Philip Sidnell

"Warhorse" could have been a good book, properly designed and produced. The writing is clear and fluent; the author evidently knows his subject well and has done extensive research, some of it hands-on. But in a narrative ranging from China and the steppes of Central Asia to the Mediterranean world and western Europe, there are no maps. Not one. In a book which discusses a large number of ancient battles, there is *one* diagram (produced with keyboard symbols). The first chapter discusses chariot warfare and notes that "many artefacts (sic) and pictorial representations show us in some detail how chariots were constructed and their crews equipped", but there are no pictures of chariots. The only illustrations in the whole book are eight pages containing nine photographs and three sketches (the later unattributed) which seem to have been added as an afterthought. The chapters are large and general (e.g., "Early Rome") with no subheadings. There are no tables, and no bibliography. The back flap notes that the author, "a keen rider, ... has re-enacted many of the manoeuvres of ancient horsemen, using replicas of their weapons and equipment", but there are no photographs of these either.

This book seems from its style to be directed at a general audience, and yet a general audience which knows where Veii is and what a modern bit (never mind an ancient one) looks like. With proper attention to detail, this could have been a good book, but as it stands it is a very disappointing one. If you are already an expert in this subject and merely want to follow the author's arguments on the effectiveness of cavalry before the invention of the stirrup, I expect it would be a good read. Otherwise I think that you will come away disappointed, as I did. This will teach me not to buy a reference book sight unseen from a non-academic publisher, merely on the basis of two good Amazon reviews.… (más)