Military history Books

Australian military history is a landscape of legends. Yet across the length and breadth of our military heritage, accuracy and objectivity are often shunted aside so that tales and myths bent on commemoration, veneration, and the idealisation of...

Brings together over 300 all-new cartoons from the WWII era, including over 100 by Dr Seuss, 50 by The New Yorker's Saul Steinberg and works by Al Hirschfeld, Carl Rose and Mischa Richter. The cartoons and commentary cover the five years of the war and...

For decades, readers throughout the world have enjoyed the marvelous stories and illustrations of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. But few know the work Geisel did as a political cartoonist during World War II, for the New York daily...

Despite official declarations, the war in Afghanistan is far from over; in fact, it's escalating. Seven years after 9/11, the Taliban continue to regroup, attack, and claim influence over most of the region. This book presents a fresh, comprehensive...

"Winter Soldiers is an immensely valuable contribution to the history of the Vietnam War. It brings to life, through the words of the veterans themselves, the journey each individual made, through the crucible of combat, from warrior to protester...

Dave Baranek (callsign "Bio") was one of 451 young men to receive his Wings of Gold in 1980 as a naval flight officer. Four years later, seasoned by intense training and deployments in the tense confrontations of the cold war, he became the only one of...

In 1908 at the age of two, Henry Pu Yi ascended to become the last emperor of the centuries-old Manchu dynasty. After revolutionaries forced Pu Yi to abdicate in 1911, the young emperor lived for thirteen years in Peking's Forbidden City, but with none...

Learn the ways of the Japanese Bushido Code with this very readable, modern translation of theBushido Shoshinshu.Code of the Samurai is a four-hundred-year-old explication of the rules and expectations embodied in Bushido, the Japanese Way of the Warrior...

SS-Obergruppenfhrer Reinhard Heydrich rose through the ranks from relative obscurity in the 1920s to the pinnacle of power in the Third Reich by 1936. He was considered the most dangerous man in Nazi Germany after Hitler himself. He was Himmler's deputy,...

In The Ninja Defense, the classic art of the ninja is updated for maximum effectiveness in modern day situations. Stephen K. Hayes has distilled and refined the knowledge he has built studying and teaching ninjutsu for decades into a comprehensive...

In Paris and London, the crowds hailed him as the man who had conquered Napoleon, as the liberator of Europe, and as a benevolent, enlightened monarch. At home he came to be feared as a reactionary, oppressive autocrat in a country where millions of...

In the Art of War, Sun Tzu says: "If you know the enemy and you know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles." Welcome to the secret world of the ninja master! The Illustrated Ninja Handbook is your ultimate...

Over the years many books on Australian military history have given rise to a host of such 'zombie' myths myths that refuse to die. A great many have a strong commemorative and celebratory tradition and aim to entertain or memorialise the gallant deeds...

The August Offensive was the last attempt by the Allied forces to break the stalemate with the Turkish defenders that had developed since the Anzac landings in late April 1915. It resulted in some of the bloodiest battles on the Gallipoli peninsula which...

Sun Tzu's The Art of War has been the premier manual of Chinese military strategy for the past two millennia and, as thousands of Asian businessmen can attest, this classic work is as applicable to the corporate world as it is to the battlefield...

Australiansremember the dead of 25 April 1915 on Anzac Day every year. But do we know thename of a single soldier who died that day? What do we really know about themen supposedly most cherished in the national memory of war?Peter Stanleygoes looking for...

"One of the most important thinkers describes the literally mind-boggling possibilities that modern brain science could present for national security." -LAWRENCE J. KORB, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense"Fascinating and frightening." -Bulletin of...

Contrary to what many Australians believe, during 1942 Japanese submarines were active in Australian waters and Japanese spy planes made surveillance flights over our major cities. With enemy submarines patrolling off the Western Australian coast,...

In Soul of the Samurai respected author and translator Thomas Cleary reveals the true essence of Bushido or Zen warrior teachings according to 17th-century Japanese sword master Yagyu Munenori and his Zen teacher Takuan Soho...

The author of the bestselling Darwin Spitfires casts a forensic eye over the role that Allied air forces played or failed to play  in crucial World War II campaigns in New Guinea.This is the story of the early battles of the South West...

The Japanese sword, a unique work of art in steel, can be appreciated from a number of viewpoints. Its functionality as a weapon, the sophisticated metallurgy and scientific thinking utilized by the swordsmith, the shape of the blade itself, and the...

Often used to explain Japanese business competition, Musashi's Book of Five Rings is more properly a definitive treatise on mortal combat from one of Japan's most formidable warriors - the martial arts luminary Miyamoto Musashi. Famed martial artist...

Young nations do the bidding of empire and send their youth to a faraway war. Their soldiers arrive with a reputation for rebelling against authority and ill-discipline. They fight in an ill-fated campaign, under foreign command, against a well dug in...

Former Tornado Navigator John Nichol tells the incredible story of the RAF Tornado force during the First Gulf War in 1991; the excitement and the danger, the fear and the losses. It is an extraordinary account of courage and fortitude. ‘We were doing...

Explore the world's most famous battles by their geography. This book maps out ancient, medieval, and modern battles from where they happened and progressed. If you're interested in finding out more about the wars fought through the ages, this book is...

A uniquely illustrated guide to the Second World War with more than 100 detailed maps The deadliest war in history brought to life through bold, easy-to-grasp maps.  Follow the key developments of World War II in unprecedented visual detail, with more...

An accessible guide to the key events and turning points of the Second World War, and the people and groups behind them Discover the key battles, tactics, technologies and turning points of the Second World War - the epic conflict that shaped the...

Rogue Forces is the explosive first insiders’ story of how some of Australia’s revered SAS soldiers crossed the line in Afghanistan, descending from elite warriors to unlawful killers.  Mark Willacy, who won a Gold Walkley for exposing SAS war crimes,...

From the bestselling author of Kokoda and Gallipoli comes the epic story of Australia's deadliest Vietnam War battle. 4.31 pm: Enemy [on] left flank. Could be serious. 5.01 pm: Enemy ... penetrating both flanks and to north and south. 5.02: Running...

Discover the key battles, tactics, technologies and turning points of the First World War - the epic conflict that was supposed to be "the war to end all wars".  Combining authoritative, exciting text and bold explanatory graphics The World War I...

World War II The Definitive Visual Guide