Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Mask of Command by John Keegan ISBN: 0-14-011406-8 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: January, 1989 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.61 (23 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Biography, History, and Something of a How To
Comment: Its title comes from a theatrical metaphor, Keegan examining what a commander chooses to reveal of himself to his troops, what he conceals, and what he sometimes invents.
But the book is much more than that. Through an examination of the armies, times, and personalties of four commanders -- Alexander the Great, Wellington, Grant, and Hitler (with a brief look at the command style of John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missle Crisis) -- he shows us how command tactics and theatrics have evolved from Alexander's leading by example in the thick of battle, an heroic example, to the decidely unheroic and distant Hitler and Kennedy.
You'd expect, in a book like this, some look at the politics, military structure, and arms surrounding each leader. And that's present as well as a look at the mechanics of battlefield communication. We're also shown how each of the above leaders personifies some leadership style.
As with his _The Face of Battle_, Keegan makes some of his most memorable points through telling details. We hear of how Alexander's leadership was constricted by the dust of battle, the impossibility of directing combat while heroically hacking at the foe himself; we see how Wellington was distanced from the battlefield by cannons, his vision even more clouded by the gray smoke of guns than Alexander's was by dust, and his intuitive estimation of how fast troops could move against enemies who had just discharged a volley; Keegan talks about the importance of clear and concise dispatches in 19th century battles and how Grant and Wellington's command of English served them well off the battleground; we read transcripts of a micromanaging Hitler who had far better recall of various weapons' characteristics than his commanders but a notable deficeit in strategic thinking.
I found it interesting that all the commanders Keegan chose were political leaders, half unifying military and political commands at once, the other half pursuing political careers after their generalships were over. He doesn't explicity say why this is so, but a concluding chapter on "post-heroic" leadership over nuclear forces implicitly argues for a new style of command by our current military-political leaders.
Whether you want a biography of any or all of the commanders studied in this book, a history of how warfare and the process of command changed through millennia, or a look at how a war leader must manipulate his followers with the right mix -- for his society and time -- of love, alienation, fear, and respect, this book is worth reading.
Rating: 5
Summary: Commanding Forth : Son of Face of Battle!
Comment: The Face of Battle is a very hard act to follow and I think any reader will understand that as he begins The Mask of Command. This is a study of four leadership styles of famous generals as they evolved through different periods in history. So much has already been written about Alexander the Great, the Duke of Wellington, Ulysses S. Grant and Adolf Hitler, it is hard to imagine how succinct and enlightening Keegan's presentation can be. He is a superb writer of military history and in this case, of biography and theory. Keegan always seems to succeed in escaping from the customary and, by now trite, eulogies and strikes out into new territory. If you would like to find out about Alexander the Great's sex life, how the Iron Duke really felt about the "scum of the earth" that fought for him, why Grant drank like he did and more, buy this book! Seriously, there is no one writing thought-full military history like John Keegan. The last chapter (Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis) is pretty scary but you have to have this book.
Rating: 5
Summary: study of military leadership
Comment: Professor John Keegan's 'Mask of Command' is a far-reaching study of the military leadership through history. Keegan provides a study of the styles of 4 generals ' 'heroic' leadership of Alexander the Great, 'non-heroic' examples of Duke of Wellington and US Grant, and a 'pseudo-heroic' dictact of Adolph Hitler. Each individual study paints a quick picture of the personality of a general, reviews political situation, military technology and the prevailing warfare doctrine, reviews major battles fount and lessons learned. Of a particular importance, as is always with Keegan, are factors of technology and personality. Each of the generals will answer the question of the personal involvement and his place in battle in a different way. Alexander in always the front, in the first raw of the phalanx, mounted on a white horse, or the first scaling the walls of the besieged town. For him a general attains trust and leadership by personal example. He is the 'first' of his men. Wellington and Grant are 'directors' of the battle, whose purpose is to provide logistics and advise on tactics. Hitler, although he paints himself the 'first soldier of the Reich' is a psychologist and a technocrat, who seeks to provide moral leadership via demagoguery alone.
This book reads like a breeze. Mostly impressive, in my own opinion, are reconstruction of the battles of Alexander from sometime scant historical evidence, insightful analysis of the unassuming leadership style of Grant, and the analysis of Wellington as an aristocrat of the battle. Great read!!!
 |
Title: The Face of Battle by John Keegan ISBN: 0140048979 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: July, 1995 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
 |
Title: A History of Warfare by John Keegan ISBN: 0679730826 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 01 November, 1994 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
 |
Title: The Price of Admiralty: The Evolution of Naval Warfare by John Keegan ISBN: 0140096507 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: February, 1990 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
 |
Title: Intelligence in War: Knowledge of the Enemy from Napoleon to Al-Qaeda by John Keegan ISBN: 0375400532 Publisher: Knopf Pub. Date: 21 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
 |
Title: The Book of War by John Keegan ISBN: 0140296557 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 31 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
