December 2022 MBR The American History Shelf

The American History Shelf

The Fortress Kingdom
Paul Hill
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781399010610, $42.95, HC, 264pp

https://www.amazon.com/Fortress-Kingdom-Aethelflaed-Edward-899-927/dp/1399010611

Synopsis: "The Fortress Kingdom: The Wars of Aethelflaed and Edward the Elder, 899-927" is the second part of historian Paul Hill's four-volume military and political history of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom and follows the careers of Aethelfl d, Alfred the Great's eldest daughter, and Edward the Elder, Alfred's eldest son, as they campaigned to expand their rule after Alfred's death. They faced, as Alfred had done, the full force of Danish hostility during the early years of the tenth century, a period of unrelenting turbulence and open warfare. But through their military strength, in particular their strategy of fortress building, they retained their hold on the kingdom and conquered lands which had been under Danish lords for generations.

Aethelfl d's forces captured Derby and Leicester by both force and diplomacy. Edward's power was always immense. How each of them used forts (burhs) to hold territory, is explored. Fortifications across central England became key. These included Bridgnorth, Tamworth, Stafford, Warwick, Chirbury and Runcorn (Aethelfl d) and also Hertford, Witham, Buckingham, Bedford and Maldon (Edward), to name a few.

Paul Hill's absorbing narrative incorporates the latest theories and evidence for the military organization and capabilities of the Anglo-Saxons and their Danish adversaries. "The Fortress Kingdom" gives the reader a detailed and dramatic insight into a very sophisticated Anglo-Saxon kingdom.

Critique: Exhaustively researched, impressively well written, exceptional in both organization and presentation, "The Fortress Kingdom: The Wars of Aethelflaed and Edward the Elder, 899-927" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic library Medieval British History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "The Fortress Kingdom" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99) for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Editorial Note: Paul Hill (https://www.paulhillauthor.co.uk) is the former curator of Kingston Upon Thames Museum in Surrey, and is well known as a lecturer, author and expert on Anglo-Saxon and Norman history and military archaeology. He has written several books on these subjects, among them The Age of Athelstan: Britain's Forgotten History, The Viking Wars of Alfred the Great and The Anglo-Saxons at War 800-1066.

The Anglo-Saxons At War 800-1066
Paul Hill
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781848843691, $39.95, HC, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Anglo-Saxons-at-War-Paul-Hill/dp/1848843690

Synopsis: In the time of the great Anglo-Saxon kings like Alfred and Athelstan, 'thelred and Edmund Ironside, what was warfare really like - how were the armies organized, how and why did they fight, how were the warriors armed and trained, and what was the Anglo-Saxon experience of war?

As Paul Hill demonstrates in his compelling new study, "The Anglo-Saxons at War 800-1066", based on documentary records and the growing body of archaeological evidence, answers these questions with authority. Hill's broad, detailed and graphic account of the conduct of war in the Anglo-Saxon world in the unstable, violent centuries before the Norman Conquest will be illuminating reading for anyone who wants to learn about this key stage of medieval history.

The role of violence and war in Anglo-Saxon society is explored, in particular the parts played by the king and the noblemen, and the means by which, in times of danger, the men of the fyrd were summoned to fight. The controversial subject of the Anglo-Saxon use of cavalry is also explored. Land and naval warfare are central sections of "The Anglo-Saxons at War 800-1066", and also covers the politics and diplomacy of warfare -- the conduct of negotiations, the taking of hostages and the use of treachery.

The weapons and armor of the Anglo-Saxons are described including the spears, the scramsaxes, axes, bows, swords, helmets, shields and mail that were employed in the close-quarter fighting of the day. Among the most valuable sections of this historical study are those dealing, in vivid detail, with actual experience of battle and siege -- with the brutal reality of combat as it is revealed by campaigns against the Danes, in the battles of Ashdown, Maldon and Stamford Bridge, and sieges at Reading and Rochester.

Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of maps, tables, figures, an appendix (Rulers of the English c. 871-1066), a bibliography and an index, "The Anglo-Saxons at War 800-1066" is a key addition to both community and academic library Medieval British History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Anglo-Saxons at War 800-1066" is also avalable in a paperback edition (9781399077156, $26.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $1.99).

Editorial Note: Paul Hill ((https://www.paulhillauthor.co.uk) is the author of a number of history books about Anglo-Saxon, Viking and Norman warfare, including "The Age of Athelstan - Britain's Forgotten History" Paul has explored the strengths and weaknesses of the western military powers of the medieval period in each of his books, but has recently branched into a long overdue analysis of how one particular crusading group (the Knights Templar) prosecuted their wars. Paul has appeared on TV in 'Battlefield Detectives - Massacre at Waterloo' and 'Bloodbath at Hastings' in which he focused on the military consequences of the challenges of the landscape.

