Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban

Average customer rating:

Afghanistan: A military history from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban

Helpful for breadth, not for depth

Concise and general in its scope, with concentrated focus on the most pivotal events, well founded and provoking analysis

Premature and lacking detail

Detailed and Highly Readable Analysis

Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban
Stephen Tanner
Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Afghanistan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
General | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books
General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics

Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia

Afghan Guerrilla Warfare: In the Words of the Mujahideen Fighters

Dari: Dari-English English-Dari Dictionary & Phrasebook (Hippocrene Dictionary & Phrasebooks)

Pashto Dictionary & Phrasebook: Pashto-English English-Pashto (Hippocrene Dictionary & Phrasebooks)

ASIN: 0306812339
Release Date: 2003-07-08

Book Description

The only complete single-volume military history of Afghanistan, from ancient times to the war waged by the United States after September 11.

Following the events of September 11, 2001, the world was riveted as American military power contested the legendary warrior culture of Afghanistan. By spring 2002, America began to draw down its forces, its mission accomplished: The Afghan Taliban regime has been overthrown and the terrorists it harbored were on the run. Was America's easy victory proof of its military superiority, or were the Afghans merely eyeing the newcomers as they have watched foreign armies in centuries past, knowing time is on their side?

For over 2,500 years, the forbidding territory of Afghanistan has served as a vital crossroads--not just for armies but for clashes between civilizations--the Greeks, Arabs, Mongols, and Tartars, and in more recent times, Britain and Russia. Now America must face a new enemy on this land--a land that for centuries has become a graveyard of empires past.

This first-ever complete military history of Afghanistan illuminates the broad historical context into which American forces have been drawn--a cautionary tale, perhaps, about the dangers that may lie ahead.

Customer Reviews:

Afghanistan: A military history from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban.......2007-09-28

Excellent book that informs the reader about the country and its military events. US Army issues this book to some Soldiers deploying to Afghanistan.

Helpful for breadth, not for depth.......2007-08-11

This is an excellent book if you are just looking into the mindset of the region, and a basic history of Afghanistan. However, as another reviewer states, it does begin to fall flat on the more modern history. Again, Stephen Tanner acts as though the Taliban are gone forever toward the end of the book. He also makes a lot of assumptions, guesses, and does show that he lacks an understanding of our military and their strategies. For example, the suggestion that we were using Afghans as "cannon fodder" because we didn't give them combat boots, body armor, helmets and M-4s or M-16s. For a better understanding of why the Afghans wouldn't have accepted (or used) any of those things, I suggest reading Marcus Luttrell's Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10. The short answers on both of those are "stealth" and "reliability". (The author actually refers to the AK-47 as RICKETY. Yikes.)

Becuase of this, for me, it does throw into doubt the rest of the book. If he could get so many basics wrong (again, the AK-47 - rickety? Really?) did he get any of the ancient history stuff right? Well, he doesn't cite any sources, so if you're looking for historical accuracy, you should pass on this. But I recommend this book if you want a somewhat slanted, entertaining, breadth-first basic approach to the military history of Afghanistan. It is rather easy to read.

If you want to really know what's going on in Afghanistan though, right now, there are better books out there. I highly recommend Luttrell's book above for a on-the-ground look at the Operation Enduring Freedom.

Overall I give this entertaining look at Afghanistan 3 rickety AK-47s out of 5.

Concise and general in its scope, with concentrated focus on the most pivotal events, well founded and provoking analysis.......2007-08-09

