The Gallic Wars (lllustrated)

“Gaul is divided into three parts.” Originally composed for propaganda purposes, Julius Caesar’s war diary is one of the earliest examples of a military science manual, detailing arms technology, tactical maneuvers, battlefield politics, espionage, intelligence and even the role played by luck in ground and sea campaigns. Nine years of fighting is condensed into a tight treatise rendered in lavish, cinematic prose. Caesar’s superior forces crush one defiant Gallic, German and Belgian tribe after another with precise efficiency until an area of almost 200,000 square miles has been conquered. Epic shock-and-awe battle sequences are balanced with quiet scenes of diplomacy and political negotiations that offer useful strategic insight. Caesar is always thinking through each situation, whether in his tent or in the middle of a ferocious naval skirmish, and he shares his reasoning with remarkable clarity, elaborating on each consideration so that we understand each decision. This is real-life chess on the biggest scale imaginable. The Gallic Wars is a warts-and-all look at what it takes to achieve victory, a powerful and raw account of ruthlessness in war. Read more