Atlas of Military History provides a fascinating, in-depth look at the world of warfare and reveals how the face of war has changed dramatically over the millennia with the emergence of new technology and tactical innovations that often proved decisive in conflicts. It charts the appearance of technical innovations throughout the ages: from the humble bow and arrow to warhorses and chariots, from gunpowder and firearms to tanks and heavy artillery, and it continues into the modern world of submarines, fighter jets, drones, and devastating weapons of mass destruction

I bought this book at Costco (I believe) on a whim. The breadth of coverage seemed a good jumping off point for new avenues of reading. Obviously a "coffee table" -type book isn't going to have depth in a subject, but they are usually enjoyable to read or scan through.

On the positive side, there is a considerable amount of breadth. Most major struggles, or minor struggles with important ramifications, are covered. The artwork and illustrations are usually relevant. Each story usually includes at least one Shutterstock archive of a great piece of art, a small general purpose map, and a relevant artifact.

Negatively, this book had many errors. Most were grammar and typos but real errors abound. While spelling "Mamluk" as "Maluk" is one thing, people would be surprised to find that on page 240 Gaius Marius reorganized the Roman legions "at the beginning of the second century CE." Maybe if the author used BC and AD, the missing B would have been more obvious. While a missing B is a typo, substituting "beginning" for "end" of the second century is more serious. Marius was Caesar's uncle and surely influenced him. He was only a generation from the Republic's fall which scholars attributed (partially or entirely) to his military reforms. Context is everything.
In explaining the Sepoy Mutiny on pg 146, readers will learn that "the pig [is] a sacred animal in Islam."
Additionally, there is disagreement between text and image labels. Does Emperor Qin's Terracotta Army face east or west? Was Charles XII 14 or 15 when he ascended the throne?
Errors like these examples are scattered all over; these are the ones that stuck in my head. An attentive editorial staff doesn't have to know the relevant history to catch most of these mistakes.

On the other end, I found the analysis lightweight. I found the Crusader section represented by outdated and invalidated views. The Chinese sections were less than superficial - the paragraphs basically amounted to "there was some fighting in China between this group and that group." The authors only had 5-10 paragraphs to describe who, what, when, where, and why. I understand the limitations, but there could have been more effort to tell me why this event was included and the long-term ramifications.

It looks pretty. The glossy, thick pages complement the great works of art. Unfortunately, the book needed more revision before being released ( )

This is quite an astonishing little book, 300+ pages with extra-tiny type (the way I like it) and excellently-chosen photos, maps, and various graphics. All for only 4 bucks new at Burke's (yes, the clothing & decor store). It doesn't place too much of an emphasis on WWI and WWII like most such books do. In only 2 pages, it summed up the Korean War way more lucidly than any other source I'd ever read before. An essential purchase for the budding military history / geopolitics geek.

It's a very interesting and wonderfully illustrated encyclopedia of all the wars throughout the history of humankind.