Stephen Tanner's book "Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban," is a brilliant and exciting piece of work that will serve Western readers well.
Tanner's work covers the regional peoples and ancient tribes who have made indelible contributions to modern Afghan society to the first years of U.S. intervention in the "War on Terror."
The early chapters of the book are an interesting brief on Afghan history condensed. Featuring an exhaustive list of regions, tribes, villains and personalities that would otherwise require too much additional background to cover in-depth, Tanner fittingly navigates early history to focus on primary events in Afghan history and the overall Afghan experience, if there ever was such a thing.
Tanner's modern-day material draws on British, or at least mostly Occidental sources, and covers the British and Russian experience in Afghanistan noticeably more in-depth. The connections Tanner makes between Afghanistan and Switzerland are brilliant and set the stage for his conclusion.
Given the subsequent events since the book's publication, it would not be difficult to fill in any holes with supplemental material from various sources, if not Tanner's newer material, regarding the American-Afghan experience since. Obviously the accuracy of Tanner's analysis will remain to be seen within the context and perhaps only at the conclusion of the "War on Terror."
Afghanistan itself, exists as a profound storehouse and contributor to world culture. The future of the world's destiny is no less shaped by this region once bisecting East and West; now bisecting past and present, than it has been throughout time.
Overall, "Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban" is an exceptional look at a subject too many Americans can claim ignorance, if only by virtue of geography.
Perhaps best of all, it is written with hope, rather than writing off the long suffering Afghan people, be it through Imperialism, radical Islam or perhaps most unfortunately, benign neglect.
REVIEW EVERY BOOK YOU READ, READER OPINIONS ARE WELL SERVED BY THE PHENOMENON OF THE INTERNET!

Premature and lacking detail.......2007-07-04

For starters this book prematurely declares that the Taliban has fallen. Even now in 2007 the US is dealing with the Taliban. Second this book describes various battles and wars, but doesn't give any context. There are very few maps and he gives no context to where places are and how far apart they are. I was very disappointed with this book.

Detailed and Highly Readable Analysis.......2007-04-30

This is an excellent work and is a must read for any serious student of Military Studies. Although some would point to his errors of spelling certain place names, this point was covered in the "Preface" to his work as the Author acknowledged the differences in opinion on correct spelling.
This book is highly readable history, comprehensive in its coverage and fair-minded in the way it is conveyed.

As a side bar, be sure to have a very good geographical map or maps of the area of Central Asia before you begin.

A must read

Dr. Terry Tucker
Combined Security Transition Command-Afganistan

Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban

Average customer rating:

History... or politics? You decide.
Concise and general in its scope, with concentrated focus on the most pivotal events, well founded and provoking analysis.
This book is only average at best.
a full history
Copy paste job!

Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban
Stephen Tanner
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Afghanistan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics
Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia
Ivan's War: The Red Army, 1939 - 45
Africa's Armies
Warfare in Atlantic Africa, 1500-1800 (Warfare and History)

ASIN: 0306811642
Release Date: 2002-07-02

Amazon.com

Stephen Tanner's Afghanistan: A Military History recounts with brisk authority and many illuminating analogies the 2,500-year story of a country--for much of that time it was more properly a region--of "incredible beauty" (soldiers liken it to western Colorado) that has been both the "coveted prize of empires" and, more recently, a hideout for international terrorists. What Afghanistan has known for virtually all of its history is war. Tanner tells, with a good narrative eye, of the invasions and occupations of Afghanistan by Cyrus, Alexander, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, the British (disastrously), and the Soviet Union (only slightly less so), as well as the rise, and fall, of the Taliban, ending the book with a brief, speculative chapter on the country's present and future. Tucked in Tanner's overview are fascinating historical footnotes, including the Afghans' reliance over the centuries on its now-infamous caves, and its brief role in World War II--the Nazis felt a kinship with the blonde, blue-eyed segments of the population. This is a noteworthy and valuable book: accessible, objective, informative, and informed. --H. O'Billovich

Book Description

The only complete military history of Afghanistan, from battles fought by the ancient Greeks to those reported in this morning's headlines.

For over 2,500 years, the forbidding territory of Afghanistan has served as a vital crossroads--not only for armies but also for clashes between civilizations. As the United States engages in armed conflict with the current Afghan regime, an understanding of the military history of that blood-soaked land has become essential to every American.

Afghanistan's military history provides lessons for us today. The earliest written records inform us of fierce mountain tribes on the "eastern" edge of the cradle of civilization. Alexander the Great conquered Afghanistan on his way from Persia to India. Later, because of its strategic location--the Silk Road passed through its mountainous northern region--Afghanistan was invaded in succession by Arabs, Mongols, and Tartars. In the nineteenth century, Great Britain tried--and failed--to add Afghanistan to its Indian empire, while Russia tried to expand into the same embattled land. Afghanistan once again fought--and defeated --Russia in the 1980's when it tried to prop up a secular government in the face of rising Islamic resistance.

