Osprey Publications

The Great Islamic Conquests AD 632 750 Essential Histories 71: Few centuries in world history have had such a profound and long-lasting impact as the first hundred years of Islamic history. In this book, David Nicolle examines the extensive Islamic conquests between AD 632 and 750. These years saw the religion and culture of Islam erupt from the Arabian Peninsula and spread across an area far larger than that of the Roman Empire. The effects of this rapid expansion were to shape European affairs for centuries to come. This book examines the social and military history of the period, describing how and why the Islamic expansion was so successful.

The Russian Civil War 1918 22 Essential Histories 69:The Russian Civil War is the most important civil war of the 20th century, changing the lives of over half a billion people and dramatically shaping the geography of Europe, the Far East and Asia. Over a four-year period 20 countries battled in a crucible that would give birth to Communist revolutions worldwide and the Cold War. David Bullock offers a fresh perspective on this conflict, examining the forces involved, as well as the fascinating intervention by Allied forces. At the dawn of modern war, as cavalry duelled with tanks, aircraft, and armoured trains along shifting fronts, this title tells a military story enacted against a backdrop of political and social revolution and within the context of immense human loss. The reader cannot fail to be moved by the rare photographs and illustrations that make this history come alive.

The Indian Mutiny 1857-58 (Essential Histories 68): In the mid-19th century India was the focus of Britain's international prestige and commercial power - the most important colony in an empire which extended to every continent on the globe and protected by the seemingly dependable native armies of the East India Company. When, however, in 1857 discontent exploded into open rebellion, Britain was obliged to field its largest army in forty years to defend its 'jewel in the crown'. This book, drawing on the latest sources as well as numerous first-hand accounts, explains why the sepoy armies rose up against the world's leading imperial power, details the major phases of the fighting, including the massacres at Cawnpore and the epic sieges of Delhi and Lucknow, and examines many other aspects of this compelling, at times horrifying, subject.

English Civil Wars 1642-51: The Period 1642-1651, one of the most turbulent times in the history of mainland Britain, saw her torn by Civil Wars. Focusing on the English and Welsh Wars this book examines the causes, course, and consequences of the conflicts, as well as the personal experiences and biographies of key players

WARS OF THE ROSES: The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars fought in medieval England from 1455 to 1487 between the House of Lancaster and the House of York, and featured sixteen invasions and six times kings lost their thrones.

SUEZ CRISIS 1956: In July 1956 Egyptian President Gamal Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, causing immediate concern to Britain and France. Together with Israel, Britain and France hatched a plot to occupy the Canal Zone and overthrow Nasser. Israel attacked Sinai, and Britain and France launched offensives throughout Egypt, but strategic failures overshasdowed tactical success. Finally, Britain, France, and Israel bowed to international pressure and withdrew, leaving the Suez Canal and Egypt, firmly in the hands of President Nasser.

Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871: The Franco-Prussian War broke out in 1870 when Bismarck engineered a war with the French Second Empire under Napoleon III. The war was an overwhelming Prussian victory, and King Wilhelm I was proclaimed Emperor of the new united Germany. The Second Empire collapsed and Napoleon III became an exile in Britain. In the peace settlement with the French Third Republic in 1871 Germany gained the eastern French provinces joined and Lorraine, areas that were to provide a bone of contention for years to come.

GREEK & PERSIAN WARS: This book covers one of the defining periods of European history. The series of wars between the Classical Greeks and the Persian Empire produced the famous battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis, as well as an ill-fated attempt to overthrow the Persian king in 400 BC, which helped to inspire the conquests of Alexander the Great. Scheduled to ship in January, 2003.

AMERICAN REVOLUTION 1774• 1789: The American Revolution has been characterized politically as a united political uprising of the American colonies and militarily as a guerrilla campaign of colonists against the inflexible British military establishment. The peace treaty of 1783 that brought an end to the war marked the formal beginning of the United States of America as an independent political entity.

CAESAR'S GALLIC WAR: Julius Caesar was one of the most ambitious and successful politicians of the late Roman Republic and his short but bloody conquest of the Celtic tribes led to the establishment of the Roman province of Gaul. Caesar's commentaries on his Gallic Wars provide us with the most detailed surviving eye-witness account of a campaign from antiquity. Kate Gilliver makes use of this account and other surviving evidence to consider the importance of the Gallic Wars in the context of the collapse of the Roman Republic and its slide toward civil war.

