March 2023 MBR The World History Shelf

The World History Shelf

A History and Guide to Scottish Castles
Jenna Maxwell
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399016131, $36.95, HC, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/History-Guide-Scottish-Castles/dp/139901613X

Synopsis: At one time, Scotland was home to more than 4,000 castles. It's an extraordinary number for such a small country and today, around 3,000 still stand. Some are world famous, others have inspired great works of literature, while others have lit up the silver screen. There are grand, ticketed visitor attractions but there are others which are unassuming structures so tucked away that only the locals seem to know about them.

From the triangular-shaped Caerlaverock Castle in Dumfries and Galloway to the imposing New Slains Castle in Aberdeenshire, and from the magnificent fortress that dominates the Edinburgh skyline to the haunting battlements that stand on the banks of Loch Ness, each tower tells a story, every turret holds a secret and, together, they span centuries of fascinating Scottish history.

With the publication of "A History and Guide to Scottish Castles", jounalist Jenna Maxwell explores the history, architecture, and legends of some of these fascinating fortresses and looks at why they are so appealing to visitors today.

Sharing amazing facts and her own unique experiences, Maxwell takes her readers on an unforgettable tour of some of Scotland's most amazing castles which she has documented on her journey on her Instagram page @queenofthecastles

Critique: Illustrated throughout with numerous black-and-white photos of Scottish castles, "A History and Guide to Scottish Castles" will have a special appeal and value for readers with an interest in Scotland's history, landmarks and monuments -- and of course, its castles. Exceptionally well written, impressively informative, thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "A History and Guide to Scottish Castles" is a particularly recommended contribution to personal, professional, community, and academic library collections. It should be noted that "A History and Guide to Scottish Castles" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $25.00).

Editorial Note: Jenna Maxwell (https://muckrack.com/jenna-maxwell) is a freelance travel and lifestyle journalist from Edinburgh. Over the years, she has written extensively about the country of her birth and a lifelong fascination with its castles, legends and ghost stories has led to this - her first book. She has written for publications including The Telegraph, Buzzfeed, Closer Magazine, The Sun, The Daily Record, Scotland Magazine, and Scottish Field.

Invasion! Rome Against the Cimbri, 113-101 BC
Philip Matyszak
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399097314, $34.95, HC, 208pp

https://www.amazon.com/Invasion-Rome-Against-Cimbri-113-101/dp/1399097318

Synopsis: Partly as a result of poor commanders and partly because the Romans had an innate and misguided belief in the invincibility of their legions, the first battles against the Cimbri were a series of Roman military disasters. These culminated in the Battle of Arausio in 105 BC when two Roman armies were utterly destroyed.

Rome finally realized that their republic faced an existential threat, and made the necessary painful political and military changes that were needed to face that threat. Rome also found a commander who could take on the Cimbri. While Caius Marius was a deeply flawed man -- scheming, cautious to the point of cowardice, and quick to claim credit for the achievements of others. Nevertheless, he was also a massive improvement on the leaders who had preceded him.

The reshaped Roman army eventually worked out how to weather the savage onrush of the initial barbarian assault. Thereafter, the grim discipline of the legions was enough to wear down the opposition. It helped that Marius never fought unless the situation favored him, and as a result his army gradually became accustomed to victory.

Had the Cimbri overwhelmed Rome, as at one time it seemed inevitable that they would, then European history would have been very different.

Critique: A fascinating and informative study, "Invasion! Rome Against the Cimbri, 113-101 BC" by Philip Matyszak is a critically accomplished and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college, and university library Roman History collections in general, and Roman Military Studies supplemental curriculum studies lists in particular. It should be noted for the benefit of students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Invasion! Rome Against the Cimbri, 113-101 BC" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Philip 'Maty' Matyszak (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Matyszak) holds a doctorate in Ancient History from St John's College, Oxford University, and has been studying, teaching and writing on the subject for over twenty years. He specializes in the history of Classical Greece and of the Late Republic and Early Imperial periods of Rome. Maty has personal military experience both as a conscript in Rhodesia and with the Territorial Army in Britain. He currently splits his time between writing in his home in Canada's Monashee Mountains and providing e-learning courses for Cambridge University's Institute of Continuing Education.