Now America must face a new enemy on this land--a land that for centuries has become a graveyard of empires past.

Customer Reviews:

History... or politics? You decide........2007-07-31

This was an interesting look at Afghanistan's military past, but the author lost all pretext of objectivity when he began discussing US involvement in Afghanistan. I should have seen it coming when he referred to "ex-President Jimmy Carter" as "brilliant," but toward the end, Tanner's sputtering hatred for President Bush makes the final two chapters look more like the Washington Post in campaign mode than any sort of serious book on military history. Bottom line: If you have time for one book on Afghanistan's rich military history...this is NOT the book for you.

Concise and general in its scope, with concentrated focus on the most pivotal events, well founded and provoking analysis. .......2007-06-24

This book is only average at best........2003-09-20

This book really an insult to people who have spent hard earned money in the hopes of educating themselves on this subject. The author makes such huge assumptions about the actions of America that its just too simply far-fetched to believe. Example: The author incredibly states that Americans were angry at John Walker Lindh only because U.S. troops didn't participate in the ground war. The author obviously has little understanding of American culture and American society and has taken to the usual and often repeated Euro mantra that Americans are a war-hungry society. After such faulty assumptions are made, it is no longer a credible reference tool.

a full history.......2003-09-11

I reccomend this in light of our present war in afghanistan. This is a mountainous nation that defeated the Russsians and the British before us. A confounding culture of rival tribes and people that have known war forever. This rugged land is interesting and it has been the center of much intrigue and war for thousands of years. This book tells it all.

Copy paste job!.......2003-07-09

One of the worst books that I have read about Afghanistan. Initially I was really excited about this book, but after reading half it I realized that author had gone to his local library, collected all the books about Afghanistan and copy and pasted...

The author gives 1900 years of afghan history not even half of the book, concentrates too much on Anglo-afghan wars, with a lot of quotations to fill pages, really unscholarly work.

This is anything but a "military" history book. The author does not talk at all about the afghan battle tactics throughout the history. No map of battles, and their formations... this is probably one of the worst books about Afghanistan ever.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Military Review, published by U.S. Army CGSC on January 1, 2005. The length of the article is 454 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Afghanistan: a Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban.(Book Review)
Author: Lester W. Grau
Publication: Military Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2005
Publisher: U.S. Army CGSC
Volume: 85 Issue: 1 Page: 89(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

Afghanistan : A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban
Stephen Tanner
Manufacturer: Da Capo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSR08I

Average customer rating:

Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban
Stephen Tanner
Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSX0BO

Average customer rating:

Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the Fall of the Taliban
Stephen Tanner
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0195799224

The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness History to 2000 (Mammoth Books)
Average customer rating:

Eyewitness History

A History Book Telling of Events From 2700 BC to 2000 AD

The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness History to 2000 (Mammoth Books)
Jon E. Lewis
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Eyewitness to History

Eyewitness to America: 500 Years of American History in the Words of Those Who Saw It Happen

The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness America: Over 350 Eyewitness Accounts of American History in the Making, 1492-2002

The Mammoth Book of Private Lives (Mammoth Books)

What Everyone Should Know About the 20th Century: 200 Events That Shaped the World

ASIN: 078670747X

Book Description

This newly revised and updated edition of Jon E. Lewis's snapshot view of history from 2700 BC to 2000 AD offers an outstanding collection of eyewitness accounts to the events that most memorably affected the lives of the nations and people who enjoyed, survived, suffered, or implemented them. The selections from such sources as memoirs, diaries, letters, and journals not only document first-hand the events they recount, they also lend a sense of immediacy to these historical moments for the modern reader. In vivid detail these pages survey the realms of social and political history (President Clinton's impeachment trial), art (Raffaello's attempt to prevent Michelangelo from completing his painting in the Sistine Chapel), war (from the sacking of Babylon by Sennacherib to Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait), exploration (the discovery of America -- and tobacco), sports (the 1966 World Cup), science (Sir Isaac Newton on his laws of gravity), disaster (Pliny's account of the astonishing eruption of Vesuvius), and celebration (Charlotte Bronte on the wondrous opening of the Crystal Palace in 1851 and the ancient wonders of Tutankhamen's tomb unearthed by archeologists in 1923).

