Readers hoping for an intensive study of the battle, complete with charts, maps, and other essential data may find the book a bit lacking in this department. I know the extensive Osprey military book series can help with his. While Cannae is the main event of the book, the subject matter is more accurately described as a narrative of the Second Punic War. However, O'Connell doesn't forget that "Cannae" appears in the title of the book and puts a special emphasis on the role of battle's survivors, who transform from notorious pariahs to unsung avengers. Since O'Connell is a military history first and classicist second, or at least his bibliography would indicate such, the battle descriptions and analysis are given somewhat more attention than the basic historical narrative. This is fine though, as he never dives so into the minutiae of battle that readers get lost. However, readers more interested in the political and social aspects rather than the battles themselves may be better served by many of the fine books written about the period.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
The Ghosts of Cannae (Robert L. O'Connell, 2010)
It didn't get much worse for the Roman Republic than Cannae. This is saying a lot considering about a century earlier the city was sacked and damn-near terminated by angry Gauls. But this is the Roman Republic, which can take a licking and keep on ticking.
Readers hoping for an intensive study of the battle, complete with charts, maps, and other essential data may find the book a bit lacking in this department. I know the extensive Osprey military book series can help with his. While Cannae is the main event of the book, the subject matter is more accurately described as a narrative of the Second Punic War. However, O'Connell doesn't forget that "Cannae" appears in the title of the book and puts a special emphasis on the role of battle's survivors, who transform from notorious pariahs to unsung avengers. Since O'Connell is a military history first and classicist second, or at least his bibliography would indicate such, the battle descriptions and analysis are given somewhat more attention than the basic historical narrative. This is fine though, as he never dives so into the minutiae of battle that readers get lost. However, readers more interested in the political and social aspects rather than the battles themselves may be better served by many of the fine books written about the period.
Readers hoping for an intensive study of the battle, complete with charts, maps, and other essential data may find the book a bit lacking in this department. I know the extensive Osprey military book series can help with his. While Cannae is the main event of the book, the subject matter is more accurately described as a narrative of the Second Punic War. However, O'Connell doesn't forget that "Cannae" appears in the title of the book and puts a special emphasis on the role of battle's survivors, who transform from notorious pariahs to unsung avengers. Since O'Connell is a military history first and classicist second, or at least his bibliography would indicate such, the battle descriptions and analysis are given somewhat more attention than the basic historical narrative. This is fine though, as he never dives so into the minutiae of battle that readers get lost. However, readers more interested in the political and social aspects rather than the battles themselves may be better served by many of the fine books written about the period.
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