Military History of Late Rome 565-602
Ilkka Syvanne
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781848848528, $52.95, HC, 432pp

https://www.amazon.com/Military-History-Late-Rome-565-602/dp/1848848528

Synopsis: With the publication of "Military History of Late Rome 565-602", Professor Ilkka Syvanne provides a new fresh analysis of the Roman Empire in the aftermath of the reconquests of Justinian I (527-65). It is often claimed that Justinian overstretched the Roman resources, but this analysis proves that view wrong. It demonstrates that the initial troubles were largely the result of the mistakes of Justin II (565-78) and that his successors, Tiberius II (578-82) and Maurice (582-602), not only restored its fortunes but were, at the time of the death of Maurice, actually poised to complete the reconquests of Justinian.

It was thanks to the reforms of Maurice, which were codified in the military treatise the Strategikon, that the Roman army had achieved a position of relative superiority over all of its enemies so that by 602 the Romans had decisively defeated the Persians, Slavs and Avars and were poised to complete the project of reconquest. These gains, however, were lost when Maurice was murdered in a military mutiny which brought Phocas to power.

"Military History of Late Rome 565-602" explains why the Roman army overthrew one of the greatest Roman emperors who ever lived. This was an era of epic battles so it is not a surprise that the author also pays particular attention to the period tactics and analyses all of the period battles in great detail. These include for example such battles as Melitene, Constantia, Sirmium, Nymphius River, Solanchon, Lake Urmiah, Plain of Canzak, Iatrus, and the epic battles of Priscus and Comentiolus in the Balkans.

Critique: "Military History of Late Rome 565-602" continues Professor Ilkka Syvanne's Roman military history series that began with "Military History of Late Rome 518 - 565". Informatively enhanced with the inclusion of maps, diagrams, a section of full color plates, two Appendices (The First Turkish Empire; The Couched Lance Technique and the Strategikon), twenty-nine pages of Notes, a six page Bibliography, and a twenty-nine page Index, "Military History of Late Rome 565 - 602" is a prized and recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library Roman History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Military History of Late Rome 565-602" is also available to students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Military History of Late Rome 565-602" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $24.99).

Editorial Note: Ilkka Syvanne (https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Ilkka-Syvanne/a/2164) gained his doctorate in history in 2004 from the University of Tampere in his native Finland. Since then he has written extensively about ancient and medieval warfare and his publications include: 'The Age of Hippotoxotai, Art of War in Roman Military Revival and Disaster 491-636' (Tampere UP 2004), 'The Reign of Gallienus' (Pen & Sword, 2019), the multivolume 'Military History of Late Rome' published by Pen & Sword and the critically acclaimed Caracalla. He is the co-author with Professor Katarzyna Maksymiuk of the 'Military History of Third Century Iran' (Siedlce UP, 2018) and the 'Military History of Fifth Century Iran' (Siedlce UP, 2019). He was Vice Chairman of the Finnish Society for Byzantine Studies from 2007 until 2016. Currently residing in Kangasala, Finland, he has been an Affiliated Professor of the University of Haifa since 2016.

Women of the American Revolution
Samantha Wilcoxson
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781399001007, $29.95, HC, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Women-American-Revolution-Samantha-Wilcoxson/dp/1399001000

Synopsis: With the publication of "Women of the American Revolution", author Samantha Wilcoxson explores the trials of war and daily life for women in the United States during the War of Independence. What challenges were caused by the division within communities as some stayed loyal to the king and others became patriots? How much choice did women have as their loyalties were assumed to be that of their husbands or fathers?

The lives of women of the American Revolution will be examined through an intimate look at some significant women of the era. Many names will be familiar, such as Martha Washington who traveled to winter camps to care for her husband and rally the troops and Abigail Adams who ran the family's farms and raised children during John's long absences. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, popularized by Lin Manual Miranda's Hamilton, was also an early activist working tirelessly for multiple social causes. Decide for yourself if the espionage of Agent 355 or the ride of Sybil Ludington are history or myth.

Not all American women served the side of the revolutionaries. Peggy Shippen gambled on the loyalist side and paid severe consequences. From early historian Mercy Otis Warren to Dolley Madison, who defined what it means to be a US First Lady, women of the American Revolution strived to do more than they had previously thought possible during a time of hardship and civil war.

Critique: A simply fascinating, comprehensive, and informative study, "Women of the American Revolution" by Samantha Wilcoxson is a factual history that reads with the narrative style of a deftly crafted historical novel. Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of eighteen pages of Notes, a two page Bibliography, and a three page Index, "Women of the American Revolution" is unreservedly recommended for community and academic library American History and Women's History collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, and non-specialist readers with an interest in the subject that "Women of the American Revolution" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.49).

Editorial Note: Samantha Wilcoxson (https://www.facebook.com/PlantagenetEmbers) is an author of historical fiction and administrator of a history blog. She has written four full-length novels, three novellas, and two middle grade chapter books. Topics of her writing have ranged from the Wars of the Roses to America's Civil Rights Movement. Samantha is passionate about history and exploring the personal side of events. In her writing, she urges the reader to truly experience what it might have felt like to live through a moment in history. Samantha's most recent novel is biographical fiction featuring Catherine Donohue, one of America's "radium girls." She features in Hauntings, an anthology published by the Historical Writers Forum.

