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02 Sep 2010 | |
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The Asian Military Revolution. From Gunpowder to the Bomb.
LORGE, PETER A. Stock ID: 123681 Maps, 188pp, index, paperback. Records show that the Chinese invented gunpowder in the 800s. By the 1200s they had unleashed the first weapons of war upon their unsuspecting neighbours. This extraordinarily ambitious book traces the history of that invention and its impact on the surrounding Asian world - Korea, Japan, South East Asia and South Asia - from the ninth through the twentieth century. As the book makes clear, the spread of war and its technology had devastating consequences on the political and cultural fabric of those early societies although each reacted very differently. The book, which is packed with information about military strategy, interregional warfare and the development of armaments, also engages with the major debates and challenges traditional thinking on Europe's contribution to military technology in Asia. Articulate and comprehensive, this book will be a welcome addition to the undergraduate classroom and to all those interested in Asian studies and military history. (When referring to this item please quote stockid 123681) ... more |
AU$39.95 |
| Fire and Movement Bargain-basement Warfare in the Far East
WELLER, JAC Stock ID: 130120 268pp, index, paperback. History has a nasty habit of repeating itself. Fire and Movement was written during the war against communist guerrillas in Vietnam, but we can still learn much from it about fighting terrorists in the current war in Iraq. This is not another dry rehash of ideas from some self-proclaimed armchair expert. Jac Weller, a leading expert on small arms and military tactics, traveled more than 45,000 miles throughout the Far East researching this book. Each chapter gives a good understanding of the military and political aspects of a specific war not only in Vietnam but the bargain basement wars in Malaysia and the Philippines as well without getting bogged down with unnecessary details. Weller also provides his own live-fire descriptions and photographs of the military weapons and other equipment in use at the time by the various armies in the region, and he describes actual firefights to underscore his opinions. For anyone who wants to understand the basic military and political principles of combating guerrillas, this book is a must-read. The general summary is written in such a way that the words Vietnam and Communist could be replaced with Iraq and Islamic and the arguments would still make sense. Because many of his predictions about unconventional warfare have come to pass, Wellers analysis of guerrilla, or asymmetric, warfare is as relevant and accurate today as it was 40 years ago. (When referring to this item please quote stockid 130120) ... more |
AU$49.95 |