HUNDRED YEARS WAR: There can be no doubt that military conflict between France and England dominated European history in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In this book, Hundred Years War expert Dr Anne Curry reveals how the war can reveal much about the changing nature of warfare: the rise of infantry and the demise of the knight; the impact of increased use of gunpowder and the effect on the people around the war, generation after generation.

PELOPONNESIAN WAR 421-404BC: It is a testament to the fascination of the subject that even today the events of the Peloponnesian War are studied for what they can teach about diplomacy, strategy and tactics. From the horrific effects of overcrowding and the plague on the population of Athens, to the vicious civil strife that often erupted in cities allied with Athens or Sparta, this volume offers vivid and at times disturbing insights into the impact of warfare on the people who are celebrated as the founders of Western civilization.

FRENCH • INDIAN WAR 1754•1760: The French-Indian War was fought in the forests, open plains, and forts of the North American frontier. This title explains the background to the wars and charts the military development of the British Army and the reforms that led to its eventual superiority.

 ROME AT WAR AD 229•696

In the early third century AD the Roman Empire was a force to be reckoned with, controlling vast territories and wielding enormous political power from Scotland to the Sahara. 400 years later this mighty Empire was falling apart in the face of successive problems that the rulers failed to deal with. In this challenging new volume Michael Whitby tackles the fundamental issues that led to the 'decline and fall' of the Roman Empire, and offers a startling reassessment of the performance of the late Roman army.

Caesar's Civil War: Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great were two of the greatest generals Rome had ever produced. In 49 BC they turned against each other and plunged Rome into civil war. The armies were evenly matched but in the end Caesar's genius as a commander and his great good luck brought him victory in 45 BC.

Napoleonic Fall 0f French Empire 1819•15: This volume covers Napoleon's gradual fall from power, beginning in the spring of 1813, when France prepared to face the vengeance of Russia and Prussia. Quickly raising new armies composed of inexperienced conscripts and invalided veterans, and with a critical shortage of cavalry, Napoleon resolved to preserve his empire in Germany. When of last Austria threw in her lot with the Allies and the epic Battle of Leipzig followed, Napoleon was forced to retreat across the Rhine, there to resist the onslaught on home soil.

Vietnam War 1956•75: The Vietnam War was arguably the most important event, or series of events, of the "American Century." America entered the brutal conflict certain of its Cold War doctrines and certain of its moral mission to save the world from the advance of communism. As this book explains, however, the war was not at all what the United States expected. Outnumbered and outgunned the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces resorted to a guerrilla war based on the theories of Mao Zedong of China. This was war reduced to its most basic level - Find the enemy and kill him.

Spanish Civil War: The Spanish Civil War of 1936-39 was of enormous international as well as national significance. In this gripping volume, Frances Lannon explains how this internal conflict between democracy and its enemies escalated to involve Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and the Soviet Union.

War of 1812: The War of 1812-15 was a bloody confrontation that tore through the American frontier, the British colonies of Upper and lower Canada, and parts of the Atlantic coast and te Gulf o Mexico. The conflict saw British, American, and Firs nations forces clash, and in the process, shape the future of North American history.

BYZANTIUM AT WAR: Byzantium survived for 800 years, yei its dominions and power fluctuated dramatically during that time. John Haldon tells the story from the days when the Empire was barely clinging on to survival, to the age when its fabulous wealth attracted Viking mercenaries and Asian nomad warriors to its armies, their very appearance on the field enough to bring enemies to Ferms.

FRENCH WARS 1667•1714: Campaigns fought by Louis XIV, the Sun King, shaped the borders of European states, the destinies of royal dynasties, and even the patterns of absolutist government. This book presents the most authoritative yet accessible and succinct account of these all-important struggles available today, covering every aspect of the wars from decisions made by the king at his palace at Versailles to the life of the troops encamped in the field.

W.W.II EUROPE: This book details the first four years of the war in Europe. It discusses how and why Hitler's resurgent Germany plunged into war, and examines the German successes against Poland, France, and the Low Countries as well as the initial, spectacular triumphs against the Soviet Union.

WWII NORTHWEST EUROPE: This book examines the seminal Northwest Europe campaign of the Second World War. This hard-fought campaign conducted by the Western Allies against the Germans during 194445 represented, for the former, the decisive theatre of the entire Second World War. This victory ensured that the scourge of Nazism was finally expunged from the face of Europe.

