Of Arms and Men: A History of War, Weapons, and Aggression |
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You Are Here: Home > History Books > Hawaii History > Item 237
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Of Arms and Men: A History of War, Weapons, and Aggression
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by Robert L. O'Connell
Sales Rank: 775955
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$42.00
At Amazon
on 8-5-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Paperback with 384 pages
Published by: Oxford University Press, USA April 19, 1990
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0195053605
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0195053609
Book Dimensions:
9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
Weighs: 1.2 pounds
From Publishers Weekly
O'Connell traces the relationship between man and armaments up to the present nuclear standoff, paying particular attention to the influence of weapons on military, political and social systems. By the mid-16th century, according to the author, virtually every possibility of chemical-energy warfare had at least been thought of, although "it would require a century-and-a-half cycle of war and a mountain of maimed flesh to reveal fully, in its grim magnificence, what they had truly wrought." Analyzing the effect on Western man's view of himself brought about by the First World War (with its chilling revelation that military power had become uncontrollable), he makes the startling assertion that World War II, having arisen directly from that conflict, "has little independent meaning." With the introduction of wholesale warfare against noncombatants, O'Connell, an analyst at the U.S. Army Intelligence Agency, notes, the present century bears witness to "one more strand in the cord that could strangle war as a viable instrument of policy and establish the paradoxical logic of deterrence as the central reference point in international affairs."
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Review
"THIS BOOK WILL read with pleasure by specialists and military history buffs alike.No one can accuse O'Connell of ever boring his reader.O'Connell's comments are always stimulating.a most interesting and thoughtful book."--L.H. Gann, The International History Review
"O'Connell, a man with impressive credentials as a defense analyst, disarmament negotiator, and historian, has produced a challenging, interdisciplinary study of the historical relationship between culture, weapons technology, and warfare."--Booklist
"Full of fresh and sometimes provocative interpretations, couched in a stimulating writing style which laypersons as well as scholars will appreciate."--Library Journal
"Brilliant general history, focusing on man as a tool-making social predator. Particularly good on intelligence, communications, and decision-making in the electronic and nuclear age."--Theodore Ropp, Duke University
"O'Connell's judicious study of the evolution of arms from sticks and stones to death-dealing rifles, machine guns, and cannons, and, finally, to nuclear weapons demonstrates that weaponry, however destructive, has neither prevented wars nor encouraged restraint in its employment."--Norman A. Graebner, University of Virginia
"Stimulating.A lucid and well-written account of how weapons and warfare have changed over the millennia."--Richard Eder, Los Angeles Times Book Review
"[A] welcome additionThe particular insight which distinguishes Mr. O'Connell's work from others is his examination of human belligerence from a perspective normally reserved for anthropologists and biologists."--Naval War College Review
"Most readable. Adaptable to either a history of a Western culture class."--R.T. Paytan, West Washington University
Reader Reviews
This review is from: Of Arms and Men: A History of War, Weapons, and Aggression (Hardcover)
This book was published in 1989, during the final phases of the Cold War. In it, author Robert L. O'Connell looks at the history of Western man's relationship to weapons. As the author goes through the military history of the West, from ancient Sumer to the invention of the nuclear weapon, he shows that warfare has swung like a pendulum between two poles. At one end is the Homeric view of war, wherein it is cloaked in rules and traditions which moderate and "humanize" it. At the other end is the interspecific hunt view of war, wherein rules are jettisoned and brutality reaches extremes. In the author's view, beginning with the American Civil War and becoming obvious with World War I, the advance of military technology has made weaponry so lethal that the idea of a moderate war has become an oxymoron. Also, with the advent of nuclear weapons, war has entered a final stage where it only can be a ruthless genocide of noncombatants. "We live on the edge of destruction." But, reading this book some sixteen years after its initial publication, I can't help but find that the author's terminal diagnosis for war was premature. Nuclear weapons have receded into the background as weapons of war, while new forms of warfare have arisen in the form of transnational terrorism employing weapons designed to cause mass casualties. Plus, at least for national players on the world stage, moderation, in the form of rules of engagement, weapons use and prisoner treatment is now demanded by worldwide public opinion. So, am I saying that this is a worthless, out-of-date book? In fact, I am not! Up until the final chapter, this is a fascinating and quite enlightening book. Plus, I must say that I found it to be quite a stimulating read. So, if you want to read a book that is a fascinatingly different look at military history, then this book is for you. I highly recommend it!
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Of Arms and Men: A History of War, Weapons, and Aggression
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Price: $42.00
Updated on 8-5-2008.
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