Author:Dan Snow,Peter Snow
In this riveting book, political journalist Peter Snow and military historian Dan Snow bring to life the most intense and bitterly fought battles of the 20th century - from the apocalyptic terrain of the Western Front to the desert landscape of Iraq. Punctuated by powerful eyewitness testimony, their compelling and often shocking narrative highlights the strategy of military commanders as well as the experience of men on the frontline. 20th Century Battlefields looks back at the most violent century in history and examines the challenges facing armed forces in the future.
This is the most accurate and insightful account of the Gulf War I have read
—— Norman SchwarzkopfA gripping account...told with insight, a keen sense of drama and the benefit of a good deal of fresh interview material
—— Avi Shlaim, Professor of International Relations, Oxford UniversityPeter and Dan Snow have written a vivid account of one of the most important battles in the history of the British army. The forgotten victory at Amiens is given the recognition it deserves.
—— Hew Strachan, Professor of History of War, Oxford UniversityFor someone who would like to know what it is to feel identifiably English, Sir Roy provides a useful tour
—— Simon Heffer , Spectator[Askwith] succeeds handsomely, ferreting out a remarkable array of old-timers...their disappearing world captured vividly
—— Culture, The Sunday Timesa worthy quest
—— Independent on SundayMoving and extremely well-documented
—— Oxford MailBrilliant ... Mishra reverses the long gaze of the West upon the East, showing modern history as it has been felt by the majority of the world's population - from Turkey to China. These are the amazing stories of the grandfathers of today's angry Asians. Excellent
—— Orhan PamukJolts our historical imagination ... a book of vast and wondrous learning and delightful and surprising associations that will give a new meaning to liberation geography
—— Hamid Dabashi (Professor of Iranian Studies, Columbia University, New York)After Edward Said's masterpiece Orientalism, From the Ruins of Empire offers another bracing view of the history of the modern world. Pankaj Mishra [is] a brilliant author of wide learning ... skillful and captivating narration
—— Wang Hui (Professor of Chinese Intellectual History, Tsinghua University, Beijing)Pankaj Mishra has produced a riveting account that makes new and illuminating connections. He follows the intellectual trail of this contested history with both intelligence and moral clarity. In the end we realise that what we are holding in our hands is not only a deeply entertaining and deeply humane book, but a balance sheet of the nature and mentality of colonisation
—— Hisham MatarHighly readable and illuminating ... Mishra's analysis of Muslim reactions is particularly topical
—— David Goodall , TabletEnormously ambitious but thoroughly readable, this book is essential reading for everyone who is interested in the processes of change that have led to the emergence of today's Asia
—— Amitav Ghosh , Wall Street JournalSophisticated ... not so much polemic as cri de coeur, motivated by Mishra's keen sense of the world, East and West, hurtling towards its own destruction
—— Tehelka, New DelhiOutstanding ... Mishra wears his scholarship lightly and weaves together the many strands of history into a gripping narrative ... The insights afforded by this book are too many to be enumerated ... Mishra performs a signal service to the future - by making us read the past in a fresh light
—— The Hindu, New Delhi[Full of] complexity and nuance
—— Mail TodaySubtle, erudite and entertaining
—— Financial ExpressMishra allows the reader to see the events of two centuries anew, through the eyes of the journalists, poets, radicals and charismatics who criss-crossed Europe and Asia
—— Free Press JournalA vital, nuanced argument ... prodigious
—— Mint