Customer Reviews:

Eyewitness History.......2007-04-15

The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness History 2000 is a 600+ page paperbook book which has eyewitness accounts from the last 4,000+ years. This isn't like other eyewitness books where there are nice pictures and some interesting facts. I was slightly disappointed because I thought this would be more of a history book but it gives accounts of what happened during various historical moments, it doesn't really give background into what led into those moments. But this is still a good book to learn a lot.

Some problems I have with the book are that the 1979 Shah overthrow in Iran is mentioned but sadly the 1958 U.S.-UK backed overthrow of democratically elected Mossadegh in Iran is not mentioned, and neither is the shooting down of Iranian aircraft (Iran Air Flight 655 (IR655). Sadly these things are not mentioned in American history books and are not even knowledge among any of the American public, and this book basically peddles forth American history as we are taught it.

The other thing I would say doesn't make sense is the author declares that "in 1948 Israel declares independence". Who do they declare independence from? The Balfour doctrine declared Israel a country in 1948. Why is this Mammoth book saying false statements?

These were the two things I noticed immediately. Probably as I read through all of the book, I might find more. This would not be a book I would strongly recommend but it is good for learning some things that occured around the world.

A History Book Telling of Events From 2700 BC to 2000 AD.......2003-10-15

I think this is a great history book. There admittedly are some boring things, but also many things that everybody should know. It's very interesting, and has many different things it tells about - from Hunting Crocodiles in Egypt, to Medical Experiments at Dachau (Germany), to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (USA), to The Home Front: A Child's View, Sheffield. Of all my years of reading history books, this one has been the most educational and informative. Also, some things have influenced and touched me greatly. One example:
Christmas in the Trenches, Western Front, 1914::: The enemies shared beer and greetings, and not a bullet was shot that day. It is nice to know that even war people can be good and celebrate.
While reading this book, I have learned that there is no end to human behavior. Cruelty and kindness, trust and betrayal, love and hate - it's all here in this book, and I have been greatly changed by it.
Though not a history fan myself, I encourage everybody to read this book:

It, with no doubt, is a great treasure to the world.

The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Britain: Eyewitness Accounts of Great Historical Moments from 55 B.C. to A.D. 2000
Average customer rating:
The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Britain: Eyewitness Accounts of Great Historical Moments from 55 B.C. to A.D. 2000

Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
General | England | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness America: Over 350 Eyewitness Accounts of American History in the Making, 1492-2002

The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Ancient Rome: The History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire in the Words of Those Who Were There (Mammoth Books)

The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness History to 2000 (Mammoth Books)

Eyewitness to History

ASIN: 0786709294

Book Description

Beginning with the Roman invasion of Britain in 55 B.C., as seen through the eyes of Julius Caesar, and ending at the dawn of the third millennium, this new Mammoth volume heightens major events in three thousand years of British history with the immediacy of vivid firsthand accounts that have been culled from memoirs, diaries, letters, and newspaper reports of people who were there. So it is that William of Poitiers recounts the Battle of Hastings, where in 1066 King Harold got it in the eye, while Edward Grim recalls the murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas a Becket. So, too, Samuel Pepys describes the Great Fire of London; Friedrich Engels the slums of Manchester; Charlotte Bronte the Great Exhibition of 1851; Virginia Woolf the Blitz; and Edmund Hillary the conquest of Everest. This collection of eyewitness accounts not only chronicles such critical historical moments as the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the execution of Charles I, Wellington’s triumph at Waterloo, and the resignation of Margaret Thatcher. It also provides vignettes of British social life like cockfighting in Tudor inns and a Victorian Sunday in the country as well as cultural milestones like the first concert of the Sex Pistols. From the discovery of Virginia to the invasion of the Beatles, from the execution of Mary Queen of Scots to the tragic death of Princess Diana, here is brutal, dynamic, glorious, decadent, insular, powerful, splendid Britannia through the ages.

