Short Synopsis
In this masterful book, Cathal J. Nolan examines the great battles, placing them squarely within the context of the wider conflict in which they took place.

Full Synopsis
History has tended to measure war's winners and losers in terms of its major engagements, battles in which the result was so clear-cut that they could be considered "decisive." Cannae, Konigsberg, Austerlitz, Midway, Agincourt—all resonate in the literature of war and in our imaginations as tide-turning. But these legendary battles may or may not have determined the final outcome of the wars in which they were fought.

Cathal J. Nolan's The Allure of Battle systematically and engrossingly examines the great battles, tracing what he calls "short-war thinking," the hope that victory might be swift and wars brief. As he proves persuasively, however, such has almost never been the case. Even the major engagements have mainly contributed to victory or defeat by accelerating the erosion of the other side's defenses. Massive conflicts, the so-called "people's wars," beginning with Napoleon and continuing until 1945, have consisted of and been determined by prolonged stalemate and attrition, industrial wars in which the determining factor has been not military but matériel.

Nolan's masterful book places battles squarely and mercilessly within the context of the wider conflict in which they took place. In the process it helps correct a distorted view of battle's role in war.

"This is one of the most valuable military histories in years. A must-read for students of military history." ---Kirkus Starred Review

"With considerable elegance, Mr. Nolan disposes of iconic military genius, putting particular stress on the importance of defensive battle. . . . He suggests that his book is not written for military historians but for the wider public, in part to alert the general reader to the distorted image of decisiveness in battle. He is too modest: Everyone can benefit from what is a particularly fine history of war." ---Ian Beckett, The Wall Street Journal

"Fascinating. I cannot remember reading anything in the last few years that has made me reconsider so many basic questions -- What wins wars? What is the most illuminating way to relate military history? Are our generals flailing because they try to substitute battlefield skill for strategic understanding?" ---Thomas E. Ricks, The New York Times

Kirkus Review