In A Savage War of Peace, Alistair Horne combines the disciplines of journalism and history to provide a broad, yet insightful account of the Algerian War of Independence. This synthesis allows him to step outside of the strict boundaries of history and frame his narrative around the idea of “tur...
I have a Sick Child right now, which means I'm currently running on less than three hours' sleep. This feels to me like total exhaustion. Still, things could be a lot worse. It's been instructive to remind myself that French soldiers in the line at Verdun not uncommonly went eleven days without a...
She is a woman. I mean she is female.And she is not just any female. She is of colossal fame.A mythical female she is.And yet she is well alive and exists today.Because she has more presence than you or I have. I am talking about resplendent Paris.For if this woman is outstandingly beautiful an...
Germany’s attack on France in 1940 is one of the most famous military campaigns among both military historians and the general public. Alistair Horne’s To Lose a Battle presents a detailed examination of the campaign itself, while continually contextualizing it within the framework of France’s co...
When I think about the Paris Commune, I feel a vague sort of dread. I remember visiting the famous Père Lachaise Cemetery for the first time and seeing the wall—the infamous Communards' Wall—in front of which nearly a hundred fifty insurrectionists were executed by firing squad. I was in awe of h...
After the passage of nearly half a century, there is probably little of value that has not yet appeared in print; certainly no battle of the First War has had more written about it than Verdun. The foregoing bibliography contains published works that have all been used to greater or lesser extent...
The story of the Polish ‘poisoned chocolates’ is an interesting example of how, in an atmosphere of rampant terror, even the craziest allegations can gain wide credence and reappear in countless different contexts. After the invasion of Holland, orders went out for all ‘unexplained’ chocolates to...