The Face Of Battle: A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme

'The book which changed how military history was written' BERNARD CORNWELL

‘Keegan shows us the true nature of war – it was never a chess game calmly between two masters, it was always bloody chaos’ ANTONY BEEVOR

This is military history at its best – from the battlefield. Powerful and gripping, The Face of Battle is an imperishable account of the direct experience of individuals at the point of maximum danger.

It examines the physical conditions of fighting, the particular emotions and behaviour generated by battle, as well as the motives that impel soldiers to stand and fight rather than run away.

In this stunningly vivid reassessment of three key battles, leading military historian John Keegan conveys their reality for the participants, whether facing the arrow cloud of Agincourt, the levelled muskets of Waterloo or the steel rain of the Somme.

'The most brilliant evocation of military experience in our time' C. P. SNOW

'In this book, which is so creative, so original, one learns as much about the nature of man as of battle' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

'This, without any doubt, is one of the half-dozen best books on warfare to appear in the English language since the end of the Second World War' SUNDAY TIMES