Arab Israeli Conflict Palestine 1948: The Palestine War has been by far the most important military encounter in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. This book examines the origins of the war and its progression through two distinct stages: the guerrilla warfare between the Arab and Jewish communities of Mandatory Palestine, and the conventional inter-state war between the State of Israel and the invading Arab armies.

Russo Japanese War: The Russo-Japanese war saw the first defeat of a major European imperialist power by an Asian country. This book explains the background and outbreak of the war, then Follows the course of the fighting at Yalu River, Sha-ho, and finally Mukden, the largest baBle anywhere in the world before the First World War.

The Thirty Years War: More than three and a half centuries have passed since the Peace of Westphalia ended the Thirty Years' War (1618-48); but this most devastating of wars in the early modern period continues to capture the imagination of readers. The Thirty Years' War remains a conflict of key importance in the history of the development of warfare and the 'military revolution', and this book reveals why.

War In Japan 1467-1614: In 1467 the Onin War ushered in a period of unrivaled conflict and rivalry in Japan that came to be called the Age of Warring States. In this book Stephen Turnbull offers a masterly exposition of the wars, explaining what led to Japan's disintegration into warring states after more than a century of peace, the years of fighting that Followed, and the period of gradual fusion when the daimyo strove to reunite Japan under a new Shogun.

The Second World War (3) The War At Sea: This volume provides a comprehensive guide to three major theatres of combat; the battles for the Atlantic, the war in the Mediterranean and the contest in the Indian Ocean.

First World War Mediterranean Front: The First World War in the Mediterranean represented more than just a peripheral theatre to the war on the western front. This engaging volume includes details of allied attempts to capture Constantinople; bloody campaigning in Northern Italy; the defense of the Suez Canal and the defeat of the Turkish army in Palestine. The Arab revolt, skirmishes in North Africa and the entrapment of a huge allied garrison in Greece - the 'worlds biggest prison camp' as the Germans described it - are also covered.

Second World War Eastern Front 41 -45: In 1940, fresh from the success in France, Hitler turned his attention to the East. In this volume Geoffrey Jukes explains what led to Hitler's decision to instigate the invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa) and offers a concise account of the campaign that followed.

Wars Of Alexander The Great 336-343BC: The age of Alexander and his conquest of the Persian or Achaemenid Empire, which had existed for over two centuries, represents a watershed in the history of the world. This book offers a fascinating insight into the achievements of one of the greatest generals ever known.

Mexican War 1846-48: The war with Mexico was the most decisive conflict in American history. This book covers the full course of the war, ending with General Winfield Scott's march from the captured port of Vera Cruz to Mexico City, fighting all the way.

WW1 Western Front 19161918: In this, the second volume covering the war on the Western Front, Peter Simkins describes the last great battles of attrition at Arras, on the Aisne and at Passchendaele in 1917. He then moves on to relate the successive offensives launched by Germany in the spring and summer of 1918 in an effort to achieve victory or a favorable peace before American manpower proved decisive.

IranIraq War: The Iran-Iraq War, which ended in August 1988, one month short of its eighth anniversary, was one of the longest, bloodiest and costliest Third World armed conflicts in the twentieth century. Professor Karsh addresses the causes of the Iran-Iraq War, assesses the war's military lessons regarding such key areas as strategy, tactics and escalation, and examines the utility of armed force as an instrument of foreign policy.

The Falklands War 1985: The Argentine invasion of the Falklands in 1982 sparked national outrage and Britain felt she had to avenge the humiliation and protect her own. This volume explores both the military and political dimensions of this important action, including detailed accounts of the air/sea battle, the Battle for San Carlos, Goose Green, Mt Harriet, Tumbledown and many others.

The Napoleonic Wars Peninsular War: Napoleon's occupation of the Iberian peninsula embroiled him in a protracted and costly war against British, Spanish and Portuguese forces ultimately by one of histoty's greatest commanders - the Duke of Wellington. No mere sideshow to the other campaigns of the period, the Peninsular War made a significant contribution to Napoleon's eventual downfall.

The Punic Wars 26•186 BC: The three Punic Wars lasted nearly 100 years, from 264 BC to 146 BC., representing a struggle for supremacy in the Mediterranean between the bludgeoning land power of Rome and the great maritime power of Carthage. This book reveals how the dramas and tragedies of the Punic Wars exemplify many political and military lessons which are as relevant today as when Hannibal and Scipio Africanus fought to determine the course of history in the Mediterranean.

