book was torturous to complete as this was one of the first books I ever read , I just loved this book because of the narration going were well in hand with the illistration, however as a kid it was quite hard to digest all the information so I would have to re read the sentence, re read it again not being able to grasp I would read the whole para again and again just so I could digest the Information, I loved every moment of it, even after 15 years since I read it , I still have vivid images from the book and the narration and literature that helped me understand the lives of soldiers. I would recommend it to anyone kiddo wanting to be a soldier.

[Nathan Balyeat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful picture-oriented book (coffee table size) that gives a great pictoral reference to the arms and armor of the individual warrior throughout time.

The pictures are amazing, but the text is low-reference grade information. It's a quick sort of "hey, here's what this looked like" sort of book.

If I hadn't gotten it new for $10, I wouldn't have bought it. I don't recommend paying much more for it than that, but it's a very valuable pictoral reference if you're into the subject matter.

[Kleon Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book about almost all fighting units in the human history from Ancient Egypt all the way to the War in iraq. It gives a brief history of the country and soldiers and also uniforms and weapons. The only thing about this book is that it doesn't fully analyze important countries such as Napoleon's army or the imperial chinese army

[Kbord · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this for some visual reference. It would work for a coffee table book, except for being paperback (although, apparently there is a hardcover edition).

The book covers from phalanxes up through the SAS. Each period is given a couple pages' treatment, and then photos of the kit of a soldier in the period take a spread. The focus is on Europe and the United States and their wars.

[Reev Robledo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't the type of book you read from cover to cover. They're like those old encyclopedias which are there for reference or casual reading. What an astounding picture feast. Such details too surrounding the different military strategies and the life of war. If any of the research here was fabricated...what a fabrication indeed! A thrilling read.

[Mike Petty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty basic book, with basic information. It's not something to refer to if you want any kind of in depth knowledge of either individual soldiers throughout history, or of the development of the fighting man over the centuries. It's something that I would have loved in 8th grade, but now find rather plebeian. Nice pictures though.

[Michelle Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look at warriors throughout history. I did skim the last ~100 pages (WWI-present) since that's not as interesting to me as the more ancient warriors. I think the sections on the Greek Hoplite and the Vikings were my favorites. I love knights of the middle ages, but I really didn't learn anything new there that I didn't know before.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most coffee-table type books, "Warrior" was entertaining, but nothing special. As expected, I liked the ancient and medieval sections better, and wished that the book had contained more of this and less of fighters from ci. 1800 onward, but that does not mean there were not still some good information from that period.

[Eugene booker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by RG GRANT great writer and very knowlegable, makes me wish I had wrote it. It devled into past warriors of ancient times, to the new school warriors of the future terrista'. Great read for a history buff, you will pick it up again and agian and agian!

[Jerome Otte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another splendid visual guide by R.G. Grant. The pictures are of great quality, the text is informative and concise, and the book is well-researched.

The book focuses on pretty much every weapon in the history of man and despite a few minor quibbles, I enjoyed.

[Cam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like an Eyewitness books for grown-ups! Does a pretty decent job of humanizing fighters without glamorizing the fight. Predictably whitecentric but there were profiles of non-European fighters such as Zulu, Sioux, Viet Cong.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Reference book for drawing armor and weapons

[John Gentry · Rating 3 out of 5]

a very broad history of the warrior. while the glossy pictures are nice, i could not help but be disappointed in it, since Battle by the same author and in the same vein of book was so amazing..

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful coffee table book. Could have used some timelines to enhance the history aspect to make it more complete.

[Lizanne Whitlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating.