Vivid and compelling

It is hard to see how Keegan's masterful and thought-provoking book could be beaten

In its range and sweep, this book is difficult to better and promises to become the definitive account of the conflict

One of our finest military historians, Keegan brings a shrewd and discerning eye to [the] conflict... compelling

The best military historian of our day

As a military historian John Keegan has the qualities of the best commanders

Keegan's historical command is dazzling

John Keegan brings his subject alive and is particularly good on how unreliably nasty (yes, nasty is surely the word) war can be, and what it does to the men whose job is to take part in it

Keegan tells the story of war between the industrial North and the agricultural South, and that's very good. But what I loved most, and what Keegan is always superb at, is analysis

You would be hard pressed to find a better written one-volume history of this epic struggle

Illuminating

A captivating narrative, huge in scope

Carter deftly interpolates history with psychobiography to provide a damning indictment of monarchy in all its forms

A depiction of bloated power and outsize personalities in which Carter picks apart the strutting absurdity of the last emperors on the eve of catastrophe

Takes what should have been a daunting subject and through sheer wit and narrative élan turns it into engaging drama. Carter has a notable gift for characterisation

Facts and figures say a great deal, but the most compelling accounts come from those who featured in the battle. Like any good author, Holland allows the participants to tell the story in their own words