"The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World" by Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy is a seminal work in military history, providing insightful historical analysis into pivotal conflicts that shaped the course of civilizations. Creasy meticulously examines each battle, highlighting their strategic significance and global impact as turning points in the trajectory of human history. Through detailed accounts of warfare, tactics, and leadership, Creasy offers readers a comprehensive understanding of conquest and conflict. From ancient empires to medieval sieges and modern warfare, each battle serves as a lens through which Creasy explores the rise and fall of civilizations. With a keen focus on decisive moments and pivotal victories, Creasy illuminates the dynamic interplay of strategy and leadership that determined the outcomes of these historic encounters. From Alexander the Great's triumph at Gaugamela to the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, each battle resonates with lessons on the complexities of warfare and the consequences of military decisions. "The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World" stands as a testament to Creasy's expertise in military history and his ability to distill complex historical events into compelling narratives of conquest, conflict, and ultimate victory.

History has tended to measure war's winners and losers in terms of its major engagements, battles in which the result was so clear-cut that they could be considered "decisive." Cannae, Konigsberg, Austerlitz, Midway, Agincourt-all resonate in the literature of war and in our imaginations as tide-turning. But these legendary battles may or may not have determined the final outcome of the wars in which they were fought. Nor has the "genius" of the so-called Great Captains - from Alexander the Great to Frederick the Great and Napoleon - play a major role. Wars are decided in other ways. Cathal J. Nolan's The Allure of Battle systematically and engrossingly examines the great battles, tracing what he calls "short-war thinking," the hope that victory might be swift and wars brief. As he proves persuasively, however, such has almost never been the case. Even the major engagements have mainly contributed to victory or defeat by accelerating the erosion of the other side's defences. Massive conflicts, the so-called "people's wars," beginning with Napoleon and continuing until 1945, have consisted of and been determined by prolonged stalemate and attrition, industrial wars in which the determining factor has been not military but matériel. Nolan's masterful book places battles squarely and mercilessly within the context of the wider conflict in which they took place. In the process it help corrects a distorted view of battle's role in war, replacing popular images of the "battles of annihilation" with somber appreciation of the commitments and human sacrifices made throughout centuries of war particularly among the Great Powers. Accessible, provocative, exhaustive, and illuminating, The Allure of Battle will spark fresh debate about the history and conduct of warfare.

"This is a fascinating view of the most important battles as seen from the perspective of 1851... Since it was written over 160 years ago and should not be expected to reflect modern sensibilities.While many of us are at least aware of the battle of Marathon, the battle of Arbela and Metaurus are not nearly so well remembered today. Look back a century and a half to see what they thought, which were the most important conflicts, and how they saw them.Well worth spending a quiet evening in the company of Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy. His view is very Eurocentric, and his faith is a reflection of "Musclular Christianity", a concept popular at the time of this books creation. This was written in the heyday of the "New Imperialism" that saw European, American, and Asian expansion that went well into the the 20th century and culminated in World War II." -- From a published review.

Presents the twenty most crucial battles of all time, explaining how each conflict represents a historical epoch that triggered profound transformations and significantly shaped the development of the modern world.

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Why buy our paperbacks? Expedited shipping High Quality Paper Made in USA Standard Font size of 10 for all books 30 Days Money Back Guarantee BEWARE of Low-quality sellers Don't buy cheap paperbacks just to save a few dollars. Most of them use low-quality papers & binding. Their pages fall off easily. Some of them even use very small font size of 6 or less to increase their profit margin. It makes their books completely unreadable. How is this book unique? Unabridged (100% Original content) Font adjustments & biography included Illustrated The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World from Marathon to Waterloo by Sir Edward Creasy The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World from Marathon to Waterloo is a book written by Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy and published in 1851. This book tells the story of the fifteen military engagements (from Marathon to Waterloo) which, according to the author, had a significant impact on world history. The selection reflects the worldview of a 19th-century European with a classical education: fourteen of the battles took place in the arc of historically interconnected military theatres which stretched from Persia through the Mediterranean Basin to Europe, and one was fought by European powers and former colonies in North America.