The Rise and Fall of the Mounted Knight
Clive Hart
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
9781399082044, $42.95, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fall-Mounted-Knight/dp/1399082043

Synopsis: The medieval mounted knight was a fearsome weapon of war, captivating and horrifying in equal measure, they are a continuing source of fascination. They have been both held up as a paragon of chivalry, whilst often being condemned as oppressive and violent.

Occupying a unique place in history, knights on their warhorses are an enigma hidden behind their metal armor, and seemingly unreachable on their steeds. "The Rise and Fall of the Mounted Knight" by Clive Hart seeks to understand the world of the medieval knight by studying their origins, their accomplishments and their eventual decline.

Forged in the death throes of the Roman Empire, the mounted knight found a place in a harsh and dangerous world where their skills and mentality carved them into history. From the First Crusade to the fields of Scotland, knights could be found, and in this historical study their human side is examined to see how these men came to both rule Europe, and ride into enduring legend.

The challenges facing the mounted knight were vast and deadly, from increasingly professional and competent infantry forces to gunpowder, the rise of political unity and the crunch of finance. The factors which forced the knight into the past help to define who and what they were, as well as the legacy that they have left indelibly imprinted on the world.

The standout feature of "The Rise and Fall of the Mounted Knight" is the focus on the equine half of the partnership, from an author who practices the arts of horsemanship on a daily basis, including combat with sword and lance. The psychology of the horse, refined by the experience of actually training warhorses, has helped the author to add to the body of academic work on the subject. This insight opens up the world of the mounted knight, and importantly and uniquely, challenges the perception of what he and his horse could really do.

Critique: Featuring an informative Introduction, twenty-four pages of Notes, a fourteen page Bibliography, and a four page Index, "The Rise and Fall of the Mounted Knight" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, college, and university library Medieval Warfare History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. With its unusual emphasis on the role of the horse in armored medieval combat, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Rise and Fall of the Mounted Knight" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).

The Battles That Created England 793-1100
Arthur C. Wright
Frontline Books
c/o Casemate Publishers
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.frontline-books.com
9781399087988, $42.95, HC, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Battles-That-Created-England-793-1100/dp/1399087983

Synopsis: In popular imagination the warfare of the Early Middle Ages is often obscure, unstructured, and unimaginative, lost between two military machines, the 'Romans' and the 'Normans', which saw England invaded and partitioned. In point of fact, we have a considerable amount of information at our fingertips and the picture that should emerge is one of English ability in the face of sometimes overwhelming pressures on society, and a resilience that eventually drew the older kingdoms together in new external responses which united the 'English' in a common sense of purpose.

With the publication of "The Battles That Created England 793-1100: How Alfred and his Successors Defeated the Vikings to Unite the Kingdoms", Arthur C. Wright presents the story of how the Saxon kingdoms, which had maintained their independence for generations, were compelled to unite their forces to resist the external threat of the Viking incursions. The kingdoms of East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria, Kent, Essex, Sussex, and Wessex were gradually welded into one as Wessex grew in strength to become the dominant Saxon kingdom.

From the weak AEthelred to the strong Alfred, rightly deserving the epithet 'Great', to the strong, but equally unfortunate, Harold, this era witnessed brutal hand-to-hand battles in congested melees, which are normally portrayed as unsophisticated but deadly brawls. In reality, the warriors of the era were experienced fighters often displaying sophisticated strategies and deploying complex tactics.

Our principal source, replete with reasonably reliable reportage, are the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, comprehensive in collation though subject to oral distortion and mythological excursions. The narrative of these does not appear to flow continuously, leaving too much to imagination but, by creating a complementary matrix of landscapes, topography and communications it is possible to provide convincing scenery into which we can fit other archaeological and philological evidence to show how the English nation was formed in the bloody slaughter of battle.