A Contest of Civilizations
Andrew F. Lang
University of North Carolina Press
116 South Boundary Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514-3808
https://uncpress.org
9781469672496, $37.50, HC, 568pp

https://www.amazon.com/Contest-Civilizations-Exposing-Exceptionalism-Littlefield/dp/1469660075

Synopsis: Most mid-nineteenth-century Americans regarded the United States as an exceptional democratic republic that stood apart from a world seemingly riddled with revolutionary turmoil and aristocratic consolidation. Viewing themselves as distinct from and even superior to other societies, Americans considered their nation an unprecedented experiment in political moderation and constitutional democracy.

But as abolitionism in England, economic unrest in Europe, and upheaval in the Caribbean and Latin America began to influence domestic affairs, the foundational ideas of national identity also faced new questions. And with the outbreak of civil war, as two rival governments each claimed the mantle of civilized democracy, the United States' claim to unique standing in the community of nations dissolved into crisis. Could the Union chart a distinct course in human affairs when slaveholders, abolitionists, free people of color, and enslaved African Americans all possessed irreconcilable definitions of nationhood?

"A Contest of Civilizations: Exposing the Crisis of American Exceptionalism in the Civil War Era" is sweeping history of political ideas as Professor Andrew F. Lang reappraises the Civil War era as a crisis of American exceptionalism. Through this lens, Lang shows how the intellectual, political, and social ramifications of the war and its meaning rippled through the decades that followed, not only for the nation's own people but also in the ways the nation sought to redefine its place on the world stage.

Critique: An impressive work of detailed and erudite scholarship by historian and academician Andrew F. Lang, "A Contest of Civilizations: Exposing the Crisis of American Exceptionalism in the Civil War Era" is enhanced with the inclusion of a Prologue (The Young Men's Lyceum), an Epilogue (The Paradox of Civilization), a four page listing of Acknowledgments, seventy-two pages of Notes, a fifty-four page Bibliography, and a nineteen page Index. Comprehensive, insightful, thought- provoking, exceptional, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "A Contest of Civilizations" is unreservedly recommended as a core addition to community and academic library 19th Century American History collections in general, as well as supplemental curriculum American Slavery/Abolition/Emancipation studies in particular. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, historians, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "A Contest of Civilizations" is also available in both a paperback edition (9781469672496, $29.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Editorial Note: Andrew F. Lang (https://www.history.msstate.edu/directory/afl78) is Beverly B. and Gordon W. Gulmon Scholar in the Humanities and associate professor of history at Mississippi State University.

This Land Was Saved for You and Me
Jeffrey H. Ryan
Stackpole Books
5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6921
www.stackpolebooks.com
9780811771665, $26.95, HC, 232pp

https://www.amazon.com/This-Land-Was-Saved-You/dp/0811771660

Synopsis: "This Land Was Saved for You and Me: How Gifford Pinchot, Frederick Law Olmsted, and a Band of Foresters Rescued America's Public Lands" by Jeffrey H. Ryan is the story of how America's public lands (our city parks, national forests, and wilderness areas) came into being, the history of which can be traced to a few conservation pioneers and proteges who shaped policy and advocated for open spaces. Some, like Frederick Law Olmsted and Gifford Pinchot, are well known, while others have never been given their due.

Ryan covers the nearly century-long period between 1865 (when Olmsted contributed to the creation of Yosemite as a park and created its management plan) to the signing of the Wilderness Act of 1964. Olmsted influenced Pinchot, who became the first head of the National Forest Service, and in turn, Pinchot hired the foresters who became the founders of The Wilderness Society and creators of the Wilderness Act itself.

This fascinating history emphasizes the cast of characters (among them Theodore Roosevelt, Bob Marshall, Benton MacKaye, Aldo Leopold, and Howard Zahniser) and provides context for their decisions and the political and economic factors that contributed to the triumphs and pitfalls in the quest to protect public lands.

It is of interest to note that in researching this history, Ryan traveled to the places where these crusaders lived, worked, and were inspired to take up the cause to make public lands accessible to all.

Critique: Fascinating, informative, exceptional, and unreservedly recommended for inclusion in community and academic library American Environmental History collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, environmental activists, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "This Land Was Saved for You and Me: How Gifford Pinchot, Frederick Law Olmsted, and a Band of Foresters Rescued America's Public Lands" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.49).

Editorial Note: Jeffrey H. Ryan (https://www.jeffryanauthor.com) is passionate about the outdoors and the conservation of public land, whose work has been cited in Forbes, USA Today, Appalachia and other notable publications. He is the author of Appalachian Odyssey (2016) and Blazing Ahead (2017).

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