This guide to the declining centuries of the Roman military is handy for scholars but sometimes rough going for the general reader. Southern and Dixon (both scholars at the Univ. of Newcastle upon Tyne) show an impressive command of the texts and artifacts documenting the transformation of the Roman army from the late second to the early sixth centuries. The authors synthesize past findings, summarize debates, and contribute their own opinions in a manner useful to serious students of the period. However, the book almost seems designed to ward off casual visitors. Chapter One deals with sources—an undramatic way to begin. The next two chapters cover loosely connected topics: predecessors of the military reformers Diocletian and Constantine; changing frontier troop levels; the establishment of a central field reserve; the increasing number of barbarians drawn into the army. Missing are a coherent overview of the period and sufficient historical context to orient the lay reader; timelines and a glossary help but are not enough. The book's remaining chapters are more accessible, even fun. Under such headings as ``Equipment'' and ``Fortifications,'' they offer concrete specifics and eye-catching illustrations on such matters as helmets, scabbards, rations, and the practice of cutting off one's own fingers to avoid the draft. Technical details are provided for specialists, while the armchair Romanist can enjoy learning just how fire darts and battering rams work. A chapter on the decline in army morale makes connections to 20th-century war; a short conclusion captures some of the pathos inherent in Gibbon's old subject matter. The generally dry style exhibits flashes of wit, as in this wry comment regarding ancient bureaucratic correspondences: ``How the Romans would have loved telephones.'' (line drawings, maps, 16 pages b&w photos)
Pub Date: Sept. 18, 1996
ISBN: 0-300-05852-7
Page Count: 206
Publisher: Yale Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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