Critique: A fascinating and informative study that is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, and academic library Medieval Studies collections in general, and British, Norwegian, and Danish History supplemental curriculum studies lists in particular, "The Battles That Created England 793-1100: How Alfred and his Successors Defeated the Vikings to Unite the Kingdoms" must be considered a core and invaluable acquisition. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Battles That Created England 793-1100: How Alfred and his Successors Defeated the Vikings to Unite the Kingdoms" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).

Editorial Note: Arthur Wright (https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Arthur-C-Wright/a/3487) was for thirty years a museum curator, ultimately responsible for four museums. A military historian by training, the scope of his professional responsibilities encouraged him to focus on social history. Two of the museum buildings being medieval, he was drawn into this period and then developed a forty-year obsession with the Domesday Book, finding that there was no mathematically demonstrable solution to its cryptic statistics in any published work. Wrestling with the logic and arithmetic he deduced it was possible to decode its contents, eventually publishing his research. He is also a 'living history' educator and craftsman with a wide range of manual and traditional skills.

Rorke's Drift By Those Who Were There
Ian Knight, author
Lee Stevenson, author
Gary Bayhnam-Jones, author
Greenhill Books
c/o Pen & Sword Books
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781784388317, $34.95, HC, 272pp

https://www.amazon.com/Rorkes-Drift-Those-Were-There/dp/1784388319

Synopsis: On 22 January 1879, during the final hour of the Battle of iSandlwana (one of the greatest disasters ever to befall British troops during the Victorian era) a very different story was about to unfold a few miles away at the mission station of Rorke's Drift. When a Zulu force of more than 3,000 warriors turned their attention to the small outpost, defended by around 150 British and Imperial troops, the odds of the British surviving were staggeringly low. The British victory that ensued, therefore, would go down as one of the most heroic actions of all time, and has enraptured military history enthusiasts for decades.

Featuring a wide range of first-hand accounts and testimonies from those present during the Battle of Rorke's Drift, Rorke's Drift By Those Who Were There is a remarkable work of Anglo-Zulu military history by those who know the topic best, Lee Stevenson and Ian Knight. This updated edition of the classic work of the same name includes even more first-person accounts from the combatants on both the British and Zulu sides.

Providing personal, microscopic accounts of events, while at the same time presenting a clear overview of the battle in its entirety, readers will gain an impressive, unique breadth of knowledge about one of the most awe-inspiring battles in British history.

Critique: Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a six page Bibliography, three pages of Notes, and a seven page Index, "Rorke's Drift By Those Who Were There" by co-authors Ian Knight, Lee Stevenson, and Gary Bayhnam-Jones is a seminal contribution to personal, professional, community, and academic library 19th Century British Military History collections in general, and the Southern African Anglo-Zulu War in particular. Ideal for supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Rorke's Drift By Those Who Were There" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).

Editorial Note #1: Ian Knight (https://ianknightzulugallery.com) is an authority on the Anglo-Zulu War. As well as lecturing and writing articles on the subject for journals and magazines, he has compile museum catalogues and acted as a consultant for television documentaries produced by the BBC and the History Channel. His many books include Brave Men's Blood: The Anatomy of the Zulu Army, The National Army Museum Book of the Zulu War and a biography of the Prince Imperial. He is also vice-president of the Anglo-Zulu War Historical Society.

Editorial Note #2: Lee Stevenson has a long-standing fascination with the Defence of Rorke's Drift thanks to his late father, Ray, who sparked his interest with a gift of a book about the Anglo-Zulu war when Lee was fourteen. Forty years later he is still researching the lives of the men who fought and has written numerous articles for magazines and regimental journals. In 2003, along with his friend and fellow Rorke's Drift enthusiast Alan Baynham-Jones, he published their joint collection of first-hand accounts and stories written by the defenders, Rorke's Drift - By Those Who Were There. This is an expanded and updated version of that book.

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