FIGHTING MEN: How Men Have Fought through the Ages

As the authors point out, no matter how great the desire for peace in any age, the arts of war exert a fatal fascination, especially on the male imagination. The seven types of fighting men described here are lost to modern warfare, their functions difficult to imagine. Mr. Treece and Mr. Oakeshott have combined forces to track down and delineate everything that is known about: charioteers, Roman soldiers, Vikings, cavalry, bowmen, pikemen, and musketeers. The book is especially good in describing the fighting skills required by the special weaponry of each major group or period--what it felt like to be one of these warriors. Excellent.