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The Face of Battle

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The Face of Battle

By: John Keegan
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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In this major and wholly original contribution to military history, John Keegan reverses the usual convention of writing about war in terms of generals and nations in conflict, which tends to leave the common soldier as cipher. Instead, he focuses on what a set battle is like for the man in the thick of it—his fears, his wounds and their treatment, the mechanics of being taken prisoner, the nature of leadership at the most junior level, the role of compulsion in getting men to stand their ground, the intrusions of cruelty and compassion, the din and blood.

Set battles, with their unities of time and place, may be a thing of the past, but this anatomy of what they were like for the men who fought them is an unforgettable mirror held up to human nature.

©1976 John Keegan (P)2001 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Europe Medieval Military Military Science Western Europe War Middle Ages Imperialism
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Critic reviews

“The most brilliant evocation of military experience in our time.” (C. P. Snow, British novelist and scientist)
All stars
Most relevant
I would like to read the follow up: “face of PTSD throughout history”.
A great book on why we should avoid war.

Great gruesomness and well written

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What made the experience of listening to The Face of Battle the most enjoyable?

Insightful, thought-provoking, ahead of it's time, singular, inspiring, truthful.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The author.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favourite?

N/a

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

You couldn't do it.

Any additional comments?

I have read this book several times and will continue to do so.

Simply Brilliant.

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Great book and very well narrated. Definitely added a different aspect to military history that I hadn’t fully considered before, and the narrative makes it enjoyable listening. Would definitely recommend.

Very interesting

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I loved this book. Insightful and learned yet witty and superbly written. The narration by Simon Vance (surely one of the very best narrators) could not be more perfectly suited to the text. Highly recommended for anyone interested in military history.

A genuine classic of military history

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An excellent read, read in beautifully spoken English. Not always the case on here.

Best of its kind

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