The Most Beautiful Mathematical Formulas
Average customer rating:

Revelation

A book for CHILDREN, not for adults!!!

Beauty + Simplicity

Excellent and whimsical look at the history of math

The Most Beautiful Mathematical Formulas
Lionel Salem , Frédéric Testard , and Coralie Salem
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books
Reference | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Painless Geometry (Painless Series)

Mathematics for the Nonmathematician (Dover Books Explaining Science)

Q.E.D.: Beauty in Mathematical Proof (Wooden Books)

Useful Mathematical and Physical Formulae

Mathematics and the Physical World (Dover Books Explaining Science)

ASIN: 0471176621

Book Description

A lighthearted tour through 49 of the most interesting and useful mathematical formulas ever derived
Now in paperback, this whimsical book reacquaints the reader with the pleasure of playing with numbers. Both entertaining and practical, it reaches a level of sophistication consistently high enough to make intelligent people think, but never aims so high that it is difficult to follow. Accompanying the formulas are over 70 amusing cartoons and diverting stories that point up how everyday events can lead to fundamental mathematical insights.
* Features 49 short, inviting chapters, written in simple, clear language
* Proves that math is fun, functional and accessible--not an arcane subject reserved for specialists
LIONEL SALEM (Paris, France) is an internationally renowned theoretical chemist at the University of Paris, and has an appointment to the world famous French National Research Center. FREDERIC TESTARD (Nice, France) is a mathematician at the University of Nice. CORALIE SALEM (Paris, France) is an artist/illustrator who provided the book's graphics.

Customer Reviews:

Revelation.......2003-11-09

If, like me, you were a complete klutz at math, this book is for you. I wouldn't dream of reviling it for not being complex enough. It's attractively presented, comprehensible, and fills a need.

A book for CHILDREN, not for adults!!!.......2001-09-23

Don't be fooled by the title of this book. Yes, the book presents most of the important formulas, like Euler's eternal formula e to the power of i x pi plus one equal to zero. But that is it. There is no mathematical deduction or any related calculations . All that contained are cartoon pictures. So I would have two ratings for that book, for children, 5 stars, as this book can stimulate them to pursue mathematics further. One star for adult ( no zero ), so I give this book 3 stars on average!!!!

Beauty + Simplicity.......2001-08-31

Great book. It combines the simplicity of "where to find this formula in daily life", with comics, and a mathematical explanation. Like a gardener story to explain logarithms; or a history of 18th century to explain fractional numbers. It is an excellent gift to make that a kid love the simplicity of mathematics.
-
Un gran libro. Combina la simplicidad de "donde encontrar la f-rmula en la vida diaria", con comics y explicaciones matemticas. Como la historia de un jardinero para explicar logaritmos; o una historia del siglo 18 para explicar numeros fraccionales. Es un regalo excelente para hacer que un ni-o ame la simplicidad de las matemticas.

Excellent and whimsical look at the history of math.......2000-03-24

This is a wonderful book detailing some of the most important, and beautiful, discoveries in the history of mathematics. Each little story explains briefly, clearly, and simply everything from complex numbers to the Pythagorean Theorem. Brought to life through a light-hearted writing style the equations are made fun and interesting. Comical characters and perfectly eccentric illustrations accompany and enliven the text and give birth to humor in mathematics. Lionel Salem's writing, his daughter Coralie's illustrations, and the wonderful premise of the book combine to make for an entertaining piece of literature for everyone from those with no background in math to a PhD mathematician.

This is an excellent book, especially for the layperson averse to or ambivalent toward mathematics. Give it to a friend, a member of the family, or maybe a struggling math student. This is a book which anyone and everyone can enjoy.

The Most Beautiful Mathematical Formulas -
Average customer rating:
The Most Beautiful Mathematical Formulas -
Lionel Salem -
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Publishing -
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000R9J50U

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Geographical Journal, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2007. The length of the article is 506 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Ethics of Waste: How we relate to rubbish.(Book review)
Author: Kersty Hobson
Publication: The Geographical Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 173 Issue: 1 Page: 95(2)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books