The Second World War in the Pacific: The war in the Pacific began with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 and ended with the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, which led to the surrender in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945. This book explores the many facets of this complicated conflict, which reshaped the face of Asia and splintered forever European invincibility as a colonial power.

First World War - East Front 1914• 18: This book unravels the complicated and tragic events of the Eastern Front in the First World War. The author details Russia's sudden attack on German forces, despite her inadequate resources. A crushing defeat at Tannenburg was followed by Germany inflicting humiliation after humiliation on desperate Russian troops. Morale plummeted, the army began to disintegrate, and the Tsar was forced to abdicate, paving the way for the Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917.

First World War - West Front 1914•16: More than 80 years on, the Great War continues to fascinate us and to cast long shadows over the world in which we live. For Britain, the effort and sacrifice involved in creating and sustaining its first-ever and biggest-ever mass citizen army, and in helping to defeat the main enemy in the decisive theatre of operations, left deep emotional and psychological scars that have influenced much of the nation's subsequent history and that are still felt today.

Norman Invasion: This book provides a full introduction to the Norman Conquest, an event which would link the English kingdom with Europe, especially France, for 500 years. It completely changed the nation's aristocracy, church and administration, bringing in a new language and cultural influences. Today, the Conquest is still a hotly debated issue, popularly regarded as the last time that England was successfully invaded, while sites associated with the Conquest - Battle Abbey, the White Tower - are important tourist locations.

Korean War: The Korean War was a significant turning point in the Cold War. This book explains how the conflict in a small peninsula in East Asia had a tremendous impact on the entire international system and the balance of power between the two super-powers, America and Russia.

Seven Years' War: The closest thing to total war before World War One, the Seven Years' War was fought in North America, Europe, the Carribean and India with major consequences for all parties involved. This fascinating book is the first to truly review the ground strategies of the combatants and examine the differing styles of warfare used in the many campaigns.

American Civil War Western 1861-63: The American Civil War's vast Western Theater witnessed enormously important military campaigning during the period 1861-1863. This book, the third in a four-book series, examines the geographical, logistical and strategic factors that shaped fighting in this theater of the American Civil War, as well as assessing officers who played key roles.

French Revolutionary Wars: Europe's great powers formed two powerful coalitions against France, yet force of numbers, superior leadership and the patriotic fervor of France's citizen-soldiers not only defeated each in turn, but closed the era of small, professional armies fighting for limited political objectives. This period produced commanders whose names remain a b-word for excellence in leadership to this day, Napoleon and Nelson.

American Civil War Eastern 1863-65: Great battles and famous commanders dominated the military history of the Civil War in the Eastern Theater during the period 1863-1865. This book includes revealing details of the clash at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the costliest battle ever waged in the Western Hemisphere, but contrary to common belief, puts forward the theory that it was not a great turning point in the war. This book also examines the events that led to Robert E Lee accepting generous terms of surrender from Ulysses S. Grant, bringing the war in Virginia to a close.

American Civil War Eastern 1861-63: The United States saw long-simmering sectional tensions erupt into fighting at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, in April 1861, beginning what would become the most cataclysmic military struggle in the western world between Waterloo and the First World War. This volume focuses on events in the Virginia theater during the conflict's first two years, highlighting Union and Confederate strengths and weaknesses, leadership and strategy on each side, and the ways in which events on the battlefield influenced politics, diplomacy, and debates about emancipation.

Crimean War: This bitter war between Russia and Turkey, added by Britain and France, was the setting for the stuff of legends. This book details the gallant yet suicidal Charge of the Light Brigade, now immortalized in film. It relates the reports made by the first real war correspondent, William Russell of the London Times - reports which served only to highlight the army's problems - and memorializes the heroic deed of Florence Nightingale, who struggled to save young men from the most formidable enemy in the Crimean War: cholera.

Crusades: Born amid immense suffering and bloodshed the Kingdom of Jerusalem remained a battlefield for almost 200 years. The Crusades gave rise to the Military Orders of the Templars and Hopitallers, and were a backdrop to the careers of some of history's most famous leaders including Richard the Lionheart and Saladin.

Napoleonic Wars: While Napoleon prepared his army, on the coast of France, for an invasion of England, Russia and Austria prepared to move against his rear. Napoleon turned on the allies and crushed them in one of history's greatest campaigns. The following year, he met the legendary army of Frederick the Great and annihilated it completely. The year after it was Russia's turn again, and though the northern winter was the major foe, it could not save the Tsar. How had Napoleon done this? Why were his methods, and his army, different?