History's Greatest General.[Book Review]Every Penny paid.

Each of the 30 beautifully prepared double page spreads describes the life, career, tactical traits and conquests of one of history's greatest military commanders.

On the downside, this book won't provide you with a detailed biography on each commander, and nor does it go into any great written detail about any single commander's greatest battles.

However this books wins in so many other ways. The overview of each individual, from Julius Caesar, through Hannibal, via Rommel, to Norman Schwarzkopf (to name a few), is superb. You really get a feel for where these people came from and how they rose to become masters of the battlefield. I was particularly surprised at how objectively the work had been pulled together, as it celebrates the command skills of those whom we might traditionally look upon as both friend and foe.

Each page is well thought through, with punchy text, bright, clear graphics - most of which is contemporary artwork - and break-out boxes containing further interesting information. Above all - the pièce de résistance - are the pull-out, folded battle maps. Fantastic!! Each map covers troop movements and engagement plans for a famous and challenging battle, one for each commander. Frankly, they make the book - it is a more interactive, more engaging and tactile work as a result of their inclusion.

This is a very good effort. Its a beastie of a coffee table book, sort of "pop-up" for grown-ups with a military history interest. I must admit, I thought it was worth every single penny.